在深圳旅游

Date: 2012.02.13 | Category: Chinese Culture, Mandarin Monday (中文博文), Me | Response: 12

(大家)晚上好！我刚(刚)才跟我得朋友从深圳回来了。我们去深圳的目的是参加首饰交易会，是因为我的朋友在芬兰卖银首饰。一般她从芬兰打一个打电话给我（通常她从芬兰打一通电话给我），告诉我想买什么，然后我(就)去买。但是这一次她自己(亲自)来广州买东西。这是她第二次来过中国，一年前她在广州留过学（一年前她在广州留学过）。那时候我是跟她认识的（我是跟她那时候认识的）。在这里留学时她发现东西特别便宜（当时在这里留学时她发现这里东西特别便宜），（所以）决定开公司。

我们上个星期五晚上到了深圳，星期六参加了深圳国际黄金珠宝玉石展览会。（这）是我第一次参加这么大的交易会，但是（我想）一定不是最后一次。我们（住）的宾馆（凯利宾馆）也有黄金海岸水疗会所，所以有一个很好的机会在桑拿放松（舒缓）。但是我不太喜欢在那里按摩员没有工资(但是我不太喜欢在那里按摩因为按摩师没有工资)，他们只可以拿客户给他们的小费。

星期日我们去新安古城参观。那个小村很有意思，但是大部分古老的大楼已经拆了。很多人跟我们打招呼，叫“hello，hello”。 可能很少外国人去那里看一下，所以他们对外国人特别好奇。晚上我们去了东门步行街，那边有很多商店，很多饭馆。好像年经人喜欢去那里好玩，逛街。

今天早上我们决定坐公（交）车去大鹏所城。 我对历史特别感兴趣，所以喜欢参观古老的地方。如果你住在深圳，或者去那里旅游，我建议你去大鹏所城看一下。在那里你可以看到以前的中国人是怎么样生活。但是那个地方只不是(不只是)个博物馆，现在还有很多家庭住在那里。

你们去过深圳吗？Have you been to Shenzhen?

Living in China, but am I truly immersed?

Date: 2012.01.20 | Category: Chinese Culture, Chinese Language, Chinese People, Expats, Life Abroad, Me | Response: 10

Tom wrote a great blog post last summer about how immersed you truly are when living in China. I left a comment on his blog about my own experience at the time, but I think it’s time to re-evaluate my immersion rate.

Chinese language

My classes are completely in Chinese and I speak Chinese with my classmates. Only on few occasions I speak English with my American classmate, but she also prefers to speak Chinese (She’s actually native Cantonese speaker). Outside classes I hang out with my classmates or with my boyfriend (whit who I speak Chinese all the time). I meet English of Finnish speaking friends once in a while and sometimes speak to my cat in Finnish.

Most of what I write is in English or Finnish, that’s an area I should improve. Just wait for Monday and my first blog post in Chinese!

For spoken language my immersion rate could be somewhere between 80-90%.

Chinese food

Because it’s a holiday now I’ve eaten more Finnish food than usually. When the semester starts I will probably eat out more and that means more Chinese food. I’m also lucky to have such a great cook at home who can cook delicious Chinese food for me!

So perhaps about 50-60% what I eat is Chinese food.

People

All of my teachers are of course Chinese and two of my classmates are originally Chinese. Other classmates come from many different countries, but we almost always talk in Chinese with each other. At home I have one Chinese boyfriend and one Chinese cat, but I’m not sure if my cat Lucy meows in Finnish or Chinese.

I’m still trying to find good Chinese friends, that could almost be my most important goal for 2012. I don’t make friend easily or quickly, I need time to get to know someone and let someone to get to know me. I don’t expect my friends to teach me Chinese and I’m not teaching English, but I still hope to make non-English speaking Chinese friends. I think my Chinese is good enough to be a friend.

It’s really hard to rate this one. 11% of my classmates (and friends) are Chinese (even though they don’t speak Mandarin fluently), 100% of my teachers are Chinese, 95% of people I see outside are Chinese.

