Bamboo Pilgrim

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Here is our assignment for tomorrow in Han zi and Pinyin. It is a simple dialogue: Hello! Hello! What is your name? My name is Ryan. And you? My name is Sun Wen. Just a sample of how we spend our weeknight evenings.

We are just recently enrolled in language school in Beijing, but we have been living in China for over 30 days. We thought we could negotiate restaurants by pointing at pictures in menus or prepared items on display. Those places, however, are expensive, and, we are on a budget. This means we need to search out those local culinary treasures in neighborhood “hole-in-the-wall” places. The overhead is low and they focus on… Read More

We were so excited to report the progress we are making after only two days of language school to our young Chinese colleagues in Henan by phone. One of them remarked affirmingly, “Oh, good! You are learning Chinese the traditional way at the pre-primary level.” We had a good laugh, but she was right. We are beginners. This is just fine with us. We are learning quickly and having fun. The traditional… Read More

Today was our first day of language learning as we enrolled in the Chinese Language Education (www.chinaledu.com) of Beijing. It is a top-rated Mandarin language institute that has taught diplomats, business professionals, and educators and their families for several years. It is a results-oriented program. Instruction includes reading, writing, speaking, communicating, and grammar. This was our first day, but already, we are impressed with the quality of both our instructors and the… Read More