Ones that were planted this year (big sticks with puffy leaves on top in the median).
Ones that were planted last year (these look like real trees now).
And stick trees are easy to carry!
Off to America for a few weeks...
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Thursday, June 24, 2010
Stick Trees II
Stick trees do grow!!
Ones that were planted this year (big sticks with puffy leaves on top in the median).
Ones that were planted last year (these look like real trees now).
And stick trees are easy to carry!
Off to America for a few weeks...
.
.
.
Ones that were planted this year (big sticks with puffy leaves on top in the median).
Ones that were planted last year (these look like real trees now).
And stick trees are easy to carry!
Off to America for a few weeks...
.
.
.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
To Learn or Not To Learn
When I found out we were moving to China, I was interested in learning Chinese because I wanted to be able to talk to people here and learn more about them and their lives. What I learned is that learning Chinese is really hard, and I'm not very good at it.
Even though I'm usually an optimist, I'm also a realist. So, last month I quit taking Chinese lessons. I know enough Chinese to make it through day to day life. And I couldn't see that my Chinese would improve enough over the next year to really have a meaningful conversation with someone.
Just to give you a sense of how much Chinese I know,
here are some of the things I can say.
-correct (my favorite word)
-yes
-no
-I/you/she/he/it/mine/yours
-like, look, come, go, want
-numbers (but slowly)
-the time
-the days of the week
-How much?
-beer
-water
-school
-pain
-this
-there
-left/right
-hello/goodbye/thank you
-son/daughter
-friend
-teacher
So this means that I can make some very basic sentences. "We go America" "I like this" "Two water." I sound like a baby!
After I quit taking lessons, I started thinking about how many people I interact with during the week who don't speak English. This means essentially we do our business with little spoken communication. The weird part is that now this is not only easy, but normal.
Driving: Liu speaks a little English, but mostly one word or phrase at a time. He has an electronic translator and so do I, so a lot of our conversations are really just saying one word at a time or showing each other words! It works! (And, no, he doesn't use the translator while he's driving...)
Painting Class: Since September, I've been taking a class in Chinese painting. The teacher teaches us for 2 hours by showing us what to do and speaking only Chinese. So here is the conversation I had with her today (I'm trying to tell her I won't be back in class until August).
- I mime a little book (I know she carries a little calendar).
- She takes out her calendar.
- I point to the next 2 months and say bu bu bu (no) then I point to August 16 and say yes.
- She mimes an airplane and says mei guo (America)?
- I say dui (correct)
- I mime talking on the telephone and point to her and then the calendar for August 16.
- She says ok.
Yoga: Again, a teacher who doesn't speak English. She says things but I have no idea what they are! I just follow along and enjoy the relaxing music.
Shopping: When the checkout clerk asks me a question that I don't understand, I either show my membership card or show that I brought my own bags. If I need help finding something, I bring a picture or show the Chinese character on my translator. I did manage to order a custom made sweater with a lady who didn't speak English. It came out just like I wanted it :)
Ayi: When she comes (once a week), we say ni hao (hello) and if I need her to do something different, I just point.
Mr. Torture: He taught me the Chinese word for pain. I've been bringing my friend to translate :)
I really enjoyed getting to know more about my old driver's life (he spoke English), so I'm sure at some point I'll regret that I didn't try harder to learn Chinese. For now I'm taking the summer off and I'll consider it again in the fall.
Zai jian!
.
.
.
Even though I'm usually an optimist, I'm also a realist. So, last month I quit taking Chinese lessons. I know enough Chinese to make it through day to day life. And I couldn't see that my Chinese would improve enough over the next year to really have a meaningful conversation with someone.
Just to give you a sense of how much Chinese I know,
here are some of the things I can say.
-correct (my favorite word)
-yes
-no
-I/you/she/he/it/mine/yours
-like, look, come, go, want
-numbers (but slowly)
-the time
-the days of the week
-How much?
-beer
-water
-school
-pain
-this
-there
-left/right
-hello/goodbye/thank you
-son/daughter
-friend
-teacher
So this means that I can make some very basic sentences. "We go America" "I like this" "Two water." I sound like a baby!
After I quit taking lessons, I started thinking about how many people I interact with during the week who don't speak English. This means essentially we do our business with little spoken communication. The weird part is that now this is not only easy, but normal.
Driving: Liu speaks a little English, but mostly one word or phrase at a time. He has an electronic translator and so do I, so a lot of our conversations are really just saying one word at a time or showing each other words! It works! (And, no, he doesn't use the translator while he's driving...)
Painting Class: Since September, I've been taking a class in Chinese painting. The teacher teaches us for 2 hours by showing us what to do and speaking only Chinese. So here is the conversation I had with her today (I'm trying to tell her I won't be back in class until August).
- I mime a little book (I know she carries a little calendar).
- She takes out her calendar.
- I point to the next 2 months and say bu bu bu (no) then I point to August 16 and say yes.
- She mimes an airplane and says mei guo (America)?
- I say dui (correct)
- I mime talking on the telephone and point to her and then the calendar for August 16.
- She says ok.
Yoga: Again, a teacher who doesn't speak English. She says things but I have no idea what they are! I just follow along and enjoy the relaxing music.
