User Comments - Purrfecdizzo

Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod

哈哈哈哈！！！！

Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod

Hey folks, especially those who are new... it is 2012, and I am still on this site after all this time. Now I know that you all don't know me, and much of what makes up my character is not very important for those who wish to study chinese, but there is one thing I can say.... If I did not believe in this approach,... If I was not satisfied with this website,... If I did not have strong confidence in the teaching methods of the teachers such as Jenny, John, ect,.. If I didn't think this was the best deal on the block, I promise you, I would not be here today. I guess I mean to say that I put my money where my mouth is, and I back up my support of this website by continuing to renew my subscription. I don't have regrets, I feel my decision was wise. Is Chinesepod a perfect website? No. Not perfect, but really good. For example, if you listen to the Qingwen lessons, and you listen to how the concepts are explained, you will see that this is done very well. My opinion is that the strength of the Chinesepod approach is in the podcasts, which I would say are excellent. I have met some of the team, and I can say that they seem like good people. When I met Jenny, I really felt she had a lot of heart, and her passion for teaching is sincere.

As far as my personal progress, I would estimate that I am somewhere in the middle. Most of the fault is in my unwillingness to follow the suggestions that were given to me early on. Most of the rapid improvement has been in the past year or two, because I am better using the tools that are offered.

Anyhow, that is all I have to say on this matter for right now.

Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod

"Additionally to CPod you should get material on learning how to read and write characters - it may not seem that relevant in the very beginning, but later you will realize how important the writing system really is for learning this language."

I absolutely agree, I just wish I heeded this suggestion back when he gave it to me, but back then, I was not sure if I was going to continue to study Chinese or not. I figure that if I knew what my future was going to hold back then, I would have done this. I guess I shouldn't regret my path, If I had the same circumstance and same knowledge today, I probably would act the same as I did then.

My friendly suggestion for the newcomer who is sure that they want to study Chinese.... Do not put off learning how to read and write characters like I did. Actually, I was learning how to read them, but not write them. I wish I had done both at the same time. Please learn from my experience :)

Posted on: Commuting Options

I am in Hebei, Baoding, it might just be a fluke. Perhaps as I continue to talk to people, I will hear more 公交车.

Posted on: A Ticket to Suzhou

If you are heading to Suzhou from Shanghai, there should be no problems, but if you are going to Suzhou from other parts of China, watch out! When at the railway station, a marble-mouthed foreigner like me might say su4zhou1 instead of su1zhou1. This would result in me ending up in 宿州 instead of 苏州! Also, watch out not to get it mixed up with 徐州! xu2zhou1. I would recommend caution as these three cities are completely different prefecture level cities in Jiangsu and Anhui.

The best suggestion is to have the name of your city written in Chinese, and hand it to the railway clerk. That way, there is no confusion. Hope this helps!

Posted on: Commuting Options

In this dialogue, the word 公交车 was used for bus, but my experience - at least in the area I live, I think I am more likely to hear 公共汽车.

Posted on: Quieting the Baby

I love the photo for this lesson! Simply hysterical!

Posted on: Saved by the Gong: Preparing for an Exam

Sometimes, when I listen to these dialogues, I wonder how much of the emotion is exaggerated. I know that sometimes, when I speak English to Chinese people, I may hinder or exaggerate my emotion depending on my circumstance. I also attempt to express emotion when I speak Chinese, but I do so using the thinking of an English speaking person. This probably means that my emotions may not translate in a manner of which I intend. Anyway, I am curious to the level of exaggeration in this lesson. I hope my tone doesn't come off sounding critical, I just want some insight.

Another thing that is somewhat puzzling to me is the fact that the students so readily approached the teacher. My students, for the most part, are very shy, and it is very difficult to get them to speak, let along convey any intense emotion. Perhaps this is because I am a foreigner? Perhaps students are less shy with Chinese teachers?

Anyway, I really appreciated the content in the lesson, and I hope someone can shed some light on the emotion that is used in this dialogue, because, to me, it is sometimes as difficult to understand as the new vocabulary.

Posted on: Saying Sorry

Toward the end of this lesson, Amber mentioned that she heard people say '没什么‘, and I am curious as to whether this is a regional expression or if it is something that people everywhere may use. I mean to ask this question in an inquisitive manner, not as a critical remark to Amber. I am simply curious.

Posted on: Saying Sorry

At first glance, I wanted to skip over this lesson because I do know these two terms, but I am glad that I listened to this because I now have a better understanding of some of the more specific differences between the two terms.