Steve's sandbox

Author: Steve Evans

  • Imogen Page-Jarrett, Beijing, China – December 2014

     

    Imogen Page Jarrett – Dec 2014

    诚挚邀请您参加…

    当我们转过拐角，一块松软的红地毯映入我们的眼帘。名流荟萃，星光闪耀，他们队伍的人站在我左边，准备迎接到访者。穿着丝绸、戴着珠宝的嘉宾与我们互相表示敬意和欢迎。

    向五队排最后的人深深鞠躬之后，我向宽敞的大厅里走进了一步。高达拱形天花板在水晶吊灯重压下摇摇欲坠。一片愉快的嘈杂声向清脆的水晶飘上去。大厅的边缘站着北京市最优秀泰国饭店的小吃摊。大厅中间的大舞台等着嘉宾的光临。我们的名字在泰国国王87岁圣诞节派对的客人名单上之列。那天的活动还庆祝泰国国庆节日。

    正当我们小心翼翼地走到酒吧拿起一杯冰香槟酒，有人咳了一声好引起大家的注意。

    “我将以骄傲的姿态欢迎女士们先生们参加今天晚上的活动…”。我们排在西服、民族服装、军服的旁边，举起杯来，为了泰国国王普密蓬·阿杜德的健康喝了一杯。

    在世界各地的驻华大使、军官、大公司代表之间来来往往，我禁不住感到自己的渺小和微不足道。我们跟罗马尼亚大使边喝泰国香味的椰子汤，边听他个人当大使个人经历，而且他下次派驻亚洲哪个国家，哪个国家会带来最多的机会。我们决定泰国和韩国都是明智的选择。大使的生活好像是永不安分的生活，因为每四年他们都必须搬到新的一个国家，在陌生的环境并文化找到自己立足之地。对我来说，大使的夫人和孩子生活的故事更有意思。大使的亲人应该做出很大的牺牲。我突然想起几周前英国驻华大使所言的话：他夫人觉得在国外找到亲密的朋友圈子和爱好特别难。而且孩子得转学，交新朋友，学新语言。并且，他似乎对我们在北京留学的原因很感兴趣，问我们北京学生的生活过得如何，还问我们为什么选择中文这个专业。

    我们回答在中国前途是一片光明。那天的活动非常有助于职业的机会。我感觉自己很幸运在中国上学，我在这里的第外远远超过我在英国曾经体验过的。因为我是西方人，我在中国经常体验过特别的招待，并对我母语的需求很多。我在家乡肯定不会感受这种招待。回家路上口袋里揣着一名企业集团的首席执行官的名片，我再次想起在中国关系的超然能力。

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    We Request the Pleasure of Your Company…

    As we turned the corner, a soft red carpet unveiled itself before our eyes. To our right, a procession of glittering individuals stood ready to welcome us. Attired in silks and jewels, we paid obeisance to one another in welcome and thanks. Bowing deeply for the final time, I took a step into the broad room. The high vaulted ceiling bowed under the weight of chandeliers. Up towards the tinkling crystals, the hubbub of voices drifted. Around the edge of the space stood food stands from Beijing’s most exceptional Thai eateries. In the centre, a large stage awaited the presence of honoured guests. We were on the guest-list for the King of Thailand’s 87th Birthday Party, coinciding with the National Day of Thailand.

    We cautiously stepped up to the bar to take a flute of ice cooled champagne from the bar, just as a cough brought everyone to attention.

    “I am proud to welcome you, ladies and gentlemen, to this evening’s event…”. Among the rows of suits, national dress and military attire we stood and raised a class to the health of  King Bhumibol Adulyadej himself.

    Moving between the world’s ambassadors to China, military officers, company representatives, I could not help but feel rather small in comparison. We spoke to the ambassador of Romania over a bowl of fragrant Thai coconut soup. We spoke of his personal history as an ambassador, and where to be posted next in Asia; which nation would bring about the most opportunities. We decided both South Korea and Thailand would be strong choices. The ambassador lifestyle seems an uprooting one; having to up sticks every four years and begin afresh in a completely new environment and culture. Personally, I feel the spouses and children of ambassadors reveal a much more telling tale. The immediate family must make great sacrifices. I recalled the words of the British ambassador at the British embassy a few weeks before, that his wife found it difficult to find a circle of friends and interests in a foreign country. Children are forced to change schools, swap friends, learn new languages. In contrast he seemed inquisitive as to our reasons for studying in Beijing, what the student experience was here, why we had chosen Chinese.

    Our answers of course included the invaluable career opportunities here. The event was a key place to make contacts for such purposes. I felt extremely lucky that as a student in China, my status greatly surpassed any I had ever stood in the UK. As a Westerner, I have often experienced special treatment and great demand for my mother tongue. It is certain I would never find myself at such an evening as this at home. Walking home with the business card of a conglomerate CEO, I realised anew the almighty power of “guanxi” (personal relations) in China.

