I have to admit, sometimes I wonder what Chinese folks think of Americans. More specifically, I wonder what they think of me. So when my Chinese teacher, Sophie, asked if she could interview me for her blog I jumped at the chance!
So today's guest blogger is my Mandarin teacher Sophie. :) Here's her take on teaching me, Americans in general, and more!
Her name is Anna, I know her more than 2 years since she came to Shanghai, I teach her Chinese , from the beginning ,at that time she only know few words , but now she is very well. She can type Chinese characters, speak Chinese ,talk with Chinese people. Her husband Chris is also my student . but now is not only student , they become my friends, there are so much fun to meet them , even talk to them you will feel so American .
Anne and Chris are work hard , nice , friendly . sometimes Chris back to home he will buy a bunch of flowers to Anna. Because usually Chinese would don’t do this, and in their home you will feel lovely.
They have two cute dogs, one is Ditka, another is Leia. they like to run around the room. Even you are the first time to meet them , they also run around you .
Sometimes I will make jokes with my friends , I will say I like Americans because , they will understand you , even your English is so bad, if you want to eat full at your friends home, go to American friend’s home. And if you make appointment with them, they will be there on time, if they cannot, they also pay you for that time. Actually it is means , they are easy to communicate , friendly , they work hard, on time and they respect you. And it is easy for them to accept different culture.
Anna is same like this, she speaks totally American accent like the American movie, but is also give me some trouble, cause she speak Chinese also so American accent. Sometimes she ask me , is it easy to know what she saying , I will encourage her to speak more , now she is really good . for me to learn a new language , the point is to know another country ,the people and the culture , and to communicate with people, the accent or some mistake is not a big problem , even to speak your mother tongue , you will also make mistake.
A very funny thing is I asked many American friends they say when they watch the British movies ,they also need the subtitles, okay, I trust them, but it is werid.
Shanghai
If she have a choose ,at this point she is not ready to leave China and they want stay here one and half year, after that she doesn ‘t know we back to American or if they were go to another country. She would love to go to Germany for 3 years. She can do the same like in Shanghai , go around , new experience , and teach in international school.
Her husband Chris working but she is not .school’s starting working at first three months. shanghai was very new and very exciting for her she took lot of time to exploring the city and her husband feel jealous .she was able to walk out and shanghai she is absolutely love it ,
Something she don’t like ,she is miss her family and friends ,she wishes she can bring everyone her family and her friends from America , so they could experience she is experience . it changes you and experience living in China is amusing , a lot work exciting in shanghai, because you never know what you will experience ,but nothing surprise her actually.
Another thing she does’t like many people move to shanghai and you know the friends and then it is time the friends to go , because it is not hometown. You make friend, become close and then people leave ,they back to their home country .
And the way she make friends, many times working through you already know , and the first friend they come to the same university , and then those friends are friends , or at work as a group. Her co-workers ,and her husband colleague.
She said the place she lives is very convenient , she is sure if she lives in small city is much more difficult for her, not everyone speak English but much more than other city. She have been to Beijing , it is great. But she prefer shanghai to Beijing.
She said Sometimes she walk in shanghai , they’re many times she walks the town area, feels she is in Manhattan . It remains her so much , especially these stores, the culture , food .
The Chinese people are very nice, especially my friends, they help me so much . Each people is different even my Chinese friends is different with each other , American people each one are different .
She likes Chinese food but she really do not like doufu . she likes Sichuan food ,It is spicy , love xiaolongbao. When she has spare time. she do her blog , (
www.anamericangirl)
Love going out and take photo ,and she loves spent time with her friends and her husband ,work make her busy , and a lot of time to learn Chinese .(inshanghai)==for some reason I can write the blog address ()together
Work in shanghai
School got different , 3months after they moved here . she was teached 3 different schools and two schools is amusing and one not so good at first year . so she found it is difficult is she goes around shanghai, but she was got used to it used to teaching , now is just one school and the school is amusing, she works at this school for 3 years and she know teachers I and her students, the teachers know her and I know very well.
Teaching in shanghai is very different with America , and she is enjoy teaching in China, because she likes how teachers work at same office and they have a lot of time get together and plan together , in American they don’t have teachers office and teachers has their own classroom , usually they go to their own classroom , American teachers teach every subject ,here they have local English teacher and foreigner teacher , they have Chinese teachers . ,
America life and language
Because so many friends they told me they like America, and I also asked Anne, she said to go to America depends on what they want to do, If they want to go to beach, they go to Florida. If they want to know American to go Washington D.C. If they want to experience American city life go to New York. If you really like American movies you can go to Hollywood in California , if you want live in country , you go to Kentucky or St. Louis.
In America many people in the same town and same city are very very different . America is young country .so many American people came to American couple of years, even for Anne’s family. And it is very different to tell the people you are American . they are so many different reasons and It is American how it is , America built by foreigners .
She knows English and Spanish and she was speak words out aloud, and you can go ahead different parts of words guess the meaning. And she was as told through natural language and games as child .They learn the basic She feels , you learn different kinds of languages not just one
, you know to learn through different kinds . it is depend on the school , depend on the kid , they will learn English . a lot of school will learn Spanish and France , they also offer Germen in school , usually
they really value Spanish because we live so close to Mexico and Latin Americans . her husband because he work at germa
n company ,so he learn at work . to learn Spanish is easy than Chinese,
it is nothing like Chinese , but Spanish has so many different dialect , you live in Mexico speak completely different with Spain and they do in Spain. She learned Spanish in 7-12 grade ,and in university , total 12 years. I am very good . you cannot say all kids learn the same language.
I think it is nice you can choose because In china we all learn the same, maybe the government control , but in American more for the local government .
To learn Chinese
To learn Chinese because she really want to learn and she can communicate with people ,share the culture , the experience. It is helpful and useful , you cannot speaking Chinese in china. She f
eel she should to speak Chinese and go out . it is really easy to hang out with the foreign friends and not learning Chinese ,just eat foreign food. But it is like you are just take a trip here not live here .
learning Chinese is difficult especially learning the characters cause she is feel like is all words by words . you look at something the characters by memory and memory , you have to memory the meaning , speaking , the tones, Learning English You can learning by the letters and memory the and then you think the meanings. It is completely different , completely different . To learn a language ,some schools in America start to teach Chinese from the element schools ,her niece next year start to go to school , start learning Chinese and kindergarten first year .
she learn Chinese because even in America to realize to living in China is important to know Chinese. In America they do a lot business with China , and it is truly international world . and it is important to know different kinds of language ,English is words to look at the syllables . Chinese is worse.
she said she will do everything she try to learn as much as she could , and culture be in china not just going , she also has the friends not learn Chinese , just speak English but she also think for her it is important she is a teacher. To show the kids , to learning a language is hard
but she is try It is important .it is very important more communicate with friends, sometimes
she really feel excited she can speak Chinese. Even like the to take a taxi.Actually,chinese is not sooooo hard,but ,anyway I am Chiese.
If you want to see the original text in Chinese, check out her Weibo site at:
Next up...I interview my kids!!!
