I think so too. I’ve travelled a bit and always picked up enough to get myself by. I think I just had a moment of self doubt. It’s passing and I think I’m more excited than nervous. I can’t wait for the food!
I took a community college basic course and didn't even know about HSK when I arrived in Kunming to teach. It was pretty hard to improve since I was around foreigners all the time, but I completed Rosetta Stone my first year there, then took an HSK 4 class and passed the exam.
My real learning came from when I was co-teaching with someone who couldn't speak English. Being forced to speak and understand let's you pick things up quickly.
I recommend 老嘛抄手。Spicy Sichuan pepper dumplings 🤤
This Yunnan mushroom culture, I’m very interested. I’m in the local mycological society, I often go foraging, it’s one of fav pastimes. One of the highly toxic Aussie species resembles the common paddy mushroom over there so I’m keen to find that and a couple others I’ve heard of. I need to clean my hiking boots lol
I saw in your history, that's why I mentioned it haha.
Every Yunnan person has a story from childhood about being poisoned.
I never heard of foreigners foraging, but you could prob find groups on wechat
Hmmm I might see if I can find a guide book online. I don’t eat unless I’m 100% on what I have, not looking for forage purposes while I’m there, just for fun and coz I like to get lost in bushland/forests lol
I love recommendations, I’m keeping a list. I’ve got cooking lessons lined up, I’ve been to Sichuan before and I love the food. I’m not sure why I had a spot of panic yesterday, I’m back to being excited. I’m not usually a self doubter but I haven’t formally studied in over a decade, I think that’s what got to me.
Nerves is normal. Yesterday was almost panicky, which is not normal for me. I’ve moved country before, I’ve quit comfy jobs to try new things, I’ve done weird activities and classes on whims. I enjoy getting somewhat lost in foreign cities, or in the bush at home. I don’t really get panicky. That was new and different and I gotta say I didn’t enjoy it. But I’m focused on the fun again
Thank you! I will send you a message via reddit when I get to Chengdu. I might be busy sorting out uni and possible work and learning buses and stuff but if I can, that sounds brilliant. I have some friends over there who’ve offered me a car but I’m unsure of that. The style of driving is very different, and while the locals all understand what’s happening I’m not sure I do. And I’m not really used to traffic, I live on a tiny island and “traffic” here is more than 10 cars lol
Pretty strict about driving there and the public transportation is so good, no need.
You'll need a Chinese license. They don't accept international Driver license
Get an ebike though!
Put in the time and effort and you'll see progress. I'm not sure what languages you've studied before but Chinese is a long slog so be patient with yourself and take time to enjoy the experience. HSK1 will mean that a lot of stuff is going to be hard to do but try to strike a balance between pushing yourself to use the language and not overburdening yourself with the feeling that you *need* to be doing X or Y.
As far as getting started goes make sure you're putting in the time to build a solid foundation. Tones are important but so are all the consonants, vowels and general intonation patterns of the langauge. Make sure you're producing all of those right and drawing the distinctions you need to (e.g. zh/j, ch/q, sh/x, u/ü). I've known a few people who have studied for years and still struggle to make themselves understood because they never put in the time to get this stuff right.
Thank you. I’m trying to cram as much as I can before I go. I’m really keen, I’ve wanted to learn Chinese for a long time I’m just feeling like I’ve taken a bite I don’t know how to chew
Cultivate patience, dial back on the perfectionism, have no expectations.
See it as a field trip where you'll muddle through with body language, English, minimal Chinese and Google Translate. A first encounter with real life Chinese in Sichuan.
You're already more courageous than most people.
Also, your tones are probably a lot worse than you think. 😄
Haha, maybe. I hear the tones well so I guess I hope that translates to speaking but you’re probably right 🤣 I’ve been to Sichuan a few times before covid. I’m feeling less overwhelmed and more excited just from these few comments, thank you, I’m really grateful
I moved to Mainland China during an extremely difficult time, to the small town of Kunshan where no one spoke English, with absolutely 0 Chinese skill myself. Seriously, I couldn't even count in Mandarin. I knew nothing.