     

  • Alexander Arch, France – December 2014

    Alex Arch – Dec 14

     

    Le dimanche, on a joué un match important contre Marcoussis, qui sont première dans le ligue, et ils ont gagné tous leurs matchs. Nous sommes 6 sur 10 et nous avons gagné 4 de nos 9 matchs, mais tous les matchs étaient serrés. On a su que on pourrait qualifier pour les barrages si on gange le match.

    Je suis arrivé au club à midi, pour le déjeuner avec mes coequipiers. On l’a mangé et régardé les actualités du sport  à la télé (tout le monde a rigolé quand il a vu que mon équipe, Leicester City, a perdu!). Après avoir mangé, la deuxième équipe s’est chauffée et la première est résté à l’intérieur. J’ai passé le temps avec mon ami Jérémy et des livres, il veut améliorer son niveau d’anglais alors je l’aide avec son livre ‘Ali Baba et les quarantes voleurs’ et il m’aide avec mon livre ‘Lettres à sa fille’.

    Le match a commancé  à 15h, il y avait du brouillard mais il a disparu rapidement. Le terrain était boueux qui était mieux pour Marcoussis que nous. J’ai commencé le match dans mon poste normal, l’arrière. Au début, on était faible et Marcoussis a marque pendants le première 5 minutes. Mais après leur essaie, on a amélioré mais ne pouvait pas marquer- on a manqué 2 penalités.

    On était beaucoup plus fort pendant le deuxième temps, et on appliquait beacoup de la pression qui liée au essaie. Les deux équipes ont marquées un penalité alors le score était 10-8 dans the 79ème minute. On avait le ballon, et essaie de marquer, mais malheureusement, il y avait un en-avant alors on a perdu 10-8.

    On était très deçu parce qu’on a joué bien et les conditions étaient difficile, mais je pence que nous pouvons être fier de nos performances.

    Le vendredi, on aura le bilan à mi-parcours et un repas de noël qui devrait  être sympa. J’aime le rugby ici, les gens sont très accueillant et ils corrigent mes fautes quand je parle

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    On Sunday, we had a tough match against Marcoussis, who are top of the table and have won all of their games played. We were in 6th position and have won 4 of our 9 games this season, however all of our matches have been close. We knew that if we could manage to win, we would still have a good chance of reaching the end of season play-offs, which involve the top 2 teams.

    I arrived at the club just before midday, we then had lunch, chicken and pasta, whilst watching the sports news channel (everybody laughs when they see that my team, Leicester City, has lost again in the football). After eating, the reserves went out to warm up before their game at 13.30h, whilst the first team stayed in the clubhouse. I spent the time reading with my friend Jérémy, who wants to learn English. He was reading Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, whilst I was reading  ‘Lettres à sa fille’ by Calamity Jane. I find that this is really useful as we can help each other when we struggle with the meanings of words.

    We kicked off at 15h, the fog cleared quickly and the pitch was muddy which suited our opponents. I started the game in my usual position of full back. We didn’t start very well, conceding 7 points in the first 5 minutes. However towards the end of the half we grew into the game, but failed to score- missing 2 penalties.

    We were much improved in the second half, we applied a lot of pressure on the Marcoussis line and eventually scored. Both teams then scored a penalty and we went into the last play losing 10-8. We managed to run the length of the pitch and looked set to score until we knocked the ball on, about 5m from their line. We lost 10-8.

    We were all really disappointed and bruised after an extremely tough game in awful weather conditions. However I think that we can be proud of our performance.

    On Friday, we have our mid season review and our Christmas meal which I am looking forward to.

    I am really enjoying playing rugby here, the people are really welcoming and are all happy to correct the mistakes when I talk.

  • Samuel Franklin, China – December 2014

    Samuel, Beijing, China – December 2014

     

    首先，我想简单地介绍一下我的在北京骑自行车的经验。由于一系列不幸事件的发生，我已经买到了三辆自行车。我最初到北京时，没有打算骑车。我认为因为北京的公共交通四通八达，而且我的房子离大学不会那么远，所以不用花钱买自行车。此外，在伦敦，作为一个驾驶者，我培养了 一个对烦人骑车人的反感。不过，第一学期一开始，我很快就意识到更好骑车。每天早上打的是金钱的浪费，而且8点之前我不愿意走30多分钟的路。所以我第一次买到自行车时，我很不情愿地花了一百块（他送了一把锁）。当然，骑多么便宜的车很快出了问题。去学校的半路上，它突然破坏了。下次我投入了更多钱（两百块钱），得到了很合适的自行车。我失去它以后 ，就买到了我最新的一辆自行车。希望这辆是更耐用的。

