Thursday, June 6, 2013

Day 31, Nanjing - Bye to the Language Partners

            After four weeks in Nanjing, things are starting to come to an end. Today we met with our language partners for the last time. Since we began meeting with them, I feel that my language skills have significantly increased. Everyday I find myself able to speak new words, and with these new words, I am able to create more and more coherent sentences. Before I came on this trip, I learned about a language skill building technique called the Pimsleur approach. This technique involves listening to short commonly used sentences, and committing them to memory. The theory is that by knowing these few commonly used sentences, you will be able to carry a short conversation in the new language. As time goes on, you will gain a better understanding of the language and the sentence structure, and be able to expand your vocabulary of the language. This principle is based off the idea that no one makes a baby study; instead it slowly learns the words and sentences it needs to survive. Water. Food. Yes. No. All of which are necessary to know in order to make it through the day. I believe that through our language partners we have inadvertently been using the Pimsleur approach. Every time we meet with them, I learn new sentences that are necessary for me to make it through the day. Such as how to ask where the bathroom is, and how to understand the key words in the directions the waitress gives me, such as right or left. I have also learned how to order food, and how to identify the characters for several key meats that I like to eat. Not only have I learned how to order my food, but I have also learned how to "properly" order my food. I have learned how to address the waitress properly, and I have slowly come to the realization that it is perfectly fine to scream "Fu Wu Yuan" at the top of your lungs, in order to get the waitress' attention. I have learned that when you take the lid off of your teapot and place it offset on top of the teapot, this signifies to the waitress that you would like to have more tea. Not only has this experience given me a new set of vocabulary to build off of and a better understanding of Chinese dining, but I also feel that it has given me more confidence in regards to my Chinese speaking. I believe that being forced to come out of my shell and use Chinese more often has helped me significantly develop my language skills. The fact that this is a daily occurrence just makes it easier to get a grasp of the language. Overall I would say that the language partners were one of the best experiences of the entire trip. I look forward to keeping in contact with them in the future, and continuing this learning experience.


Ryan L. 

No comments:

Post a Comment