I've been busy

Last week, I signed up for a web design course; the second class is tomorrow.  I'm excited! Hopefully I'll learn a few tricks and bring home a new skill -- that and (very basic) Mandarin. Yes, I'm still taking classes and even though there are some days I feel as if I've absorbed nothing and I understand nobody, I'm enjoying the challenge.

The magazine has also been keeping me busy -- I reviewed three restaurants and proofread the next issue this week.  If interested, you can click here to read my reviews.

(Will I really have to go back to a 9-5 when I go home?!)

Xiuxi Time

Only a few more days of Mandarin classes; my last one's on Friday. Twelve weeks later and I feel pretty confident in my survival skills. Am I ready to discuss the state of the global economy in Chinese? Probably not. But I can ask a waitress where the bathroom is and find it on my own (which is probably more useful in the long run). 

I had originally signed up for four weeks, but because my fellow classmates were so lovely, I went on for eight more. From left to right: Ye Laoshi (laoshi means teacher), Ayla (German with Turkish origins), Robin (American by way of Ireland), me (American with Egyptian and Armenian origins), Anna (Russian, now also German by marriage), Nannapat (Thai by way of the UK), and Florian (Indonesian by way of Hong Kong; a college student here for the summer; I hope we didn't scare him). We span the globe -- pretty cool, huh? 

P.S. #1 I'm wearing a shirtdress I had made at the fabric market. Cute, no? 

P.S. #2 "Xiuxi," pronounced "shee-oo-shii," means rest or break.  

Have a zhoumo kuaile

In case you were wondering, we survived the typhoon and the weather is back to being hot and humid, sticky and muggy. This weekend, I'm hoping to take the camera out and snap more photos as we explore new areas of Shanghai. I'm anxious to get out of the neighborhood and gain a change of scenery. And of course, we're planning on riding the new bikes. (I tried adding a poll to find out whose you thought was cooler, but Blogger wasn't cooperating. Maybe you can state your pick  by adding a comment below.)  

Up next week: The start of beginner Mandarin, level 3. That's right, I've made it passed two levels and I'm on to the third. Can I carry on a conversation? No. Can I survive? Maybe (certainly in Shanghai). Mandarin is actually the seventh language I've studied: French and English, of course; Spanish in high school; Italian in college; German while studying abroad in Strasbourg, which, if you don't know, is on the border of France and Germany; and Arabic while studying in London. (I told you I was language nerd. Note that I've studied these languages; I'm not claiming to have mastered them, or even come close with some!) And Mandarin is by far the most difficult. Maybe because it's really foreign. Yes, a foreign foreign language, imagine that -- but in all of my previous language courses, there were some elements of familiarity. With Chinese, there are none whatsoever. A lack of tenses only complicates things, as do complex sentence structures and multiple meanings for the same words (or characters). Wish me luck! 

In other news, we've upgraded our cable so that we can catch the end of the Olympics. I'm currently watching a rerun of the final women's soccer match, USA versus Japan. (USA, USA, USA!) So while we now have Olympics coverage and several more channels, we no longer have any English channels. Sigh. Oh well. Maybe it'll help improve my Mandarin.      

What are you up to this weekend?  

Hers or his? Choose wisely.