    在中文的方面，我参加了一场演讲比赛。每个留学生的班要提名一个人参加。毫不吃惊，没有人志愿参加，所以我很友好的同学决定我参加将会是最好的。然后，老师告诉我我需要在数百多人面前，做五分钟的演讲，不可以用笔记。他也说他们会拍每个人的表演。比赛的话题就是“我有一个梦想”，我讲的是“我们为什么在不做梦？这个趋势好不好？”在高级比赛中，来自各种国家的留学生都说得很流利，而且各色各样的话题反应了很多不同年情人的乐趣。最终，不知何故，我排在第三。这里有比赛的网址（我在第四页上

    上个月，我也继续让自己熟悉中国西洋棋的景色。比如我参加了一场当地比赛并获得了第一名。虽然，参加那场比赛的棋手并不那么强，但是经过每一个比赛和我见到的对手，我体验了中国西洋棋的一些情况。例如，在中国没有很多的比赛，但很多人常会在咖啡馆里集合下棋。我也加入了北大的象棋队，为北大下了几次比赛。迄今，我们还保持不败赛季，可是于清华的大赛还没发生。最后，我参观了中国的棋院，那是中国西洋棋队训练的地方，也是中国国际象棋协会的办公室。我参观时，他们举办中俄14岁以下的国际比赛。

    最终，在北京你能注意到越来越激烈圣诞气氛。很多的销售商业趁着圣诞节送礼的习俗来推广各种特价商品。有些大使馆也举行了圣诞活动。例如，我去了一场德国圣诞市场，享受了热葡萄酒和椒盐脆饼。昨晚，我们在一个圣诞酒吧竞猜排了第四名；我们缺乏足够关于圣诞电影的知识。

    Beijing Station, December 2014 – Samuel Franklin

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    Firstly, a quick word on my experiences of bicycles in Beijing. An unfortunate series of events has meant that I have already bought three bicycles. When I first arrived in Beijing, I had no intension of cycling. I knew that there would be an extensive public transport system and expected that my apartment would be close enough to the university, so that I would not need to expend on bikes. Moreover, as a driver in London, I have cultivated a dislike of annoying cyclists on the road. However, as term started, it quickly became apparent that I wouldn’t manage without one.  Catching a taxi every morning is a waste of money, whilst I am not willing to walk over half an hour to school before 8am. And so when I bought my first bike, I reluctantly dished out 100rmb (£10; they also threw in a lock). Of course, using such a cheap piece of equipment quickly led to problems and one day, about half way on my way to class, it broke. Next time, I invested more (200rmb) and obtained a quite suitable bike. After I lost it, I bought my third one. Hopefully this one will last me more than a month.

    As for language, I participated in a speech competition. Every foreign student’s class has to nominate one person to participate. Not surprisingly, there was nobody in my class willing to volunteer, so my classmates kindly decided it would be best if I just did it. Afterwards, my teacher told me that I would be presenting in front of a few hundred people, giving a five minute speech, no notes allowed. He also told me each speaker’s performance would be filmed. The theme of the competition was ‘I have a dream’, and I chose to speak on ‘Why do we no longer dream? Is this trend good or bad?’ In the top level competition there were exchange students from all over the world, who all spoke very fluently, and their topics reflected a great many interests and concerns of young people my age. Ultimately and inexplicably, I took third place.

    This month, I have also continued to familiarise myself further with the chess scene in Beijing. For example, I entered a local tournament and came first. Although the field was not particularly strong, through each game and meeting with a new opponent, I came to understand aspects of the Chinese chess scene. For instance, whilst there are not so many tournaments in Beijing, many people frequently meet in cafés to play games. I also joined the Peking University team and have now played a few matches for them. We remain undefeated, but the big match against Tsinghua is yet to take place. Finally, I visited the Chinese chess institute, which is where the national team train and the national federation is based. When I went, they were hosting an under 14 China-Russia match.

    Finally, there is an increasingly pronounced Christmas spirit here in Beijing. Many retailers take advantage of the gift giving custom to promote special deals. Some of the embassies have hosted events too. For example, I went to the German embassy’s Christmas market, where I enjoyed mulled wine and pretzels. Fifth place in last night’s Christmas themed pub quiz is also something to build on.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Emily Martin, China – December 2014

    Shanghai skyline at night, Dec 2014 – Emily Martin

    上海

    在庆祝英国文化协会建立在中国35周年的聚会， 一个演说者告诉听众她把北京作为中国的曼彻斯特。北京和北京人都有跟曼彻斯特的定性一样的粗犷，产业魅力。如果北京是曼彻斯特，上海一定是有表示丰富的新建设的伦敦经济中心。