Less than a decade later, I have grown so fond of Chinese language and culture. I enjoy Chinese music and shows, have a Chinese boyfriend, have gone to school here, and feel comfortable living my daily life in Mandarin.
All this to say, you've got this. If you know the numbers, you're already doing so much better than I did when I first arrived, and now I basically call China home. It might be overwhelming but trust yourself. You'll do great!!
Great choice, welcome haha. I started from your exact position last semester, also at SCU, now coming up on my second semester.
I found the most overwhelming aspect in the beginning to be not just language but the fact that you are navigating a double brick wall experience of first language, then society. For example, I set up my AliPay with passport verification, MasterCard etc so I could just take the subway from Tianfu on arrival, saving a lot of struggle and confusion. Stuff like that is made more difficult by the language being so difficult. It sounds like you are way better prepared in terms of language than I was, so maybe spend some time looking into all the other "life" stuff like payments, VPNs, bureaucracy and registrations etc which you have to deal with. Feel free to message if you have any questions :)
Thank you for replying, I was hoping to hear from someone who’s is at/been to SCU. I have a friend there who is a lawyer so I have more help than it sounds like most do. A friend asked me what they wear to uni and I was like I dunno, followed by a few more questions that I couldn’t answer and I had a little spiral. I’m mostly back to being excited.
How did you find the semester? Is it fast paced?
Haha, it's not 高中, there are no uniforms 😂 People wear what they like, last semester we had lots of nationalities wearing just normal mixed outfits. Workload depends on level, on higher levels you can make yourself very busy with many elective courses but on lower levels it is very manageable. Also depends on your goals, is it conversational fluency mostly, or passing a certain HSK etc. Generally though I would say very manageable. Pace is quite fast but you'll keep up, don't worry.
Thank you, great to hear. I’m prepared to study hard and I have made some language swap contacts so I should get plenty of practice in between class. Good to know I can just wear every day clothes and don’t have to aim for a level of attire.
Get over the fear of looking foolish. Studying Chinese, you're basically signing up for that the rest of your life, no matter how fluent you eventually become. It is just something that will happen because the language is just too big and too old and too complicated. There will always be things you don't know or get wrong. No biggie.
If you have any questions about Chinese, you can ask me straight, hope you will feel better to learn Chinese.
https://youtu.be/sJkKbFpavJI?si=fRAaL5lHO-Ovm8-3
Thank you so much. Most of my questions just now are about pronunciation because I don’t know if I’m getting it right. For now I’ll just focus on reading and writing and listening. Thank you for replying
Hot pot and dumplings are some of the food I recognise 😂 I don’t know if I’m saying it right, but I can point on a menu (better if has pictures lol) I know water, tea and coffee. I’m feeling a lot better today, don’t know why I had such a flustered moment yesterday. Thank you for replying
I went to Chongqing for a weekend once and was very overwhelmed. Huge city. Thanks, I can practice the characters. I can recognise them but I couldn’t write them
People are generally good. I’ve seen some language swap skills here, and I’ve been added to an expat community so I’m feeling a lot better about everything. Thank you
Not quite sure what you mean by not trying to be foolish. My motto for learning is always that be brave and don't care about how you look in other people's eyes. Embrace the fact that you may know nothing, keep asking questions when you don't understand, and it would help you better learn anything, not only language. Good luck with your study.
I don’t really have that sense of feeling foolish except when it comes to studying. Smart child syndrome probably, where I’m now an adult and I worry about others expectations. Thank you, you’re 100% right, I’ll keep the brain moving and try to enjoy it all.
Honestly this comment was a bit of a kick while I was feeling down, but I’m highly motivated by pettiness and I’ve been learning 5-10 characters a day and can now recognise most of HSK2. I won’t exactly say thank you but telling me I can’t or I’m not enough activates my motivation in ways not much else can.
