User Comments - abelle

Posted on: Who are You Looking For?

Dajia hao:  For me knowing Spanish first made me confused sometimes when studying Chinese.  For example, a few times on a quiz or test, when I meant to say "wo", I wrote down "yo", which is Spanish for "I".  When I see an object in a lesson, like a chair, I think of the Spanish name "silla" and can't remember the Chinese name "yizi". Today my mom and I went to dinner at an Italian restaurant but the busboy is Latino and we were speaking Spanish with him.  And I was thinking that I should get on Chinesepod as soon as I get home or I'll start forgetting more Chinese!

Posted on: Why are You Studying Chinese?

Ni hao, I started to study Chinese for a couple of reasons.  First, my mom is from the Philippines and also lived in Japan.  So at one time when she was a child, she spoke both Tagalog and Japanese.  She said there is some Chinese influence in the Philippines in the language and food, for example.  So because of half of my ethnic background I have always been interested in Asia but wanted to learn a language that would be useful  (I hope!)  The second reason is that everyone in my family has studied Spanish and I wanted to do something different this time.  (I studied 2 years in high school).  My Dad is the only real fluent one, he studied one summer in Barcelona, and now volunteers as an interpreter for Latino immigrants at a medical clinic.  He kids me that I can eventually interprete for the Chinese-speaking patients!  I told him, yes, in about 4 years...

Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod

Xiexie, Raygo and Baba.  I will check out all your suggestions.  I think Amazon.com should have the hardcopy dictionaries you mentioned.

Posted on: Is it far?

Hello, I'm a true newbie here, just joined 3 weeks ago.  What is the difference between:

"gongsi"  and

"gongzuo"?

They seem to both mean:  office, company, work, etc.

Xiexie.--Mystic

Posted on: Introducing Shen Yajin (Helen)

Hi, Helen!  I notice you said you're from Xian.  The National Geographic Museum in Washington DC will have a traveling exhibit of the Terra Cotta Warriors,http://www.nationalgeographic.com/terracottawarriors/, from Nov-Mar.

I hope my parents will buy tickets.  My mom visited Xian long time ago (before I was born) and saw them.  She bought tiny replicas of a few of the warriors. But I would love to see the real ones!

Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod

Hi, I joined about 3 weeks ago.  Can anyone recommend a good English-Chinese dictionary?  I picked up "Oxford Beginner's Chinese Dictionary" at Borders a couple of weeks ago but am disappointed in it.  And Borders did not have a good selection of Eng-Chin dictionaries.  The dictionary doesn't have all the words I am looking for and there are many mistakes with the tones.

Xiexie.  Mystic

Posted on: Food Oddities and Eye Exercises

The Chinese eye exercise video was hilarious!  But it was sort of strange to have a Spanish song playing in the background. The most gross food I have ever heard of comes from my mom's home country, the Philippines.  It's called "balut", which is a nearly-formed duck inside the egg and eaten from the shell.  She never ate one in the 4 years she lived there, though she saw plenty of them sold by street vendors.

Posted on: Are You Tired?

Hello, in Chinese 101 I learned that "Zhongwen" means the Chinese language.  But I have seen in this lesson "hanyu", also meaning Chinese language.  What is the difference?

Posted on: Characters in the Desert and Chinese Kitchens

Chinese kitchens are not the only ones that are small compared to US kitchens.  Two years ago we visited some friends of my Dad's in Barcelona and they had a tiny kitchen in their apartment.  It could barely fit 2 people. But the food, like paella, was delicious.  My mom's family is Filipino so we eat a lot of rice.  We have had this old Hitachi rice cooker for years.  My uncle (mom's brother) came to visit and he said "you guys need a new rice cooker.  I'll buy you one for Christmas".  He showed us on the Internet what he was going to buy.  It's a Tiger brand and yes, it has pink flowers.  My mom is not that thrilled and thinks he can get us a more exciting gift.  But uncle is SO practical!

Posted on: The Final Show

I am a new subscriber and really enjoyed listening to Dear Amber.  I'm sorry to find out that she has moved on and I'll miss hearing any new shows.  I hope there will be a replacement for the show she was doing.  Anyway, good luck to Amber!  NYC is a great place, I've always enjoyed my visits there when I was younger.  The last time my family visited was 2 years ago.  For a little while my Grandpa tried living there, renting a tiny studio apartment for $2,000/month to see if he would like living there permanently. He decided it was way too expensive for a retired guy and is staying in Maryland.