    我们对上海的猛一看一定表示这个。我们晚上一达到上海就去外滩以便偷看江浦和光辉烂烂空中轮廊线。各种各样新潮的高楼有五彩灯火照了它们让天空看起来跟像巨大的糖果店一样。

    上海并不都是多这新潮和光滑。如果你去法国租界观光，你会发现漂亮殖民建构。田子坊中有像迷宫的弄堂和小购物街道。不过， 虽然上海一定是一个很美好的城市，对我来说，上海缺乏在北京胡同发现的传统文化。这个看中消费者主义的看法让上海看起来华而不实。在每个街道你会找到许多卖比萨和意大利面的饭馆。

    上海给我们一个机会看见中国的将来。上海的新高楼以及购物在 世界性百货商店的摩登年轻专业人员一定表示政府想世界都看见的中国方面。上海完美地表示在中国越来越流行的消费者文化。 这个文化可能替代中国传统的文化在中国人的身份。有的可能把这个作为转变会破坏中国传统文化的转变，可是我把这个当不断地 文化进步的一部分看待。虽然失去传统文化很可悲，中国成为新潮，五方杂处的国家很扣人心弦的。我切身体验这个巨大的文化转变、关注这个历史性的进步感到非常荣幸。

    Shanghai Art Museum, Dec 2014 – Emily Martin

    Shanghai

    At the recent event to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the British Council in China, one speaker described Beijing as the Manchester of China. The city and its inhabitants alike do have a rough industrial charm that fits the stereotype of the British city. If Beijing is Manchester, Shanghai would undoubtedly be The City in London with its new wealth evident in a multitude of shiny new developments.

    My first impression of Shanghai couldn’t be more representative of this. We arrived in the evening and immediately went to the Bund to get a glimpse of the river and the fantastic skyline. The array of futuristic skyscrapers of all shapes and sizes were lit with multi-coloured lights, giving it the appearance of an over-sized candy shop.

    Not all of Shanghai is so new and glossy. A trip to the French concession reveals pretty colonial era architecture and the area of Tianzifang houses a maze of alleys and shopping streets. However, while undoubtedly a pleasant city, Shanghai lacked the traditional Chinese culture found in Beijing’s hutongs, and left a somewhat hollow taste of mass consumerism. You were sure to find a pizza or pasta restaurant on the corner of even the most traditional of streets.

    Shanghai offers glimpse into the future of China. With its glossy new skyscrapers and fashionable young professionals shopping in cosmopolitan department stores, it shows the side of China the government wants the world to see. Shanghai is the perfect illustration of the consumer driven mass culture taking China by storm, replacing traditional culture in the identity of modern China. Some may see this change as a negative process destroying China’s heritage, but I feel it is better to see to as part of the constant progression of culture.  While it would be sad to see the loss of traditional culture, the evolution of China into a modern, cosmopolitan, yet still eminently Chinese state is fascinating and exciting. It is a privilege to witness this seismic cultural shift first hand and follow China’s historic transformation.

  • Benjamin Elliott – Case Study, France (Sept 2013-July 2014)

    Benjamin Elliott, France 2013

    This year has been……………………………………….intense, but rewarding!

    My course – Fashion Design – has been great. There has been so much to learn, so normally I would wake up around 7am and go to sleep anytime between 12am and 2am, including the weekends, but in a way its great because you get the chance to go deep into your work and the progress is phenomenally quick.

    Benjamin Elliott

    I’m not going to lie, at first the idea of speaking French as my daily language was daunting – I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t understand anything in my lessons as a lot of the language is specific / technical. Even going to the shops when I first arrived, I had to plan in my head what I was going to say before I said it (and even then I would forget and make a mistake)! But throwing myself in at the deep end was the best way for it, frankly. At school it turned out that no one else knew half the vocabulary either (as it was technical for them, too) so the teacher would always describe or explain what it was whenever he / she spoke about it, and being around my friends all day I picked up quickly the ‘young-words’ and slang etc, which made it so much easier to understand what everyone was talking about – at school unfortunately you only learn the formal french, which unless I’m speaking to someone’s Grandma, I haven’t found too useful this year!

     

    Thanks to John Speak, paying my rent this year has been a little less stressful than what it would have otherwise been which has meant that I haven’t needed a job during the year so I have really been able to get stuck into my studies and make the most of term time.

    However, when the summer holidays arrived I got myself a job in a bar which is brilliant. Not only is it great to have my own income of money, but also my french has improved to yet another level… even regarding my accent, sometimes people struggle to notice it, and when they do they rarely guess that I’m english!

    Benjamin Elliott

    Also regarding my language, I no longer have to think and reflect before I speak – some sentences are easier to say in french that in english… even to the point where I occasionally dream in french too…!?

    Overall this year has been 100% successful. I came to France to improve my french, so that box is certainly ticked, and I’ve decided that I’m definitely staying here for the next two years of my education to really make the most of the city and the experience whilst its available to me !

