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2016-01-17

My family and I first visited China in 2008. We came back to live in 2009. I was 53 when I started studying the Chinese language. Of course I knew that Chinese is considered a difficult language to learn, but I thought, how hard could it be? I really expected that after a year or two of persistent study, I would achieve a functional level of oral Chinese. Of course since I'm writing this blog, clearly my language learning goal was not achieved. There was no beginning Chinese class at the college where I studied when I arrived in China, so I sat in on the intermediate class. For the first semester I relied on a tutor to tell me what I "studied" in class each day. It wasn't till my second year, and a lot of help from tutors, before I started to feel like I could communicate in Chinese at all. One additional complication was that my Chinese teacher taught standard Mandarin. However, most of the people that I needed to communicate with on a daily basis spoke a Sichuan dialect or the language of the primary minority group in this area, Yi. So, even if I had a good day in class, my joy was short-lived when I found I still could not understand the local shopkeepers.Of course my family and I speak English at home and I teach English every day, both on campus and at home. Any time my students see me they want to practice their English. So on a daily basis I speak English much more than Chinese, though I study Chinese to some extent every day. I think this is one thing that hinders my Chinese learning, at least to some degree. I have a number of Chinese friends who volunteer to practice Chinese with me, however they are not teachers and they quickly get tired of repeating what they have said and correcting my poor grammar and pronunciation. One friend even told me "Your Chinese hurts my ears!"So, I have been in China for almost all of the last six years and my level of Chinese proficiency is still depressingly low. I can teach English without being proficient in Chinese, but my language abilities (or lack thereof) do limit my ability to make friends, travel, learn the culture and generally enjoy the experience of living in China.My Chinese teachers at the college gave me this advice: "Read it again and again" or "Say it again and again". (OK, tried that.) Of course my friends tell me to "practice every day" (OK, got it), study more, talk more, etc., (OK, trying). I still have a tutor who helps me a lot with pronunciation and oral Chinese for daily use. I lave lots of great friends.But I'm curious, are there others out there who have experienced this rather dismal pace of language learning? Any additional advice for an "older" language learner who is struggling with the language? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Well, perhaps with the exception of "read it again and again".

Expectations of a foreign English teacher

2016-01-10

I love teaching English in China! Both my high school and college students are wonderful people. I love them all! I also tutor adult students in my home, not for a fee, just for fun. I have met so many kind, interesting and loving people through teaching.However, I get the impression that most of my students think, at first, that if they have a native English-speaking teacher, learning English will "magically" be fast and easy. I think some students are a little disappointed that learning English continues to be a lot of hard work, even with a foreign English teacher. The effort still comes mostly from the student and not the teacher. In the college classroom I concentrate primarily on oral English. However, good oral English depends on good grammar and a broad vocabulary so I touch on all areas, even though my Chinese colleagues do a very good job of teaching grammar and vocab. I grew up in the mid-west area of the US and arguably my pronunciation is pretty standard, so I think it does help my student to use me for listening practice and I record passages and book chapters for them to listen to. For the students I tutor at home, we cover everything, sometimes beginning at ABC.Of course the difficult part in my college classroom is to get students to participate. Getting my students to be comfortable enough to ask questions, even challenge me in certain areas, has been very difficult. The prevailing attitude is that, as the teacher, I know exactly what they need to study and I will provide all the instruction the students need. All they need to do is listen. Of course that is far from the truth. My students often ask me, "How do I improve my oral English?" Sometimes they add the word "quickly" to that question. I always tell them "speak and listen" especially with native English speakers, or some variation of that answer. However, most of my students are loathe to spend time on listening practice and as I have already said, getting them to spontaneously or voluntarily speak in class has been a struggle.Some of the students at my college with be best English language skills are not English majors. They study other subjects, Animal Science, Electronics, Computer Science, etc. but they love English and it shows. They study on their own time, they seek out English speakers to practice with, they come to my home and chat. I wish I could motivate all my English students to follow that example. Of course not all English majors love to study English. Some are English majors because of parental pressure or lack of other options. Their hearts are not really in their studies.All that being said, I still love teaching English here and I love my students, but I can't really live up to all their expectations.

Expectations for Chinese New Year.

2016-01-06

When my family and I arrived in China in 2009, we were very excited as the Chinese New Year approached. As foreigners we had heard about Chinese New Year celebrations but never experienced the event. In those days I was studying Chinese at the local college, so 90% of our friends were college students. We were used to having our student friends spend time with us in our home. Some of them would even live with us during holidays if they chose not to go to their own homes. We had a few foreign friends here as well but they were often busy and we did not spend much time with them.As the New Year approached we anticipated all the free time we would have to spend with our friends. But when college classes ended, most of our local student friends headed home for the holidays. Our few foreign left for the US or to other warmer climates to spend their holiday. Quickly we found ourselves quite isolated as the New Year approached. We were just beginning to learn Chinese so going out and socializing with strangers was quite difficult. Even our favorite local restaurants were closed. So instead of the time of fun a fellowship with friends that were planning, our first Chinese New Year in China was quiet (except for the fireworks) and a bit lonely.After six years here, we know that Chinese New Year is a family time and most of our friends will be gone, so we plan activities for our own small family of four. This year we will travel, go someplace warm, lay on the beach, and of course keep studying Chinese. As happy as we all are to have some free time to relax and rest, we always miss our friends at this time of year. It is almost a relief when school starts again and my students and friends are back. We have less free time, but we spend more time together.

Christmas in China

2015-12-25

As a Christian man, a husband, and a father, Christmas holds a great deal of significance for me. Being nearly 60 years old I have lots of Christmases to look back on. Family traditions, western traditions, etc. are pretty deeply ingrained at this point in my life. But as a foreigner in China, Christmas is a bit different these days. Not better, not worse, but definitely different.Of course it's a much lower key holiday here, at least from my perspective and in the small city where I live. Of course Santa Claus and "Merry Christmas" appear in many shops. Traditional Christmas music is playing in the shopping centers. Lots of my English students know a verse or two of a couple of well-known Christmas carols. But overall, outside of the churches, the whole concept of Christmas seems a little bit forced, not really embraced by most people. But I'm not complaining. I don't miss the commercial trappings and the buying frenzy that grips the US. The pressure to buy, the dilution of the meaning of the day, the emphasis on "receiving" that some kids learn early in life. I don't miss those aspects at all. The quiet family Christmas season that we enjoy here, with a few local friends, let's us keep our focus where it belongs, celebrating the birth of Christ, sharing what we have, and showing our love to those around us. The one thing I do miss is the frequent "Merry Christmas" greetings from friends and strangers alike. So whether you celebrate Christmas or not, allow me to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! God bless you in the coming year!