I'm pretty good at learning languages. I ranked 13th in Latin at the Junior Classics League National Championships when I was in high school. I also studied Spanish and German and taught myself Tolkien's Quenya Elvish. After one semester abroad in China and another semester of study in New Zealand, I knew and spoke enough Chinese to live and work in China without many hassles. I always wonder how people can study a language for years and still not be able to speak it. It usually only takes me about four months or so before my skills are usable.
I actually still live here, and will until the end of the month. I have visited Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing (the "big three" as far as mainland cities are concerned) and I live in Shandong province, so I have been to Jinan, Qingdao, Qufu, Liaocheng, Gaomi, Changyi, and Rizhao. The city I live in (Gaomi or 高密) is small by Chinese standards - only about 800,000 people total. It is hard to distill the essence of living in China into a comment, but I'll do my best.
It is definitely different from living in a western, developed country, but it isn't like living in the third world. Most people have smart phones, but cars are still pretty scarce. I and most of the people I know travel by electric scooter. Public transportation is MUCH better than in the US, Canada, or New Zealand. I can grab a taxi to anywhere in the city for about US$1. However, there are also those culturally different things that make us western 老外
I'm pretty good at learning languages. I ranked 13th in Latin at the Junior Classics League National Championships when I was in high school. I also studied Spanish and German and taught myself Tolkien's Quenya Elvish. After one semester abroad in China and another semester of study in New Zealand, I knew and spoke enough Chinese to live and work in China without many hassles. I always wonder how people can study a language for years and still not be able to speak it. It usually only takes me about four months or so before my skills are usable.
What was it like in China? Which part of it did you visit?
I actually still live here, and will until the end of the month. I have visited Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing (the "big three" as far as mainland cities are concerned) and I live in Shandong province, so I have been to Jinan, Qingdao, Qufu, Liaocheng, Gaomi, Changyi, and Rizhao. The city I live in (Gaomi or 高密) is small by Chinese standards - only about 800,000 people total. It is hard to distill the essence of living in China into a comment, but I'll do my best.
It is definitely different from living in a western, developed country, but it isn't like living in the third world. Most people have smart phones, but cars are still pretty scarce. I and most of the people I know travel by electric scooter. Public transportation is MUCH better than in the US, Canada, or New Zealand. I can grab a taxi to anywhere in the city for about US$1. However, there are also those culturally different things that make us western 老外
Wow, it seems Snapzu cut off most of my comment reply... I will rewrite it later, but if you have specific questions feel free to ask, too!