    Plus the weather is great.

  • Nadia – Beijing, China – December 2014

     

    这个月北京的天气冷了（到目前为止，最低的温度是零下8摄氏度！）。这个就意味着我的户外活动很有限！虽然我最近忙于学习，但是我还有时间享受北京的生活。一些星期前我接受免费的芭蕾舞剧票。舞剧是北京跳舞学院的天鹅湖。以前，我肯定不是芭蕾粉丝（我十岁的时候，我妈妈带了我去看芭蕾，一开始我就睡着），但是这一次，我很享受这个芭蕾舞剧。

     

    最近我去了上海呆三天。我立刻爱上了这个城市。上海的布局跟欧洲城市有一样的气氛，我觉得上海是这样因为黄浦江。上海跟北京的布局不同；北京的布局有纵横交错的环城路网。我享受在上海法租界、外滩、浦东逛逛。外滩的夜景是我最喜欢的夜景。可是，我最喜欢的地方是上海宣传画艺术中心。到了博物馆的地址的时候，我意识到我在一个公寓小区，就很犯浑。原来，博物馆是在公寓的地下室。那里的宣传画包括从1949年以前到1990年代中期的宣传画 （但是，大部分的宣传画部分包括从1949年到1980年代早期的宣传画）。在未来，我肯定会考虑在上海工作。

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    Over the last month the weather in Beijing has become extremely cold (as low as -8 degrees)! This has meant that outdoor activities have certainly been limited. Although I’ve been quite busy with classwork I’ve still had time to be able to enjoy Beijing. A few weeks ago I received a free ticket to see Swan Lake at the Beijing Dance Academy. I have never been a fan of ballet (my mother took me once when I was 10 and I fell asleep) but this time I really enjoyed the performance.

    One weekend I took a trip down to Shanghai and I fell in love with the city. Shanghai’s layout felt like a European city probably because of the Huangpu River. Overall it was very different to Beijing’s sprawling network of ring roads. I loved visiting the different areas such as the French Concession, the Bund area, and Pudong. The night cityscape at the Bund is my favourite nightscape. A highlight for me was the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre. I arrived at the museum address to find myself in an apartment complex and I was extremely confused. As it turned out, the museum was hidden in the basement of one of the blocks. The poster collection spans pre-1949 right up till the mid 1990s, although the main ‘propaganda’ section includes posters from 1949 till the early 80s. Shanghai is definitely another city I would consider working in in the future.

     

  • Amy Clark, Montpellier, France – December 2014

    Le temps a passé trop vite ce mois, il me semble que deux minutes depuis je suis arrivée en Espagne en janvier, et maintenant c’est encore hiver! Il reste seulement 5 jours pour moi jusqu’a je part en vacances. Moi et ma copine Zoe prenons le même vol, donc il serait bien de voyager avec quelqu’un au lieu de voyager toute seule.

    Je pense que ce mois a été le mieux depuis j’arrivée a Montpellier, en termes de travail, être contente et faire des choses intéressants! Noel est mon période préféré de l’année, j’aime bien les décorations et les sapins de noëls, les marchés, acheter des cadeaux et passer de temps avec mes amis et ma famille. Dans le centre-ville de Montpellier il y a un grand sapin de noël, beaucoup des décorations, nombreuses lumières et aussi un énorme globe qui est illuminée pendant les soirs; tout est trop jolie! Aussi, une chose ce qui est étrange, mais que j’aime bien, est voyant les décorations de noëls et les palmiers ensemble, parce que ce n’est pas quelque chose que vous voyez en Angleterre.

    Le weekend dernier moi et Zoe sommes allés a Toulouse pour la journée par train.  Ca prendre seulement deux heures, ce qui a passé très vite. Le temps était mal, il pleuvait beaucoup et le vent était trop froid, donc nous avons décidés de manger dans un restaurant dans le centre-ville jusqu’à le pluie a cessé. Nous avons passées la journée marcher, explorer et visiter des choses différentes ainsi que faire du shopping! Toulouse est bien connu pour sa grande place, s’appelle La Capitole; ici il y avait une très grande marché de noël qui a vendu beaucoup des produits artisanaux, les cuisines traditionnels françaises, vêtements, jouets et beaucoup plus!

    Ce vendredi était la fête de noël de travail ; il a eu lieu dans un restaurant chic aux portes de la ville. Zoe et moi avons voyagées ensemble et quand nous sommes arrivées, nous avons reçu un verre de champagne gratuit! Nous sommes montées à l’étage où tout nos collègues qui travail a Capifrance ont été rassemblés. Plus tard, tout le monde est descendu au restaurant pour le repas; la salle était joliment décorée et d’attente sur la table étaient deux bouteilles de vin à partager! Apres, nous avons remontées à l’étage pour prendre des boissons et pour danser, comme il y avait un dj.  Nous avons passés une bonne soirée; en plus, tout était gratuit grâce à Capifrance!