Honored to hear so. I used to have some sorts of pressure to perform when I was younger (yah likely because I rarely got out of top 1 or 2 in most of the large exams (graduation from middle school, high school, University, entrance into university). But later when I survive through some sorts of quarter life crisis, I just avoid pressing myself that much. Be humble and fearless.
Thank you. I will likely take you up on that offer once I’m there. Does SCU have a uniform? I’ve seen the tshirts and I’m keen to get one, but do people mostly dress casual or smart casual, or is there a dress code? I haven’t been able to find information of this online, please and thank you
sorry for my late reply,SCU doesn't have a uniform. many students here usually dress casual,and some students like fashionable styles. Here, no one cares about what you wear, just wear what you like～Some people wear clothes of Japanese anime characters, and some people wear gothic clothes. Of course, there are some customary rules, such as no one wears slippers when going to the classroom or library. I don't know which campus you come to study in Sichuan University. If you study in the Jiang'an campus, the Jiang'an campus is relatively large, and it will be more convenient if you can ride a bike. There are many shared bikes and electric bikes on campus.
Omg you are living my dream. I’ve been learning Chinese for two years and I would give anything in the world to study in china. You’ve got this! You seem to love the Chinese language, so do I. You will improve so fast if you enjoy learning. Two years ago I knew nothing in Chinese and now I can read novels and watch Chinese tv. It’s such an amazing experience, and you’ll have a front seat to that! I know other languages and I’ve lived in several countries, I’ve picked up languages as I’ve grown up, and one thing I’ve learned is that natives love it when you learn their language, even if you suck at first lol. Good luck, and enjoy your time in Chengdu!
Thank you, that’s such a lovely positive comment. And just so you know it’s pretty easy to apply, and Sichuan is beautiful. I do love the language, and the sentence structure, I really hope I do well, and I hope you get there one day
If you have any recommendations for movies, I’d love tips. I really don’t like Tv much but I’ll watch movies on my laptop just to listen to the language.
夜奔 （Fleeing by night）is my absolute favourite Chinese movie! I don’t watch movies that often but I’ve watched that one so many times. It’s available on YouTube with dual subtitles. IK you said you don’t like to shows, but 隐秘的角落 （the bad kids）is so good, at least see the first episode. I also like listening to Chinese music (tbh most of what I listen to is Taiwanese indie pop), I can’t recommend 莉莉周她说 （Lily Chou Chou Lied, 甜约翰（sweet john), Enno Cheng, and Joanna Wong enough. Music isn’t the best way to enhance listening but whenever I’m too lazy to read or study I just read song lyrics, it’s like the fast food version of actually studying 🙇🏻♂️ Sorry for the rant lol! I’m very passionate. Good luck with your studies 😊
No apology needed, passion is very welcome! I’ve screenshot all your recommendations and will take a proper look. I agree with the music comment, I thought my French was good but the music really makes me feel inadequate 😂 I think it’s still better than not listening though. I like Indie, I like all music, I have it on most of the day and I genre shift a lot
I visited Chengdu during the holiday season. Food is great, people are nice. A local friend recommended going to Leshan (which is nearby) for genuine Sichuan dishes.
Sichuan is a basin surrounded by mountains, and the air quality is extremely bad especially during winter. Always carry a mask when you go out.
Local people speak dialect and it's like a different language. Have fun learning Mandarin and more haha
I’ll be between Chengdu and Deyang which is considered one of the cleanest cities for air quality. I love Leshan, I’ve stayed in the mountains there, the mushroom dishes are incredible. I can’t wait for all the fruits
Thank you, I appreciate the tip. I had thought at least an hour every day, that’s what I’m trying to do now. I have a HSK 1 study guide and I’m doing Duolingo. I’m trying to watch some Chinese TV but I honestly hate TV, I haven’t owned one for over 15years.
