July 7 (Lise)

Literally weeks have passed now since last I wrote anything. The day after we returned from Xi’an I started classes: I was put into three classes of 3 students each, and 1 one-on-one. This was not actually what I had started to hope for, but in the end it’s for the best I think. In fact, I’ve placed back basically into the same level I was at before my third of four quarters here (in Taibei, that is) the last time around. The most advanced level involves more specialized language (classical Chinese, reading newspapers or academic writing, etc.) and though I have done some of that in the past, it is not particularly relevant to my current needs. My four classes now use two textbooks; one textbook for two classes, and one for the other two. Both texts are very colloquially oriented.

IUP has a strictly enforced policy of no language other than Chinese while on school grounds, so not only are all the classes conducted entirely in Chinese, but even students in the lounge never speak a word of English to each other. I was scolded for speaking French to my children on the phone within the boundaries of school one day. My four classes are spread over the period between 8am and 2pm, and I generally linger awhile in the library to study without distractions afterwards. The result is a good chunk of time everyday during which everything is in Chinese – it’s exactly what I wanted/needed.

They say students should anticipate at least 4 hours per day of prep time in addition to in class time, but I spend easily 6-7 hours per day studying and still feel I barely manage to assimilate and master a reasonable percentage of the 100 or so new vocabulary words and structures we undertake per day. In two weeks of class, we have already covered 5 chapters in one textbook and 4 in the other.

Since we’ve been here, the only language I’ve spoken other than Chinese is French. The connection in my brain between French and Chinese is stronger at the moment than the Chinese – English connection, a fact I discovered when Helena and Kaj were here visiting from Finland and I was serving as translator on our shopping and other expeditions. I kept telling Kaj things in French then struggling to iron it out in English for him. Happily, Helena is actually quite competent in French, and in any case when bargaining it is nicer to have a language she and I can speak that the shopkeeper is less likely to understand than English. (Neither of us felt up to trying it in Japanese despite the fact that that was the language in which we met.)


Our visit with the Nahis was brief but delightful. We took them back to some of the favorite places we’ve discovered since we’ve been here for some good eating adventures, and they took us to several markets we might otherwise not have discovered – the pearl market, the silk market, and an antique furniture market. It was fun to be with them, despite the fact that I struggled to keep up with my work during the visit. Now I’m back to focus on study, and Eric and the girls had a good rest this week – though I think Eric in particular is looking forward to getting out into the world this weekend all together. He took the girls to the zoo this week with our new French friends, but long expeditions are difficult because the girls aren’t always interested in seeing what he’d like to see, so he’s somewhat limited in what he can get out and do on his own. He has big plans in mind for this weekend – we’ll see where he takes us.