     

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    It’s gone so fast this month; it only seems like two minutes ago that I arrived in Spain in January and now its winter again! There’s only 5 days left for me until I leave for the holidays. My friend Zoe and me have booked the same flight, so it will be nice to travel with someone instead of travelling alone.

    I think this has been the best month since I arrived in Montpellier, in terms of work, being happy and doing interesting things. Christmas is my favourite time of the year; I love the decorations, the Christmas trees, the markets, buying presents and spending time with friends and family. In the town centre of Montpellier there is a really tall Christmas tree, lots of decorations, loads of lights and also a huge globe, which is lit up at night; everything is so pretty!  Also, something strange, but that I actually really like is seeing the Christmas decorations and the palm trees together because it’s not something you see in England.

    Last weekend Zoe and me went to Toulouse for the day on the train. It only took two hours, which went really quick. The weather was bad, it rained a lot and the wind was so cold, so we decided to go and eat in a restaurant until the rain stopped. We spent the day walking, exploring and visiting different things as well as doing some shopping! Toulouse is well known for its large square, called La Capitole; there was a large Christmas market here which sold a lot handmade products, traditional French cuisine, clothing, toys and much more!

    Friday was the Christmas party of my work; it took place in a fancy restaurant on the outskirts of the city.  Zoe and I travelled together and when we arrived, we received a free glass of champagne! We went upstairs to the first floor where all our colleagues who work at Capifrance were gathered. Later, everyone went down to the restaurant for meals; the room was nicely decorated and waiting on the table were two bottles of wine to share! After we lift upstairs to get drinks and dancing, as there was a DJ. We spend a good evening in addition everything was free, thanks to Capifrance!

  • Struan Rutherford – Christmas In Beijing, December 2014

    冬天在北京来到。在中国学习前，我只傻傻地使用了互联网来发现北京夏天天气情况。因此，根据我的研究，我带夏天的衣服包括T恤衫和短裤。我现在发现这些衣服不帮我冬天后残存。温度零下八度，高风速让外面情况更冷，我的短裤不太舒服。结果，我已经投资“长内衣裤”和大衣，我希望我不浪费钱。到目前为止，投资非常成功，但是有得时候早上上课的骑自行车还是非常冷的挑战！
    北京最近有日新月异气氛。我非常吃惊因为我发现很多北京人，特别年青人，喜欢过圣诞节。不过，这并不是普通的圣诞节，这是“有中国特色的圣诞节”。
    一方面，在北京走动，我看到熟悉的圣诞灯饰和圣诞树。我以前不期望看到这种东西。另一方面，很大圣诞老人脸面的贴纸在各种各样地方被铺摆。这些贴纸表现出圣诞老人的脸面是闪闪发光，有很多颜色。贴纸的图样看起来跟春节和别中国节日的装饰有关系。 而且，圣诞老人常常被描绘吹铜管乐器。还有，他被松鼠或林地动物陪了。中国人肯定有自己款的圣诞节。来到北京前，我不期望在中国可以过圣诞节因为圣诞节不是流行传统中国节日可是我现在非常高兴因为我今年会享受过中国圣诞节。圣诞节快乐！

    Struan – December 2014

     

    Winter has arrived in Beijing. Before starting my year in China, I foolishly only used the internet to discover the weather conditions in the summer. Thus, according to my research, I packed summer clothes including T shirts and shorts. I have now discovered that these clothes will not help me survive through the winter. When the air temperature outside is -8 degrees and the high wind speeds making it feel even colder, my shorts are not very comfortable. As a result, I have invested in some new thermals and a coat which I hope will serve me well. So far the investment has been successful but on some days the morning cycle to class can still be a very cold challenge!
    The atmosphere in Beijing has been changing in the past few weeks. To my surprise, many Beijingers, particularly young people, celebrate Christmas. However, this is Christmas with a difference: ‘Christmas with Chinese characteristics’
    On the one hand, when walking around Beijing, I see familiar Christmas lights and Christmas trees. It is certainly not what I expected to see in China. On the other hand, large Father Christmas face stickers are plastered everywhere. These stickers show Santa’s face to be sparkly and covered in all sorts of colours. The design of these stickers seems to relate to decorations used for Spring Festival and other Chinese festivals. Moreover, Father Christmas is frequently depicted playing a brass instrument and he is accompanied by a squirrel or another woodland animal. The Chinese certainly have their own style of Christmas. Before I came to Beijing, I was not expecting to be able to celebrate Christmas in China as it is not a popular traditional holiday however I am very pleased to be enjoying a Chinese Christmas this year! Merry Christmas!