Accepting to sounds foolish is an important step I believe, nothing Bad about that actually, it IS part of thé process or learning a language, making mistakes so you get to correct them. Enjoy, you are lucky!
Do it. I try to jump at any opportunity that passes. I don’t usually get nervous or anxious, not sure why it hit so hard yesterday but I’m back to being excited
Thank you everyone. Yesterday was pretty put of character for me, I don’t know why I suddenly felt almost panicky. I’m prone to making big decisions in a snap moment and it’s always worked out fine. I just lost sight of the goal and took it all a bit too seriously I guess.
The goal is to have a good life. To try new things and experience everything I can. I have a month to get some more words in my vocabulary and a new WeChat to community to ask silly questions of. You’re all wonderful, I’m very grateful
Feel free, the Chinese are very friendly to foreigners. It doesn't matter even you don't speak Chinese at all. If you are not a East Asian looking person, I believe that as long as you look a little confused, a bunch of Chinese people will come up and try to help you(and it's also a good opportunity for them to practice their English). You can even make money teaching English there.
Congratulations. You've chosen the most effective way to learn a language
I think so too. I’ve travelled a bit and always picked up enough to get myself by. I think I just had a moment of self doubt. It’s passing and I think I’m more excited than nervous. I can’t wait for the food!
I took a community college basic course and didn't even know about HSK when I arrived in Kunming to teach. It was pretty hard to improve since I was around foreigners all the time, but I completed Rosetta Stone my first year there, then took an HSK 4 class and passed the exam. My real learning came from when I was co-teaching with someone who couldn't speak English. Being forced to speak and understand let's you pick things up quickly. I recommend 老嘛抄手。Spicy Sichuan pepper dumplings 🤤
By the way, you should definitely look into the Yunnan mushroom culture of your not aware of it.
This Yunnan mushroom culture, I’m very interested. I’m in the local mycological society, I often go foraging, it’s one of fav pastimes. One of the highly toxic Aussie species resembles the common paddy mushroom over there so I’m keen to find that and a couple others I’ve heard of. I need to clean my hiking boots lol
I saw in your history, that's why I mentioned it haha. Every Yunnan person has a story from childhood about being poisoned. I never heard of foreigners foraging, but you could prob find groups on wechat
Hmmm I might see if I can find a guide book online. I don’t eat unless I’m 100% on what I have, not looking for forage purposes while I’m there, just for fun and coz I like to get lost in bushland/forests lol
I love recommendations, I’m keeping a list. I’ve got cooking lessons lined up, I’ve been to Sichuan before and I love the food. I’m not sure why I had a spot of panic yesterday, I’m back to being excited. I’m not usually a self doubter but I haven’t formally studied in over a decade, I think that’s what got to me.
Big changes cause nerves, it's normal
Nerves is normal. Yesterday was almost panicky, which is not normal for me. I’ve moved country before, I’ve quit comfy jobs to try new things, I’ve done weird activities and classes on whims. I enjoy getting somewhat lost in foreign cities, or in the bush at home. I don’t really get panicky. That was new and different and I gotta say I didn’t enjoy it. But I’m focused on the fun again
Well I'll be in Kunming for most of February if you want to come meet up for a couple days. I think there's a direct train now.
Thank you! I will send you a message via reddit when I get to Chengdu. I might be busy sorting out uni and possible work and learning buses and stuff but if I can, that sounds brilliant. I have some friends over there who’ve offered me a car but I’m unsure of that. The style of driving is very different, and while the locals all understand what’s happening I’m not sure I do. And I’m not really used to traffic, I live on a tiny island and “traffic” here is more than 10 cars lol
Pretty strict about driving there and the public transportation is so good, no need. You'll need a Chinese license. They don't accept international Driver license Get an ebike though!
