If you learn Chinese....

Hey....

Me again! hehe.

I decided to tell you about the kind of problems (and of course, the advantages -remember to face both sides of the mirror hehe-) you may face when you are learning Chinese (this is specially true if your native language uses the "normal" alphabet system).

First of all, the Chinese language is based on precedent drawings, inspired at the nature itself or representations of this. Many (mainly the most basic and common meaning ones) are just like "pictures" of the object they are mentioning.

This system most of the time (75% or more) DOESN'T relate with the sound! Maybe some people will start saying ufff such a nightmare! But, being honest one of the most studied and popular languages in the world nowadays has this same condition and I'm using it right now!

People who speak languages like the Latin ones (I don't know if others, but you can tell me if you are familiar with those) may feel terrible about this, since Spanish for example, the way you write is the way you read and viceversa, that really makes things easier, even when we conjugate verbs and have female and male terminations, I know!!!! hehe. And not forget to mention the tones... depending of which one you use, out of 4, the words change dramatically in meaning. Just for example if you pronounce ma like asking it's a horse, but if you say it like chanting melodiously an keeping a high tone is mother. And angry, quickly is a bad word!

Passing these points I would say some of the good things about learning Chinese, it really opens you a world of new possibilites, like a new way of ordering the semantics in your head, usually you would put all the birds together, or all the I don't know colours, things to do, hobbies, etc in groups, but in chinese the radicals, (part of the "picture", character naming one meaning by itself but put together in the whole set) can give you another grouping way. This reorganizes your mind, helping you to avoid becoming stagnant and old in your mind ways hehe.

Another thing is this one... I love it!!!

When you are a child, what can you remember first? One picture of the sun that like a circle with rays or like a typical moon? Or can you read the word "sun, sol, soleil..." properly?

Well, I think with Chinese even a 1 year old baby could start reading very soon! Because it's very accesible. You look at the picture and you can figure it out (not always but maaany times!) the meaning is representing! Or how the combination of two or more in a new character makes another new meaning...

Now, this days, what problems I'm facing? The usual ones of any other learner hehe, plus the fact that I'm learning sometimes translations to English or to Spanish and that makes a whole mixture inside my brain hehehe.. Funny one indeed, hehe! Sometimes it helps me to speak different languages in advance, even French because there are similarities... yes!

Well, sometimes I can recognize the pronounciation but I can remember the writing or viceversa hehe! The worst haha it's when i can see it, i know the meaning but I can't say it or rewrite it by myself, without looking. This problem, dear learners don't you worry, many times, even the Chinese people face it hehe... So it's ok! Just part of the fun hehe.

Wish me luck, I have dictation and I feeling my head bit crazy since today I achieved the #200 character in my list haha..

If you want more information about this, I think there are several sites in the internet... Here, one... http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/20070624_chinese_characters.htm

(A blog that by the way had inspired me, helped me and I strongly recommend hehe! Specially talking about Shanghai and surrounding areas).

Mexican Food：Fogoncito en Beijing 福客多 (And Peking man)

Hey, again!

I have already received a pair of comments, I will try to follow them, please don't hesitate to write me directly or leave a comment here hehe.

I really appreciate it!

Well, I was in Beijing in my first whole weekend! I had many ideas... I had already been in the typical places so I tried to go to a new one hehe.

I decided to visit the Peking Man site (promulgated a protected spot not long ago for the UNESCO) very early in Saturday morning. For those interested in antropology or history this site was very important because found another of our ancestors and with this discovered another prehominid different to the Java Man or the Typical Homo erectus and Homo habilis found in other locations.

Bad news, most of the exhibition pieces were casts, because the original ones were sent to USA during the WWII and nobody knows their destination! Nevertheless, I was in the caves and I enjoyed the casts hehe.

After that, we (my two half Chinese/half Spanish classmates and neighbours and their Chinese friend) decided to look for something to eat. I had already searched for "El fogoncito".

I was a bit afraid to ask them to go, since just last Thursday some of my classmates and my Chinese teacher had gone to another supposedly Mexican food place and it was not anymore selling Mexican food (if you read my thursday blog you know this already hehe).

But... I really wanted to have some Mexican food, so I spoke up!

