1. humble: Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful. --- American Heritage Dictionary 4 th Edition
2. rumble:To make a deep, long, rolling sound.---- Oxford Advanced English Dictionary 6 th Edition
3. graze:To feed on growing herbage, attached algae, or phytoplankton. ------The Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11 th Edition
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Need help or not
As people start their life in a foreign country, homesick and loneliness will always make them doubt whether they have made a right decision to go abroad. Like Liu said in the reading, he could hardly live in an environment fulfilled with conversations he barely understood and strange attitudes people kept towards him. Therefore, staying with any Chinese people, even with a stranger, could let Liu feel more comfortable. In my opinion, I only agree with part of Liu’s speech on his experience in the US since different people may have different situation.
Sharing some similar experience, I felt a little sympathetic towards Liu because the same situation was encountered during my first week in the US and I also didn’t know what to do. For example, one of the professors in my college made an appointment with me to talk about my transfer course, but because of my poor expression on English, after the one-hour meeting he even could not understand what course I had taken in China. That was how I first communicate with America in an official case and it will last long in my memory.
Although this failed appointment made me dispirited in some degree, I finally did not give up communicating with native students and professors. The reason is simple. To live with other Chinese and speak in Chinese makes our life easy while we are abroad, but that will not contribute to our goal of studying in English spoken countries. More chances to speak in mother tongue, less opportunities to take part in the culture of the country we stay in. As a result, much more misery will come to us when we go to work and study with local people.
Even if we feel a little bitter in the beginning, it is better for us Chinese students to be active to speak in English and stay with foreign classmates. As a Chinese old saying goes, “when bitterness is finished, sweetness begins”.
Sharing some similar experience, I felt a little sympathetic towards Liu because the same situation was encountered during my first week in the US and I also didn’t know what to do. For example, one of the professors in my college made an appointment with me to talk about my transfer course, but because of my poor expression on English, after the one-hour meeting he even could not understand what course I had taken in China. That was how I first communicate with America in an official case and it will last long in my memory.
Although this failed appointment made me dispirited in some degree, I finally did not give up communicating with native students and professors. The reason is simple. To live with other Chinese and speak in Chinese makes our life easy while we are abroad, but that will not contribute to our goal of studying in English spoken countries. More chances to speak in mother tongue, less opportunities to take part in the culture of the country we stay in. As a result, much more misery will come to us when we go to work and study with local people.
Even if we feel a little bitter in the beginning, it is better for us Chinese students to be active to speak in English and stay with foreign classmates. As a Chinese old saying goes, “when bitterness is finished, sweetness begins”.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
At the First Sight We See
In different countries, people share different ways to communicate with each other, even by the means of nonverbal languages, which include facial expression and gestures. However, among two countries I have stayed, China and the USA, the most important difference of nonverbal communication is the eye contact.
No matter when I see films or TV shows from western countries like the US, it is common that people make sufficient eye contact to show the respect and focus while they are talking with each other, even between different genders. Therefore, if one of the two people, who are chatting together, shows careless eye movement or no eye contact, communication barriers will be created in most circumstances. Actually, that is the first feeling of the American people. For example, once I walked on a street near UD and met several citizens through my trip. Some of them said hello to me because of my looking at them, and others didn’t for I never gave a glance on them, so it is considering claiming that eye behavior is interactive.
On the contrary, I was educated a different situation by the Chinese culture, which says direct eye contact could make others feel uncomfortable, even disgusted if the degree is too much. Especially when a guy talks to a lady, it is a guy’s full eye behaviors that will force the lady loose her sense of safety and wonder whether he is thinking something else.
Travelling t between different cultures needs us more attention on the studying of their communication customs. But once we get used to it, our life in a foreign country will be easy and interesting.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Cool Out--- Option 2
For most of western countries, China, the Chinese culture and even Chinese people are mysterious, because the origin of this time-honored country is too far away. However, there is another reason to explain the global curiosity about it--- we Chinese seldom share our emotions via expressions, especially for outsiders.
According to the Chinese tradition, it is considering that people are educated to restrict our own affection. The main reason why we do so is that not only embarrassment but also dangers could be brought by showing what we are thinking about, no matter the joy or the sorrow. That is as different as sky and earth in the western culture. For instance, when people meet each other in western courtiers, the common greetings will be handshaking or giving hugs, even if they are strangers. But the situation is different in China that a simple no usually takes place in the first meet of people.
On the contrary, it is a far cry from our attitudes towards the people familiar, including families and friends. Sometimes it is common that we express our self with them as the same as the people in western countries do, but not exactly. For example, when children encounter some trouble and could hardly find the solution, they will complain loudly to their parents or even cry in the front of them just at home, not anytime and anyplace.
All in all, the Chinese people are not as open as westerners on the aspect of affectionate expression, but it is normal for us to quickly share sorrows and joys with families and friends. However, kissing in public is still an embarrassment in China.
According to the Chinese tradition, it is considering that people are educated to restrict our own affection. The main reason why we do so is that not only embarrassment but also dangers could be brought by showing what we are thinking about, no matter the joy or the sorrow. That is as different as sky and earth in the western culture. For instance, when people meet each other in western courtiers, the common greetings will be handshaking or giving hugs, even if they are strangers. But the situation is different in China that a simple no usually takes place in the first meet of people.
