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Hitchhiker’s guide to the Chinese Galaxy | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes  Speaks: Spanish*, English*, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean | Message 209 of 230 24 June 2015 at 5:18am | IP Logged |
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MAJOR MILESTONE 10
I finally know for certain that I will be leaving for China in the third week of August 2015 (eight weeks from now), and will spend about 11 months there. Most of that time will be attending university for 4-5 classes for a full calendar school year. I would get a dorm to share with one roommate. I also would get a monthly living stipend, which should allow me to have no need for formal employment (a fancy way of saying, needing to teach English). This allows me to fully concentrated every day for the entire day on listening, reading, writing, and speaking Mandarin in as many situations as possible. I hope that given: 1. My very significant head start in the language before arriving in China (finishing Book 4 New Practical Chinese Reader, finishing Unit 21 Intermediate Spoken Chinese, and having learned about 2,500 characters) 2. My experience learning language (knowing what works or does not for me) 3. My passion for language learning 4. My mostly proven discipline and tenacity 5. And perhaps my natural talent to learn I will be able to accomplish much in that relatively short time (language learning wise). It may sound crazy, but I hope to get done in that 1 year what many need 2 or even 3 years to accomplish, progress-wise. I will post more details of my plans as the time approaches, and as I figure it out as well as be notified. Unlike with French, German, or Portuguese, this will be my first time traveling to a country specifically for the purpose of learning the language. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English*, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean | Message 210 of 230 25 June 2015 at 8:06pm | IP Logged |
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Unit Completion Entry 90
Cycle Three (Lessons 27-50) Book 3 Lesson 37 New Practical Chinese Reader 6.25.2015 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English*, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean | Message 211 of 230 02 July 2015 at 9:17pm | IP Logged |
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Unit Completion Entry 91
Cycle Three (Lessons 27-50) Book 3 Lesson 38 New Practical Chinese Reader (END BOOK 3) 7.2.2015 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English*, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean | Message 212 of 230 29 August 2015 at 1:55pm | IP Logged |
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Unit Completion Entry 92
Cycle Three (Lessons 27-50) Book 4 Lesson 39 New Practical Chinese Reader 8.27.2015 - - - - Back to the log... I had a super heavy work schedule most of July, in order to get extra savings for my trip. Then as you all know the site was down for a bit, actually I had come in to post but could not. I didn't thing my log was totally "gone" but was a bit concerned. Thankfully it's back. Then most of this month I have just been preparing to move: clean out my room, my car, visa, paperwork, getting my computers ready, new phone, all the services I will need, bank/bills in order, plus still work. It really takes you most of the day when you plan to move out of your current address at the same time you will leave a year overseas and so far away. I have still done isolated reviews, and met my tutor 5-6 times. Last couple of weeks started book 4. So it was not a total hiatus. Now that I'm mostly done with my preparations, and the website is fully back, I will continue the log. I will be departing to China next Tuesday, and arriving Thursday. Should be setting in by late Friday, so I am hoping to get into my complete immersion routine next weekend. So China here we come! Edited by outcast on 05 December 2015 at 3:54pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English*, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean | Message 213 of 230 29 August 2015 at 2:00pm | IP Logged |
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Anyway so I may be done with half of book 4 and only up to lesson 16 on the ISC by the time I begin classes in China, which is obviously short of the goals above. I just underestimated the logistics of such a move, since I'm not returning to my current address so it was both a full address move and going overseas to live, at the same time. Really takes some time to sort not only all your possessions but also the paperwork to travel, and all the personal matters with work/money/bills/school. I also had to cram (actually re-learn) most of the Microsoft Office Suite the last month or so (Word, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher), and not just basics but all the features plus memorize short cuts. Also the basics of Excel. Plus get caught with Windows 10 and my new Android phone (which I never had before), and to learn how to use a smart phone.
