I finally found a language learning partner! Her name is Lisa, and she is from mainland China, having recently moved to Hong Kong. Her English is very good; I'd say probably 70% there. She has good vocabulary, and her pronunciation is great. She needs to work mostly on grammar and sentence structure, all of which I know well enough to teach her. She also brings me phrases that she doesn't understand, and I have to explain them to her. For example, I had to explain "as long as". As long as it isn't raining, we will go to the park. Another one, "even if." Even if you were the last man on earth, I still wouldn't marry you. She laughed at that one. It's fun having to remember what all these things mean and to try to explain them clearly using simple vocabulary. I never really wanted to be a teacher, but I could be a 1-on-1 tutor.
She has a ridiculous amount of stuff to teach me, as I am an such a basic level. But, I've come to realize me learning mandarin will be a lifelong journey, not something I can do for a few months and expect to be ok at. Besides, wouldn't it be cool to be fluent in Mandarin? Do you know a white person that is fluent in Mandarin?
I had an interesting moment the other day. I was talking to a black lady originally from England. I was telling her a story about how in Seoul the only color of foundation they have is very beige, beige, and less beige, and that an African American women wouldn't be able to purchase any of it. I stumbled after saying that, for I realized she wasn't American. So then, how do I describe that piece of her identity? Is she African? Black? An African Brit? what is pc and not pc here? I was stuck, and I think she could tell.
Finally, my cousins Alecia and Ryan are coming to visit this Sunday night through the 18th. I am so excited to see them and to show them the beauty of Hong Kong. From the 12-17, they will be traveling to Thailand, and Drew and I will be going to Bali. Long story, but it will be great. Can't wait! Cousins unite!
I had an interesting moment the other day. I was talking to a black lady originally from England. I was telling her a story about how in Seoul the only color of foundation they have is very beige, beige, and less beige, and that an African American women wouldn't be able to purchase any of it. I stumbled after saying that, for I realized she wasn't American. So then, how do I describe that piece of her identity? Is she African? Black? An African Brit? what is pc and not pc here? I was stuck, and I think she could tell.
Finally, my cousins Alecia and Ryan are coming to visit this Sunday night through the 18th. I am so excited to see them and to show them the beauty of Hong Kong. From the 12-17, they will be traveling to Thailand, and Drew and I will be going to Bali. Long story, but it will be great. Can't wait! Cousins unite!
I was listening to this really interesting interview on NPR just the other day with a woman who had written a book, called Americanah, about being black but not African American. She had moved to the US from Nigeria, and the book is all about her learning how to be black the US. I think it would be a fascinating read.
ReplyDelete