Rate My Chinese! (Audio clip included)
[ti_audio media=”394″] Last year I wrote that my Chinese pronunciation sounds like my boyfriend’s. That is because I mainly speak Chinese with him and less with other people. So this time you can actually hear how my putonghua (Mandarin Chinese) sounds like! I know it is far from standard Mandarin because I live in Guangzhou and people around me doesn’t speak it either. After listening please leave a comment and tell me what you think. How bad is it and did I miss all the tones? Can anyone even understand what I’m reading on the audio clip? If you have any advice how to improve my pronunciation I am…
Could buying a fake bag be an ethical decision?
When thinking of pirate and fake products two things come to my mind. It’s kind of wrong and it’s cheap.But things aren’t so black and white as I have learned while living here in Guangzhou. In the picture a traffic policeman is not arresting the guy for selling pirate products, he is buying a fake Nokia headset for himself. Right and wrong seems not to be so clear here in China. Today I accompanied my friend who wanted to buy few bags for herself and as a present for her family members. We head to the Guangzhou Baiyun World Leather Trading Center that locates near the main railway station. That…
And Sometimes I Have Nothing To Say
Living abroad isn’t all excitement and adventure. Sometimes it’s like I never left Finland. I have days when it’s raining outside and my fridge is full, then I don’t have to go anywhere and I can spend the day with my morning robe. I can be lazy and get bored when the Internet connection is getting slower and slower when lovely neighbours start using it in the evenings. I don’t have to go outside and make comparison about customer service in local shops between China and Finland. Sometimes I even spend the whole day alone and doesn’t even need to open my mouth in Chinese. I can stare my IKEA…
My First (or second?) Chinese New Year
Last year during Chinese New Year I was travelling and kind of missed the whole celebration. New Year’s eve I was in a train from Beijing to Pingyao, on Lantern Festival I saw fireworks in Guilin (see the picture). This year I spent the most important holiday at Guangzhou with my boyfriend, my mother and my younger little brother. First two days were for shopping because we were worried that the shops would close soon, as they did. On 30th and 31st we made some good deals at Haizhu square and near the railway station. It didn’t even matter that some of the shops (all at railway station) were closed,…