    Struan Rutherford, Beijing, China – Dec 2014

     

     

  • Samuel Franklin, Beijing, China – October 2014

    Beach at Taiwan, Kenting

     

    我已经在北京两个月了，越来越多地习惯了在这儿的生活。上个月，我和十一位同学开学了。我们每周从周一到周四，上十六个小时的课，包括语言，文学，报刊阅读和古代汉语的课。功课比较多，但因为每星期有三天的周末，学习的压力大体上不那么严重.

    对于学中文最好的方法，很多人都有自己的看法。比如说，有些人觉得与其花时间预习课本上的课文，不如尽力找中国朋友，练习说话。对我看来，首先需要决定你有什么语言目标。如果你只想说得很流利，你就会多花时间和中国人一起聊天。不过，如果你也想变得有学问，我觉得值得上课和复习生词。

    至今，我最享受上文学课。这不仅是因为我们有一位非常热烈的老师，还是因为我们有很多机会学习中国最有名最重要的原文。我们已经讨论了鲁迅<狂人日记>的意义，也学习了司马迁的一些历史故事。将来我们会读一些中国历史上的经典名著，包括<红楼梦>，<三国演义>和<西游记>。报刊阅读的课也很有用—我们每周要写一篇新闻文章的摘要，所以有机会看当地的报纸。

    课余除了加入一个足球队以外，我还加入了北大国际象棋协会。我是比较认真的棋手，代表英国二十一岁以下的象棋队，有时去国外参加国际比赛。今年到中国之前，我担心我可能没有机会保持我对西洋棋的热情。不过，北大的协会有二十多个会员，他们都很热烈。而且我发现到中国最厉害的两位棋手都是北大的学生—在中国排名第一棋手的丁立人和女子世界冠军侯逸凡！所幸的是，我上周遇见了丁，和他谈天了中国的棋手。

    最后，我十一的时候去了台湾。我呆了七天，参观了很多地方。除了台北以外，我还去了华联，高雄，野柳和垦丁。我过得十分愉快，那里的天气和海鲜都总是非常好。我享受逛夜市，和当地人练习说话（在那儿他们说得更慢），参观国家公园和经验台北的夜生活。我强烈地推荐任何人去台湾旅游！哦，我还看到了一些猴子。

     

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    I’ve already been in Beijing for two months now and feel increasingly at ease with life here. Last month, my eleven classmates and I started lectures. Every week we have classes Monday through Thursday, with lessons in language, literature, newspaper reading and classical Chinese amongst others. Whilst we are set a lot of work, the three day weekends mean work pressure is never overly severe.

    As for views on the best way to study Chinese, many people will say different things. For example, some consider making friends and speaking as much as possible to be the more effective than spending time staring at texts. I think it’s most important to first clarify what one’s language goals are. If you only want to speak fluently, then it may be effective to chat with as many Chinese as possible. However, if you also aim to become literate, then I think it is worth keeping attendance at lectures and putting in the hours at home.

    So far, I’ve most enjoyed my literature classes. Not only because we have a very passionate lecturer, but also as we have had chances to study China’s most famous and important texts in their original form. We’ve read and discussed the significance of Lu Xun’s ‘Diary of a Madman’, as well as some of Sima Qian’s historical stories. In future, we’ll also be reading some of China’s historical classics, including ‘The Dream of the Red Chamber’, ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ and ‘Journey to the West.’ Our newspaper lessons have also been very beneficial – every week we write a short essay on an article of choice from a Chinese periodical, so we also have the opportunity to engage with the local press.

    Outside of class, apart from joining a football team, I have also become a member of Peking University’s chess club. I’m a relatively serious chess player; I represent England at under 21 level and have gone abroad on occasion to play in international tournaments. Before starting my year abroad, I was worried that I probably wouldn’t have the chance to keep up my chess in China. However, the University club has over 20 members, all of whom are passionate about chess. Moreover, I recently discovered that two of China’s strongest players are both students at Peking University – China’s number one Ding Liren and Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan! Last week, I was very fortunate to have the chance to meet Ding and talk to him about China’s chess talents.

    Monkeys in Taiwan

    Finally, I also went to Taiwan for the National Holiday. I spent a week there and travelled to various places. Other than Taipei, I also went to Hualien, Gaoxiong, Yeliu and Kenting. I had a wonderful time there, and the weather and seafood were two constant highlights. I enjoyed strolling through the night markets, practicing my Chinese with locals (they speak a lot slower there), visiting the national parks and experiencing Taipei’s nightlife. I wholeheartedly recommend anyone to go to Taiwan for holiday! Oh, I also saw some monkeys.