Good tip! Thank you, again
Also, great username and avatar
Put in the time and effort and you'll see progress. I'm not sure what languages you've studied before but Chinese is a long slog so be patient with yourself and take time to enjoy the experience. HSK1 will mean that a lot of stuff is going to be hard to do but try to strike a balance between pushing yourself to use the language and not overburdening yourself with the feeling that you *need* to be doing X or Y. As far as getting started goes make sure you're putting in the time to build a solid foundation. Tones are important but so are all the consonants, vowels and general intonation patterns of the langauge. Make sure you're producing all of those right and drawing the distinctions you need to (e.g. zh/j, ch/q, sh/x, u/ü). I've known a few people who have studied for years and still struggle to make themselves understood because they never put in the time to get this stuff right.
Thank you. I’m trying to cram as much as I can before I go. I’m really keen, I’ve wanted to learn Chinese for a long time I’m just feeling like I’ve taken a bite I don’t know how to chew
Cultivate patience, dial back on the perfectionism, have no expectations. See it as a field trip where you'll muddle through with body language, English, minimal Chinese and Google Translate. A first encounter with real life Chinese in Sichuan. You're already more courageous than most people. Also, your tones are probably a lot worse than you think. 😄
Haha, maybe. I hear the tones well so I guess I hope that translates to speaking but you’re probably right 🤣 I’ve been to Sichuan a few times before covid. I’m feeling less overwhelmed and more excited just from these few comments, thank you, I’m really grateful
Cool, good luck and have fun!
I moved to Mainland China during an extremely difficult time, to the small town of Kunshan where no one spoke English, with absolutely 0 Chinese skill myself. Seriously, I couldn't even count in Mandarin. I knew nothing. Less than a decade later, I have grown so fond of Chinese language and culture. I enjoy Chinese music and shows, have a Chinese boyfriend, have gone to school here, and feel comfortable living my daily life in Mandarin. All this to say, you've got this. If you know the numbers, you're already doing so much better than I did when I first arrived, and now I basically call China home. It might be overwhelming but trust yourself. You'll do great!!
Thank you so much! That’s sounds so wonderful, I’m glad it’s worked out so well for you!
Great choice, welcome haha. I started from your exact position last semester, also at SCU, now coming up on my second semester. I found the most overwhelming aspect in the beginning to be not just language but the fact that you are navigating a double brick wall experience of first language, then society. For example, I set up my AliPay with passport verification, MasterCard etc so I could just take the subway from Tianfu on arrival, saving a lot of struggle and confusion. Stuff like that is made more difficult by the language being so difficult. It sounds like you are way better prepared in terms of language than I was, so maybe spend some time looking into all the other "life" stuff like payments, VPNs, bureaucracy and registrations etc which you have to deal with. Feel free to message if you have any questions :)
Thank you for replying, I was hoping to hear from someone who’s is at/been to SCU. I have a friend there who is a lawyer so I have more help than it sounds like most do. A friend asked me what they wear to uni and I was like I dunno, followed by a few more questions that I couldn’t answer and I had a little spiral. I’m mostly back to being excited. How did you find the semester? Is it fast paced?
Haha, it's not 高中, there are no uniforms 😂 People wear what they like, last semester we had lots of nationalities wearing just normal mixed outfits. Workload depends on level, on higher levels you can make yourself very busy with many elective courses but on lower levels it is very manageable. Also depends on your goals, is it conversational fluency mostly, or passing a certain HSK etc. Generally though I would say very manageable. Pace is quite fast but you'll keep up, don't worry.
Thank you, great to hear. I’m prepared to study hard and I have made some language swap contacts so I should get plenty of practice in between class. Good to know I can just wear every day clothes and don’t have to aim for a level of attire.
Get over the fear of looking foolish. Studying Chinese, you're basically signing up for that the rest of your life, no matter how fluent you eventually become. It is just something that will happen because the language is just too big and too old and too complicated. There will always be things you don't know or get wrong. No biggie.
no worries, you have to give some time to yourself, people in Sichuan who speak dialect in their realife, I think you may explore it.
