Thursday, May 21, 2009

Language Immersion

I am not a "quick study" when it comes to learning new languages, though I have a passion for language and what it allows human beings to do. I plod along in my effort to learn Chinese, and I'm making some progress.
Chinese is all around us. We need it when we go to the grocery store, take a taxi, or open an account at the bank. We have to use the computer in our room instead of the laptop we brought to access the Internet. Most of the screens come up in Chinese, which is challenging.
NCUT has provided us with a tutor-- a clever young undergraduate named Chen who helps us use our Chinese for practical purposes. Payday here was the day before yesterday, and we were given far too much cash for my comfort. We needed a bank account. At the Bank of China, I tried to fill out the necessary forms, but kept on making mistakes. Very sternly, the bank manager said there could be no crossings out on the paperwork. Chen did them for us.




















Above: The sort of directions we see on the computer screen.
Below: At the bank.

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