Pop culture

This is the section I hope to improve this year. If I listen to music I do listen to Chinese songs, but most of the TV shows I watch are American ones. It’s hard to find Chinese TV series that I enjoy because all of them seem to be too fake and too dramatic. I do like 裸婚时代, are there other series similar to this one? And where are Chinese versions of Desperate Housewives or Gossip Girl? Or where can I find them dubbed into Chinese?

All the magazines I read are basically in Finnish because my mother sends me new ones every month. I’ve tried buying Chinese magazines, but then in the end I didn’t really read them.

For pop culture my immersion rate is only about 20% at the moment and I have to get it up. I’m thinking of a goal for this section, but I’m not sure what if could be. How many episodes of 裸婚时代 I should watch per week? How much American TV am I allowed?

Thank you again Tom for your great original post!  Now I just want to know how immersed are you, my Chinese learning reader?

Cheap calligraphy work available from a complete amateur

Date: 2011.10.20 | Category: Chinese Culture, Chinese Language, Me | Response: 14

Cantonese isn’t the hardest course I have at the university. The hardest one is Chinese calligraphy! I almost lost my mind last night when practicing these characters. Tiredness and art doesn’t seem to go together too well. From the photos above you can see my home work and what I managed to do this morning.

No I just have to decide from those five, which is the least worst, so I can give that one to my teacher. Or maybe I should let him choose? Class begins in one hour.

He’s just not that into you – China Edition

Date: 2011.07.09 | Category: Chinese Culture, Chinese People, Finnish-Chinese Relationship | Response: 9

I just read he’s just not that into you last night and it’s a great book! I also recommend the movie for someone who is looking for the right one or is dating the wrong one or just for pure entertainment. I started thinking if there would be a China edition of this book, how would it look like? (If you know there is, please let me know!)

He’s just not that into you if he’s not asking your QQ number

QQ is The One instant messaging software in China and everyone is using it. As a foreign girl people will aks your QQ number on the street, so if the guy you are interested in isn’t asking, he surely is blind or  wouldn’t give a damn.

He’s jut not that into you if he’s not carrying your purse

China is the land of cute girls and gentlemen boyfriends who would do anything for their loved one. So pay notice to this sign, if your guy isn’t carrying your handbag he truly doesn’t care enough about you.

He’s just not that into you if he’s not telling his parents

Filial piety is doing well in China and most kids, even when they’re adults, choose to listen their parents. If your Chinese boyfriend don’t want to tell his parents about you, he is not taking your relationship seriously.

I know Chinese guy who dated a foreign girl over five years and always just forgot to mention to the parents they’re dating, they moved together and they got engaged. What happened? In the end he changed her for a Chinese girl!

He’s jut not that into you if he’s…

No it’s your turn to give relationship advice in the comments!

Why Chinese People Need Face Between Family Members?

Date: 2011.01.22 | Category: Chinese Culture, Chinese People, Comparing Finland and China | Response: 19

The Chinese concept of face is something that I struggle to understand sometimes. It seems to create so much pressure on people when they always have to keep in mind what others are thinking about them. In the mind of Chinese people my boyfriend is a bad guy. He is really eager to work and make money in order to have a comfortable life, but also to gain face. In China there seems to be no point to have money if you don’t show it off to others.

What is surprising to me is that how important face is even between family members. I was talking about Chinese new year with my boyfriend and he said that there is no point for Chinese guy to go back home during the holiday if he doesn’t have any money to give to family members. Also a Chinese boyfriend of my Western friend confirmed this and says he isn’t successful enough to go home to celebrate the spring festival.

Where is the importance of family and the closeness of relatives? I though the main point of the most important festival in China is to spend time with your family. When did money become greater than love inside a family? There must be many things about the concept of face that I don’t understand. But recently I’ve begin to wonder why Chinese people have to remember their face even in front of their closest family members?

In Finland our biggest holiday is Christmas where we gather together with our family, eat well and exchange presents. No matter how badly I would have messed up my life, I’m always welcomed back home. Actually in Finland it is quite common that young people and students visit home when they don’t have any money. To go back home where their mother will cook their favourite food and give them some pocket money. Of course for some people this becomes a nasty habit and they don’t learn how to take care of them selves. Or rich parents give everything to their kids not considering the negative effects.

I would really like to understand the importance of face to Chinese people, so I would love to hear about your experiences and opinions in the comments.

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