All that really robbed my free time for learning. But it was a necessary step, now I can confidently use all those programs and devices, which will help down the line even in my language study efficiency. Edited by outcast on 29 August 2015 at 2:04pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English*, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean | Message 214 of 230 05 December 2015 at 10:15am | IP Logged |
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The "I" am still alive post
I'm back. I'm in China. It's been a crazy three months. In general, my Chinese speaking level is horrible (my opinion). In fact, I have made almost amazing progress (and I'm not one to want to exaggerate language assessment) In all, far from fluent, but I can function in society now. I will provide more details later, just wanted to refloat my log and say hi if anyone is reading. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English*, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean | Message 215 of 230 05 December 2015 at 3:52pm | IP Logged |
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Unit Completion Entry 93
Cycle Three (Lessons 27-50) Book 4 Lesson 40 New Practical Chinese Reader 10.24.2015 - - - - Unit Completion Entry 94 Cycle Three (Lessons 27-50) Book 4 Lesson 41 New Practical Chinese Reader 11.7.2015 - - - - Unit Completion Entry 95 Cycle Three (Lessons 27-50) Book 4 Lesson 42 New Practical Chinese Reader 11.18.2015 - - - - So I resumed the NPCR lessons a month or so ago. The reason my pace of lesson completion is so much slower is simple: I have 6 Chinese courses at the university, with SIX different textbooks, which I have to also study and do work on. So obviously, time attrition is inevitable. They are still quite helpful. I have noticed that different series of books introduce different grammar and vocabulary even if they are at the same supposed level. So overall, one reinforces the others. I still use NPCR as the book I use with my Chinese online tutor. I meet her once a week now instead of the two times a week when back in the United States. Edited by outcast on 05 December 2015 at 3:56pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English*, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean | Message 216 of 230 10 December 2015 at 12:53am | IP Logged |
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So let me talk a bit about the material that I am using here in China at the university for the classes. I will talk first about the materials I am personally focusing on and doing both class and self-study:
Boya Chinese: I don't know if anyone has ever heard of it, but it's a pretty big name here in China. It's by Peking University Press and I am using the 2nd edition which is the newest. I was placed at Level 4 classes, though I know and now they know for certain I could have easily placed level 5. The problem was that during the assessment test, I was a bit rusty. The last two months before coming to China I had not worked regularly on Chinese, so I had forgotten a fair deal of vocabulary, characters, and my reading was rusty. Within weeks of heavy studying, I find level 4 ridiculously easy but I can't jump now. So next semester I plan to skip level 5 and just to Level 6, that is the highest available for foreign students. My speaking skills are better than many Level 5 students. Back to Boya Chinese, I am working through "Pre-intermediate I" and "Pre-intermediate II" books. Level 4 uses Pre-intermediate II, but I always feel that reviewing easier or already studied material yields amazing results. So I bought the former one at my expense. There are tons of words I did not know, and while a lot of the grammar is review, it is presented in such a way that it enlightens and furthers my understanding of the mechanics of the language. That is the beauty of studying the same things from multiple materials. Of course there are also a few new items, so that by studying from two or three textbooks you also plug in the holes in coverage of any each individual series. The crazy thing about this series is that it has NINE (9) volumes: Boya Elementary I (up to 420 words) Boya Elementary II (up to 880 words) Boya Pre-Intermediate I (up to 1700 words) Boya Pre-Intermediate II (up to 2620 words) Boya Intermediate I (up to 3700 words) Boya Intermediate II (up to 4900 words) Boya Advanced I (up to 6500 words) Boya Advanced II (up to 8000 words) Boya Advanced III (up to 9700+ words) So according to them,I am barely reaching INTERMEDIATE Chinese level now!! I am in Lesson 14 of Book 4 (in class they are only at the pace of lesson 6!), and in book 3 which I started almost two months later, at Lesson 8 of 16. I plan to finish book 4 this week, and book three by early January. I will start Book 5 Intermediate level next week. The thing is, there is a 6 week winter break in China, so I will use the end of December, January, and February to self-study most of the books from Level 5 classes. So in effect, I will jump a level in the winter break. That's why I am working so hard and barely have any time for anything. I will talk about Boya series impressions a little bit in another post. So to recap, on top of New Practical Chinese Reader and Intermediate Spoken Chinese, I am doing the Boya books. But I am still studying yet other books. (I am making sure I get tons of oral practice every day, I am not just sitting in some room eating books). 1 person has voted this message useful |
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