I got paid today. It was nice o finally get something for all of the work I have been doing in the last month. It also makes me a big step closer to being able to travel in December when Rae comes.
I had exams last week. They were not that big of a deal as they don't really count for much in the grand scheme of things and that they are pretty much impossible to cram for in a short time. I ended up getting 80 in writing, 92 in listening, and 77 in reading. I have not yet checked my speaking score, but I imagine it is good because I generally speak and understand Chinese better than I read or write. Having exams made me stop and think about how far I have come since I started classes. I can definately notice improvements in my Chinese level in all aspects. I am especially happy that I can understand the general meaninng of newspaper articles as well as understand most things on television, including some news programs. It is giving me real hope that I will be able to achieve the goal I had before I came of being functional in Chinese by the time I leave.
On saturday I went to Tianjin with Max, Gloria and their friend Mr Hu. It was nice to get out of Beijing, even if it was only to another Chinese city under the same cloud of terrible particulate filled smog as Beijing. It was also nice to have a day of Chinese immersion and to feel like I have some local friends here.
Tianjin used to be a treaty port. It was one of the cities where foreigners stationed their armies and conducted their trade with China. As a result, Tianjin is filled with Western architecture from the middle of the 19th century through to the middle of the 20th Century. However, the Chinese do not see this as part of their heritage and have no problems tearing down old Western buildings, even if they are only replacing them with condos shaped like grotesque romanesqe temples. In one particularly disturbing example, right in front of where they are demolishing beautiful Italian villas and buildings, they have built a new "Parisian" style bridge complete with garish gold statues of topless Western women. I am still not sure how this is ridding the city of foreign influences or beautifying it in any way. I think Max summed up the Chinese feeling pretty well when he talked about the 8 allied powers and told me to go study Chinese history.
Our day in Tianjin was pretty typical of Chinese tourism. We visited the university, which is the oldest in China, we ate at the most famous restaurant in town, and we bought the local pastries before taking a walk down the standard pedestrian shopping street (of which there is one in every Chinese city) and singing a few songs at a karaoke place. Unfortunately, because we only spent a few hours there, I didn't get any idea about what life is like in Tianjin, or any real feel for the city at all. I could barely even make out that Tianjin people have a different accent from Beijingers. Regardless, I was quite happy to get away from Beijing, even if I was unable to get away from its polution.
It is very late and I should go to bed. I have a very big day ahead of me tomorrow and I dread going through it as tired as I will be.
I had exams last week. They were not that big of a deal as they don't really count for much in the grand scheme of things and that they are pretty much impossible to cram for in a short time. I ended up getting 80 in writing, 92 in listening, and 77 in reading. I have not yet checked my speaking score, but I imagine it is good because I generally speak and understand Chinese better than I read or write. Having exams made me stop and think about how far I have come since I started classes. I can definately notice improvements in my Chinese level in all aspects. I am especially happy that I can understand the general meaninng of newspaper articles as well as understand most things on television, including some news programs. It is giving me real hope that I will be able to achieve the goal I had before I came of being functional in Chinese by the time I leave.
On saturday I went to Tianjin with Max, Gloria and their friend Mr Hu. It was nice to get out of Beijing, even if it was only to another Chinese city under the same cloud of terrible particulate filled smog as Beijing. It was also nice to have a day of Chinese immersion and to feel like I have some local friends here.
Tianjin used to be a treaty port. It was one of the cities where foreigners stationed their armies and conducted their trade with China. As a result, Tianjin is filled with Western architecture from the middle of the 19th century through to the middle of the 20th Century. However, the Chinese do not see this as part of their heritage and have no problems tearing down old Western buildings, even if they are only replacing them with condos shaped like grotesque romanesqe temples. In one particularly disturbing example, right in front of where they are demolishing beautiful Italian villas and buildings, they have built a new "Parisian" style bridge complete with garish gold statues of topless Western women. I am still not sure how this is ridding the city of foreign influences or beautifying it in any way. I think Max summed up the Chinese feeling pretty well when he talked about the 8 allied powers and told me to go study Chinese history.
Our day in Tianjin was pretty typical of Chinese tourism. We visited the university, which is the oldest in China, we ate at the most famous restaurant in town, and we bought the local pastries before taking a walk down the standard pedestrian shopping street (of which there is one in every Chinese city) and singing a few songs at a karaoke place. Unfortunately, because we only spent a few hours there, I didn't get any idea about what life is like in Tianjin, or any real feel for the city at all. I could barely even make out that Tianjin people have a different accent from Beijingers. Regardless, I was quite happy to get away from Beijing, even if I was unable to get away from its polution.
It is very late and I should go to bed. I have a very big day ahead of me tomorrow and I dread going through it as tired as I will be.
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