  • Samuel Franklin, China – November 2014

    在过去一个月，我觉得我进一步地适应于在中国的生活，而且已经不知不觉地培养了一些习惯和例行。比如说，在饮食的方面我和我的两个室友在一些餐馆变成了常客。那就是说，在一些餐馆我们每周至少一次会去吃饭。在这些餐馆我们熟悉那里的服务员，服务员也知道我们最喜欢点什么菜。在一家离我们房子很近的韩国餐馆，我们进入门口之前，我们常客和服务员都已经知道我们就会一如既往地点他们的石锅拌饭和韩式辣白菜。除了这家餐馆的便利性和食品的质量以外，还有另一个原因为什么我很喜欢去这个餐馆。有一次我突然注意到一位特别美丽的女服务员，所以我决定在单子上写下我的微信身份（在中国人们很少用手机号码）并给她这个单子。那时她笑了好像很尴尬，但我们还在互发短信。

    我也继续经验中国文化其他的方面。我最近看到了北京舞蹈学院天鹅湖的表演。我也参加了一个关于中国象棋的讲座。上个月一个特殊的亮点是在一条胡同里学习打麻将的经验。因为我是一个好胜的人，所以麻将对我有一定的吸引力。我很快就了解到了麻将的规则和一些基础的策略，但一开始和中国人一起打，就意识到我肯能会吃一点苦。他们麻将打得极快，我常常失去了说‘碰，吃，杆’的机会.

    那里正好有个记者，她对外国人学打麻将的经验有兴趣，所以采访了我。打完麻将以后，我快忘了这个面试。后来没想到我的在青岛留学的朋友在看报纸的时候，看到了我的照片。我很吃惊，但这个在中国日报上的首次亮相使我感觉很高兴。

    最后在旅游的方面，我参观了苏州和杭州。苏州和杭州都坐落在中国南方的省份，与北京比起来，南方的天气比较舒服温暖。第一天我们乘了五个小时的高铁赴苏州。在苏州我们游览于那里的一些名胜古迹，例如明嘉靖。浙江省的杭州也有非常漂亮的景象，我特别推荐你参观离杭州挺近的千岛湖。那里有1078个小岛，游客能上船尽量享受它的独一无二的风景。中国东南方显然有许多值得去的地方，这不仅仅是因为中国南方著名的美女，还是因为南方有自己独特的文化和气氛。当然我将来打算再往南走旅行。

    Samuel playing Chinese Chess – Nov 2014

     

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    In the past month I feel I have further settled into life in China, and have even unconsciously developed some habits and routines here. For example in terms of diet, my two roommates and I have become regulars at a number of local restaurants. That is to say we go to these restaurants at least once a week. At these restaurants we are familiar with the staff and the staff also knows what dishes we most like to order. Close to our apartment is a Korean restaurant, where before we even enter through the doors, both we and the waiters already know that we will inevitably order our usual stone pot bibimbap and Korean kimchi. Apart from its convenience and the quality of the food, there is one other reason I rather like this restaurant. Once, whilst eating, I suddenly noticed a particularly pretty waitress, so I decided to write down my wechat id (Chinese people rarely use mobile phone numbers) on the back of my receipt and give it to her. She laughed and appeared embarrassed, but we’re still texting each other.

    I also continue to enjoy other aspects of Chinese culture. Recently I went to a performance of Swan Lake by the Beijing Dance Academy. I also attended a lecture on Chinese chess. Last month, a particular highlight was the experience of learning mahjong in one of the hutongs. Mahjong clearly appealed to my competitive side and I was quick to understand the rules and some basic tactics. However, as soon as I started playing with some of the local Chinese, I realised that I would have to suffer a bit.  They played tremendously quickly and I often missed the relevant opportunities to call ‘peng, chi or gang (you’ll have to learn the rules yourself).’

    There also happened to be a journalist, who was interested in foreigners’ experience of learning the game, and so I was interviewed. After finishing playing, I quickly forgot about the interview. Later my friend studying in Qingdao unexpectedly came across my picture in the paper. I was very surprised, but was pleased to have made my debut in the China Daily.

    Finally, in terms of travel I visited Suzhou and Hangzhou. Suzhou and Hangzhou are both located in China’s southern provinces, where compared to Beijing, the weather is relatively warm and comfortable. On the first day, we took a five hour high speed train down to Suzhou. There we visited some of the famous historical sites, including the Mingjiajing garden temple complex. Zhejiang province’s Hangzhou also had some impressive sites and I would particularly recommend anyone to visit the Thousand Island Lake, not far from Hangzhou. There are 1078 small islands and tourists can board a ship and enjoy the unique scenery. China’s south clearly has a great many places worth visiting, not just because of the beautiful southern women, but also because of its own singular culture and atmosphere. I certainly intend to travel south again when I have the chance.

    The Thousand Island Lake – Samuel Franklin