On the contrary, it is a far cry from our attitudes towards the people familiar, including families and friends. Sometimes it is common that we express our self with them as the same as the people in western countries do, but not exactly. For example, when children encounter some trouble and could hardly find the solution, they will complain loudly to their parents or even cry in the front of them just at home, not anytime and anyplace.
All in all, the Chinese people are not as open as westerners on the aspect of affectionate expression, but it is normal for us to quickly share sorrows and joys with families and friends. However, kissing in public is still an embarrassment in China.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Calculation and Listen--Respond to Mother Tongue
As foreigners may expect, there is no difficulty for a Chinese native to communicate in China. However, if one is living in China for a long period, such as I myself, still he/she will find several differences between languages people use here. That is related to the amount of characters used in a sentence and the accent each character pronounced.
Generally speaking, in China, the length of one sentence or how many characters use in a statement decides whether the conversation is formal or not. For example, young peers and friends often greet with each other by expressing one character or two characters sentence, which is as same as people do in the western culture, such as “hi, there”. However, if the situation changes, as the communication partner turn an elder generation or our grandfather, for instance, the result of short sentence will be less formal and even disrespectful. This reminds me of a terrible conversation with my mother. Once she asked me if I wanted to shop with her, I just simply responded “Bu Qu!”(It’s “No” in English). Then she fell in silence for a couple of minutes and showed a little angry at my simple reply, which made her think of my impatience.
As another important factor, it is the accent that can explain the differences of languages in my life in China. People in one place here speak in one form of dialects which may be different from other places. Therefore, when one walking in the street hears somebody is talking in the same dialect from his/her home, he/she will be more active to communicate with the person who is talking than others who have different accent. Take myself as an example. The first day I came to the US I happened to meet a boy who was from Xi’an, the same place I lived in China. We talked a lot about the feeling of first impression in the US and all had a good time. However, besides him there is another Chinese boy who came from the Southern part of China and had a totally different accent in speaking. As a result, I could hardly understand what he said and even felt embarrassed on him.
Above all, calculation of the length of each sentence and listen to the accent of every character are important to communicate with people surrounded me in China.
Generally speaking, in China, the length of one sentence or how many characters use in a statement decides whether the conversation is formal or not. For example, young peers and friends often greet with each other by expressing one character or two characters sentence, which is as same as people do in the western culture, such as “hi, there”. However, if the situation changes, as the communication partner turn an elder generation or our grandfather, for instance, the result of short sentence will be less formal and even disrespectful. This reminds me of a terrible conversation with my mother. Once she asked me if I wanted to shop with her, I just simply responded “Bu Qu!”(It’s “No” in English). Then she fell in silence for a couple of minutes and showed a little angry at my simple reply, which made her think of my impatience.
As another important factor, it is the accent that can explain the differences of languages in my life in China. People in one place here speak in one form of dialects which may be different from other places. Therefore, when one walking in the street hears somebody is talking in the same dialect from his/her home, he/she will be more active to communicate with the person who is talking than others who have different accent. Take myself as an example. The first day I came to the US I happened to meet a boy who was from Xi’an, the same place I lived in China. We talked a lot about the feeling of first impression in the US and all had a good time. However, besides him there is another Chinese boy who came from the Southern part of China and had a totally different accent in speaking. As a result, I could hardly understand what he said and even felt embarrassed on him.
Above all, calculation of the length of each sentence and listen to the accent of every character are important to communicate with people surrounded me in China.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
R M R--Rom's Brief Biography
R is the first letter of my family name, and also it is the first letter in my nick name, Rom.
My name is Meng Ren, but in the Chinese way everyone calls me Ren Meng. Generally, People around me think that my given name sounds special.The reason should be back to the day I was born. My first name Meng was given by my maternal grandfather in order to respect one of Chinese national minorities--- the Mongolian, so it is not only unique, but also meaningful.
Although my family have some relationships with the Mongolian, I actually come from Xi’an which is the most beautiful and established city in China. It has become the capital city for six dynasties during the Ancient Chinese history and is also famous of the best preserved Chinese city walls.
However, there is no proof to say that I myself used to be the person as established as the city walls in my hometown. Why should I claim so? For the past 10 years, I have transferred several times no matter in the primary school or university because I am the kind of people willing to challenge different situations and solve problems by use the knowledge I have learnt. That is why I prefer to come to UD, as well as the US.
Obviously, when starting my life in the US, I will face varies kinds of hardships which I never met in China. But with optimistic hope and opening mind, it is considering that stable friendships will be made with my American peers, who also like basketball, reading and classic music.
My name is Meng Ren, but in the Chinese way everyone calls me Ren Meng. Generally, People around me think that my given name sounds special.The reason should be back to the day I was born. My first name Meng was given by my maternal grandfather in order to respect one of Chinese national minorities--- the Mongolian, so it is not only unique, but also meaningful.
Although my family have some relationships with the Mongolian, I actually come from Xi’an which is the most beautiful and established city in China. It has become the capital city for six dynasties during the Ancient Chinese history and is also famous of the best preserved Chinese city walls.
However, there is no proof to say that I myself used to be the person as established as the city walls in my hometown. Why should I claim so? For the past 10 years, I have transferred several times no matter in the primary school or university because I am the kind of people willing to challenge different situations and solve problems by use the knowledge I have learnt. That is why I prefer to come to UD, as well as the US.
Obviously, when starting my life in the US, I will face varies kinds of hardships which I never met in China. But with optimistic hope and opening mind, it is considering that stable friendships will be made with my American peers, who also like basketball, reading and classic music.
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