“Press”ing questions
What is this blog for? To write about my time in Xi’an, China. I will tell you why I am going, and what I am doing to prepare, all that, in one post. If I was more fashionable, I’d say, “yum”. Sadly, I dislike applying reactions to food, to writing. This is ironic given that my favourite publishing house is called Roast books.
Who am I? I just turned 22. I’m keeping all identities secret in this blog, because I’m paranoid about – well – things I won’t mention because it’s scary. I’m going to China 1st March – 11th August 2010.
This blog is for my personal experience and things I learn about Chinese, China, and being 22.
My sister is at the Beaux-Arts in Paris
She is a bit French and a bit arty. The French and the arty get money from the government (via the school) to do a term in a foreign art school. Initially, she was sent to Milano and she told the Authorities of the Arty that this would not do. They said, “fine, yes, ok,” as Authorities rarely do. Then they said, “Xi’an, Shaanxi province, China.” And she said, “ok.”
I am a floater
Not the type that lingers inside your toilet, but the unemployed, recently graduated, lacking direction floater. A person, if you will. I try my best at puns, but will never rival with my friends. I am proud of the puns I came up with today :
- sino + site : sounds a bit like a nasal infection
- shaanxi : sounds like “can she” said by some-one with pronunciation problems.
I’ll admit the second one is not great.
So I’ll be tagging along with my sister. I got a tourist visa when I was in London, and it is double entry, three months an entry, so that’s lucky. Hopefully, I will be able to get a work visa, and a job and things, as an English teacher. I still need to sort out my bank card, but I have some jabs and plane tickets, so basta-la-pasta, yeah.
I also plan to watch films on “early release” over there and review them, and maybe hang out at my sister’s art school. It’s in the Xi’an Muslim quarter.
It’s medical, it is not fun
I’m quoting from an obscure, non-commercial song, because I’m that much of a twit.
So, jabs. I’ve had two of three rabies jabs. I flipped out (but did not froth at the mouth) when I realised I’d missed the day for my booster.
I had a bunch of other jabs at the Institut Pasteur. They played a film where a half-caucasian-half-african family with alarmingly intrepid children and friends are saved from harmful diseases. Luckily, the video also showed what would happen if the people were infected, leading to interesting an amusing scenarios. Sadly, a boy returns to France with a leg in a cast (he had insurance though, so it’s ok) following a motorcycle accident and the very pale father gets sunburnt and has to go to hospital (!).
I googled it just in case I piqued your interest sufficiently to watch this hilarious animation (probably made on aftereffects).
Small children watched this.
I have an appointment for polio and Hepatitus B, but the doctor says Hep B isn’t that important. It’s like he somehow knows how “restrained” I am. It isn’t really restraint though, admit it.
Ni hao, laoshe
I finished “studying” last June. I write studying, but even in Oxford, studying was not most students’ priority. There was a bizarre lag period after I’d finished exams and before the flat lease ran out. It was during that time that a friend of mine and myself invaded the Language Lab on Woodstock road.
I used the Michel Thomas technique to start learning Mandarin. There were many lovely people working at the Language Lab but there was also a Stressy French Lady who was, understandably, against me clearly attempting to break plenty of copyright laws. No comment.
Then I traipsed through a few iTunes Chinese Pod podcasts “with Jenny and Ken.” They are a fun bunch, I love Jenny’s jokes about the dialogue. She’ll say “now I sink it’s time for the die-log, ok ha ha ha,” and Ken, ever so sweetly will reply, “yes, ha ha ha,” and Jenny will say, “die-log, first tie.”
A friend who studies Chinese at Oxford leant me Teach Yourself Chinese, and this is proving to be a very helpful book. So thank-you to this friend.
After all these methods though, nothing has been so helpful as the two hours I spent with a man who posted a message on Couchsurfing asking for Chinese/French language exchange.
[This is a happy shout out to the Couchsurfers who have sent me messages, to thank-you for your help and advice.]
Let’s call the Couchsurfer I met in Paris “J”. We met up on the platform of line 13 at 4pm yesterday and we started talking about French grammar, and then he helped me on the pronunciation of a lot of words and leant me a learning Chinese book. He said his parents were very democratically leaning, and he spoke three regional dialects, which is pretty darn impressive.
He came to France, motivated by the fact that in China, France is called the kingdom of the law. France: Law Kingdom (fa guo). China: Middle Kingdom (zhong guo). England: Brave Kingdom (ying guo). USA: Beautiful Kingdom (may guo). I remember laughing at the name for Germany: virtuous kingdom. He seemed sad for the USA name, and laughed at how badly titled France was, but I suppose it is because of la déclaration des Droits de L’Homme and things. I’d agree though, as a Parisian, that the French are really not very law-abiding.
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