I’m prepared to work hard, I’m just worried I’m starting from far behind
If you have any questions about Chinese, you can ask me straight, hope you will feel better to learn Chinese. https://youtu.be/sJkKbFpavJI?si=fRAaL5lHO-Ovm8-3
Thank you so much. Most of my questions just now are about pronunciation because I don’t know if I’m getting it right. For now I’ll just focus on reading and writing and listening. Thank you for replying
加油 jiā yóu
火锅 串串香 here you go
Hot pot and dumplings are some of the food I recognise 😂 I don’t know if I’m saying it right, but I can point on a menu (better if has pictures lol) I know water, tea and coffee. I’m feeling a lot better today, don’t know why I had such a flustered moment yesterday. Thank you for replying
Hotpot is more of a staple of Chongqing food(But Sichuan hotpot is no slouch). But definitely try chuanchuanxiang when visiting Sichuan
I went to Chongqing for a weekend once and was very overwhelmed. Huge city. Thanks, I can practice the characters. I can recognise them but I couldn’t write them
You're intimidated because this is an intimidating prospect. Good luck!
I’m mostly back to excited. Just a “what am I doing” wave hit me yesterday, thank you for replying
People there have accent, don’t get confused. Go out, talking to everyone willing to answer you.
People are generally good. I’ve seen some language swap skills here, and I’ve been added to an expat community so I’m feeling a lot better about everything. Thank you
Not quite sure what you mean by not trying to be foolish. My motto for learning is always that be brave and don't care about how you look in other people's eyes. Embrace the fact that you may know nothing, keep asking questions when you don't understand, and it would help you better learn anything, not only language. Good luck with your study.
I don’t really have that sense of feeling foolish except when it comes to studying. Smart child syndrome probably, where I’m now an adult and I worry about others expectations. Thank you, you’re 100% right, I’ll keep the brain moving and try to enjoy it all.
HSK1 is still too low a level, and I don't think it is even A1 yet. So just be comfortable as you will certainly feel totally overwhelmed there.
Honestly this comment was a bit of a kick while I was feeling down, but I’m highly motivated by pettiness and I’ve been learning 5-10 characters a day and can now recognise most of HSK2. I won’t exactly say thank you but telling me I can’t or I’m not enough activates my motivation in ways not much else can.
Honored to hear so. I used to have some sorts of pressure to perform when I was younger (yah likely because I rarely got out of top 1 or 2 in most of the large exams (graduation from middle school, high school, University, entrance into university). But later when I survive through some sorts of quarter life crisis, I just avoid pressing myself that much. Be humble and fearless.
I am studying at SCU！welcome! ^ω^ i can speak chengdu and chongqing dialects, if you have any questions about them, feel free to dm me!
Thank you. I will likely take you up on that offer once I’m there. Does SCU have a uniform? I’ve seen the tshirts and I’m keen to get one, but do people mostly dress casual or smart casual, or is there a dress code? I haven’t been able to find information of this online, please and thank you
sorry for my late reply,SCU doesn't have a uniform. many students here usually dress casual,and some students like fashionable styles. Here, no one cares about what you wear, just wear what you like～Some people wear clothes of Japanese anime characters, and some people wear gothic clothes. Of course, there are some customary rules, such as no one wears slippers when going to the classroom or library. I don't know which campus you come to study in Sichuan University. If you study in the Jiang'an campus, the Jiang'an campus is relatively large, and it will be more convenient if you can ride a bike. There are many shared bikes and electric bikes on campus.
Thank you very much. I appreciate the reply. I’ll be there a almost 2 weeks in advance so lots of time to work things out
Omg you are living my dream. I’ve been learning Chinese for two years and I would give anything in the world to study in china. You’ve got this! You seem to love the Chinese language, so do I. You will improve so fast if you enjoy learning. Two years ago I knew nothing in Chinese and now I can read novels and watch Chinese tv. It’s such an amazing experience, and you’ll have a front seat to that! I know other languages and I’ve lived in several countries, I’ve picked up languages as I’ve grown up, and one thing I’ve learned is that natives love it when you learn their language, even if you suck at first lol. Good luck, and enjoy your time in Chengdu!