They agreed but we weren't finding the right bus and all, we ended up taking a cab, who fortunately wasn't so rude (maybe because the Chinese girl managed him well hehe). So we arrived to the place and after asking one more time, because it's not so visible: BINGO!!!

El Fogoncito at sight! We entered, not many people. A table with 4 guys, spanish/mexican looking (the mexicans these days are in many colours, but the ones who are coming from mostly spanish - or french, etc- blood they tend to be like me, white skin and the facial features are not so sharp I think). Another table with two chinese girls.

They gave us the menu and it was in English/ Chinese / Mexican (not only spanish but mexican because the names were of food and using typical names we give to the food hehe).

My friends were surprised for the variety of dishes, so they just trusted in me and I ordered:

For starters...

• 1 order of "Tacos al pastor" (BBQ Style sliced Pork meat in soft corn tortillas) 3pcs /15 Y
  
• 1 order of "Gringas" (The same pork meat with cheese, pineapple and in this time in a Soft wheat flour tortilla) 1 pc / 18 yuan.
• 1 order of "Chicharron de queso" (melted cheese until its almost burnt and it curls itself (see the picture for more reference hehe!) 28 yuan

Seeing that this was not enough and we were needing more food.... I continue ordering... And this time, the Chinese girl contributed asking me if I the fajitas were good.

• A Mexican (indeed more of a Texmex) Classic: Beef fajitas (a quite decent portion of sliced beef, green peppers and onions, all friend and served in an Iron Hot plate) with tortillas to make more tacos. 58 yuan.


• "Enfrijoladas", these were not like Mexican do. Were more like quesadillas with frijoles. Two soft wheat flour tortillas with cheese and refried beans inside. 18 yuan.
• Another order of "tacos al pastor".
• Another order of "gringa"
• One "Cazuelita de queso fundido" (melted cheese in a clay pot) with enough soft wheat flour Tortillas. The big winner of the afternoon . Everyone loved it!!! 25 yuan.
• And the last dish... One frijoles with totopos order (Refried beans plate with deep-fried triangles of corn tortillas).

Everything tasted like typically tastes in Mexico, besides the service was good, you can see the attached pictures with the chinese guys doing the pastor and waitressing hehe.

The dishes were accompanied for three different kinds of spicy sauces: red chilli, green chilli and Guacamole (made with avocado).

I recommend this place, the only bad thing they played Luis Miguel (who is not even mexican, even when he sings many "mariachi" songs for the entire time we were at the place. I complained a bit pulling the manager legs hehe, who turned out to be one of the guys in the next table hehe.

Let's see what new adventures come up with this new 2nd week as a student in Beijing hehe.

Now I have to go, around 150 chinese characters are waiting for me before going to bed hehe.

From both sides of the mirror...

If you ask me about the lessons I have learnt in my year abroad, living and working and studying in China...

I have to be honest, most of them are not only about Chinese culture, places or language, not even people itself, but about relationships, about life and about myself.

One of the best lessons I will always have in my heart is this one: Remember to see always from both sides of the mirror...

Many times we say something, we have an idea, an opinion, very good one, we have thought it thru, it comes after some meditation or discussion... but! Have we really tried to see things from both sides of the mirror?

For example, living in China, as in many other cultures in Asia, is quite different from living in "the West", where we have to accept that the living standards have really became "standardized" hehe... We all can have the same things and we all share doing, having (almost, in general terms) the same activities, the same ways...

Sometimes, we may think: "this people... uff, why they don't know this? Why do they do like that?" We should be careful with such quick judgements... !!!!

Maybe we are right, but who told you that is really "good"??? Who determines what is "good" or not?

I think the society many times determines this and teaches us from very little to believe it, sometimes it could be truth and an advantage to follow such principles, but if they prevent you from being happy and limit your freedom, you better think twice...

Are they real good? Why do we do them? What happens if we don't? And if you find that you are not hurting anyone else and that will lead you to be a better person? Achieve greater things.. I feel you should go ahead...

If you are in the middle of a discussion, try to ask yourself... Why could he be keeping his point? how comes he or she is saying such a thing... ? May be this... Maybe.....

That doesn't mean that you change your ideas, but you will reinforce them and know why do you have them... Or if the doubt arises, maybe you have an opportunity to change your ways for some better ones...