Shopping: When the checkout clerk asks me a question that I don't understand, I either show my membership card or show that I brought my own bags. If I need help finding something, I bring a picture or show the Chinese character on my translator. I did manage to order a custom made sweater with a lady who didn't speak English. It came out just like I wanted it :)
Ayi: When she comes (once a week), we say ni hao (hello) and if I need her to do something different, I just point.
Mr. Torture: He taught me the Chinese word for pain. I've been bringing my friend to translate :)
I really enjoyed getting to know more about my old driver's life (he spoke English), so I'm sure at some point I'll regret that I didn't try harder to learn Chinese. For now I'm taking the summer off and I'll consider it again in the fall.
Zai jian!
.
.
.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Hello Liu, Part II / Farm
Liu has been our driver for about 6 weeks now and we still love him! We feel very safe in his hands. Through part English/part Chinese conversations and the help of my bilingual friend, I've been able to learn a bit more about him.
He is married and has a 6 year old daughter. He lives in a high-rise apartment not far from Mike's office. He grew up in Kaifaqu, so he knows the area very well. He was a truck driver (a medium size truck that makes deliveries around town) for 10 years and has NEVER been in an accident!!
On Monday, I had one of my best experiences so far in China. I told Liu that I wanted to buy strawberries (they are only available at the local outdoor markets, not at the supermarket). So he stopped at a place he knew near his house. No luck (it was Monday and they probably sold them all on the weekend). So he said he could take me to one other place nearby. OK...it's a little weird going somewhere you don't know, in a town you don't know, in China. I just have to give up control (easier now than before) and let him take me wherever!
After driving along a dirt road for a short while, we ended up at a farm where they were growing all types of produce!! Now I know where my local produce is grown, just 5 minutes from town. The farmer hand-picked about 3 kilograms of strawberries for me. These are the last of the season. Then they gave us a tour of the greenhouses. We saw green beans, tomatoes, celery, lettuce, and green onions. We also went further up the hill to an outdoor growing area and bought fresh picked lettuce (the best salad I've had in a long time!), fresh picked cilantro (I made salsa) and fresh from the ground green onions.
It was one of the most beautiful places I've been in the Dalian area. The greenhouses were nestled in a small valley, it was a cool sunny day and the area smelled clean and earthy.
These farmers live a hard life, but they all looked content and happy. Attached to the greenhouse is a small concrete hut, heated by a stove with only cold running water. After spending a winter here, I can only imagine how cold they must be in the winter!
I took some pictures with my phone (not the best quality). However, they don't do justice to the peacefulness of the place. When I look at these pictures, I see the "China-ness" of the place - stuff stacked around and on top of the houses, the motorcycle truck, the primitiveness. I wish I had a picture that captured the beauty and peacefulness too!
The hills surrounding the valley. In the foreground, the hut attached to the greenhouse and the 3-wheel motorcycle truck that they use to take the produce to the market.
The outside of one of 50 greenhouses. In the winter they put thick straw mats on top to keep them from freezing.
Inside the greenhouse picking strawberries.
.
.
.
He is married and has a 6 year old daughter. He lives in a high-rise apartment not far from Mike's office. He grew up in Kaifaqu, so he knows the area very well. He was a truck driver (a medium size truck that makes deliveries around town) for 10 years and has NEVER been in an accident!!
On Monday, I had one of my best experiences so far in China. I told Liu that I wanted to buy strawberries (they are only available at the local outdoor markets, not at the supermarket). So he stopped at a place he knew near his house. No luck (it was Monday and they probably sold them all on the weekend). So he said he could take me to one other place nearby. OK...it's a little weird going somewhere you don't know, in a town you don't know, in China. I just have to give up control (easier now than before) and let him take me wherever!
After driving along a dirt road for a short while, we ended up at a farm where they were growing all types of produce!! Now I know where my local produce is grown, just 5 minutes from town. The farmer hand-picked about 3 kilograms of strawberries for me. These are the last of the season. Then they gave us a tour of the greenhouses. We saw green beans, tomatoes, celery, lettuce, and green onions. We also went further up the hill to an outdoor growing area and bought fresh picked lettuce (the best salad I've had in a long time!), fresh picked cilantro (I made salsa) and fresh from the ground green onions.
It was one of the most beautiful places I've been in the Dalian area. The greenhouses were nestled in a small valley, it was a cool sunny day and the area smelled clean and earthy.
These farmers live a hard life, but they all looked content and happy. Attached to the greenhouse is a small concrete hut, heated by a stove with only cold running water. After spending a winter here, I can only imagine how cold they must be in the winter!
I took some pictures with my phone (not the best quality). However, they don't do justice to the peacefulness of the place. When I look at these pictures, I see the "China-ness" of the place - stuff stacked around and on top of the houses, the motorcycle truck, the primitiveness. I wish I had a picture that captured the beauty and peacefulness too!
The hills surrounding the valley. In the foreground, the hut attached to the greenhouse and the 3-wheel motorcycle truck that they use to take the produce to the market.
The outside of one of 50 greenhouses. In the winter they put thick straw mats on top to keep them from freezing.
Inside the greenhouse picking strawberries.
.
.
.
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