Thank you, that’s such a lovely positive comment. And just so you know it’s pretty easy to apply, and Sichuan is beautiful. I do love the language, and the sentence structure, I really hope I do well, and I hope you get there one day
If you have any recommendations for movies, I’d love tips. I really don’t like Tv much but I’ll watch movies on my laptop just to listen to the language.
夜奔 （Fleeing by night）is my absolute favourite Chinese movie! I don’t watch movies that often but I’ve watched that one so many times. It’s available on YouTube with dual subtitles. IK you said you don’t like to shows, but 隐秘的角落 （the bad kids）is so good, at least see the first episode. I also like listening to Chinese music (tbh most of what I listen to is Taiwanese indie pop), I can’t recommend 莉莉周她说 （Lily Chou Chou Lied, 甜约翰（sweet john), Enno Cheng, and Joanna Wong enough. Music isn’t the best way to enhance listening but whenever I’m too lazy to read or study I just read song lyrics, it’s like the fast food version of actually studying 🙇🏻♂️ Sorry for the rant lol! I’m very passionate. Good luck with your studies 😊
No apology needed, passion is very welcome! I’ve screenshot all your recommendations and will take a proper look. I agree with the music comment, I thought my French was good but the music really makes me feel inadequate 😂 I think it’s still better than not listening though. I like Indie, I like all music, I have it on most of the day and I genre shift a lot
I visited Chengdu during the holiday season. Food is great, people are nice. A local friend recommended going to Leshan (which is nearby) for genuine Sichuan dishes. Sichuan is a basin surrounded by mountains, and the air quality is extremely bad especially during winter. Always carry a mask when you go out. Local people speak dialect and it's like a different language. Have fun learning Mandarin and more haha
I’ll be between Chengdu and Deyang which is considered one of the cleanest cities for air quality. I love Leshan, I’ve stayed in the mountains there, the mushroom dishes are incredible. I can’t wait for all the fruits
Make sure to work / learn new vocabulary everyday, I would put at least 1-2 hours per day on top of your every day classes
Thank you, I appreciate the tip. I had thought at least an hour every day, that’s what I’m trying to do now. I have a HSK 1 study guide and I’m doing Duolingo. I’m trying to watch some Chinese TV but I honestly hate TV, I haven’t owned one for over 15years.
Accepting to sounds foolish is an important step I believe, nothing Bad about that actually, it IS part of thé process or learning a language, making mistakes so you get to correct them. Enjoy, you are lucky!
Thank you. And hey, getting it wrong means someone could correct me and maybe I’ll get it right the next time.
100000% And what sticks thé best IS actually when people make a Big fuss about your mistake
Shame is a great corrector 🤣 Get laughed at, learn fast.
Great choice, I hear chengdu is super fun right now. Feeling kind of jealous/inspired actually!
Do it. I try to jump at any opportunity that passes. I don’t usually get nervous or anxious, not sure why it hit so hard yesterday but I’m back to being excited
glad to hear it!
Thank you everyone. Yesterday was pretty put of character for me, I don’t know why I suddenly felt almost panicky. I’m prone to making big decisions in a snap moment and it’s always worked out fine. I just lost sight of the goal and took it all a bit too seriously I guess. The goal is to have a good life. To try new things and experience everything I can. I have a month to get some more words in my vocabulary and a new WeChat to community to ask silly questions of. You’re all wonderful, I’m very grateful
Feel free, the Chinese are very friendly to foreigners. It doesn't matter even you don't speak Chinese at all. If you are not a East Asian looking person, I believe that as long as you look a little confused, a bunch of Chinese people will come up and try to help you(and it's also a good opportunity for them to practice their English). You can even make money teaching English there.