Because the end of last semester was also online, I have adjusted to the online course very easily. The pre-class and during class activities are interesting and very useful for my Chinese education.

I feel that speaking with a native speaker helps my listening comprehension skills. In addition, it helps me practice conversational skills in Chinese. I look forward to utilizing the CBEL part of this course to improve my listening and speaking skills. 

I have always enjoyed practicing with native speakers, as it’s interesting to hear their own experiences and how they may be similar or different to our own. Even though I am able to gain insight into Chinese culture at home being of Chinese background, oftentimes the information I learn is rather outdated, as my primary sources of information are my mother and my grandparents. It’s nice to have a more contemporary approach to the culture. In regards to the session itself, though, I think it went really well, as Xiaoxuan is very personable and was very accommodating to Sloane’s and my schedule. 

I felt that this first CBEL meeting was an interesting experience. It allowed me to practice my Chinese in a less structured and more conversational context making me work on the flow of my Chinese sentences and phrases. It was also very interesting being able to converse with someone who has lived a decent portion of their lives in both the US and China. I enjoyed being able to ask my CBEL partner about her experiences and the differences between the two countries from her perspective. Although my mom sometimes does talk to me about her life in Taiwan it feels different when talking to someone from the same age group as me. I look forward to future CBEL meetings and getting to know both Yuxin and Leyu better.

Self-Reflection

I found our fist CBEL meeting to be very informative, and a great way to develop my speaking skills. By entering into ordinary conversation, I could encounter and learn how to say new phrases in Chinese that are useful for me in everyday language. By discussing my interest in law school, Ting Yu was able to help me in the correct pronunciation for discussing the subject. It was interesting to discuss the various similarities between myself, Si Wen and Ting Yu. We are all in the Arts and Sciences Department of the University, as well as find cooking to be an enjoyable hobby. Discussing education was very interesting, as Ting Yu explained the rigid nature of education in China, as well as the view that Chinese students have of American universities. Our discussions of music were also very insightful, as I was able to gain experience in describing genres such as Pop in Chinese. Another aspect of discussing music that I found interesting was that I learned about Chinese musical artists such as Zhou Shen, exposing me to more of Chinese culture.

One aspect of the learning process that is a new concept for all of us is the digitalization of it all. In my eighteen years of exposure to Chinese, I have never attempted to learn it online, so adjusting to Zoom meetings was a difficult transition. The key to overcoming my technological anxiety was open communication and mutual respect; exercises and activities relating to speaking and writing in Chinese become a lot more manageable in the warm “classroom” environment. The same can be said for the CBEL meeting, in which everyone’s willingness to listen allowed productive conversation to flourish. 

I am getting used to the online learning setting and routine for CHIN 3010. I think the cycle we follow is useful in helping me learn the material and then apply what I have learned to real- life situations. I think the pre-task prepares me for the Task in Action because I am able to think about the material we have learned and how to apply it to a real conversation. I enjoy the learning process much more than I did for CHIN 2020 because I feel I am learning in a way that better prepares me to speak Chinese in real life. 

I feel like I am starting to adjust to the two week unit structure. I think the biggest contributor is just starting to get used to doing online classes. I feel like the Pre-Task assignments do help us prepare as they allow us to consolidate our understanding and practice using the new vocabulary we learn at the beginning of the unit.

Character Count: 267

 

他生日以前，我没有重视信件包装的颜色，可是我更重视信件里我写什么。我认为虽然信件不贵，但是信件里的意义最有价值。他生日的时候，我是当着他的面送礼物给他的。虽然我的心情很激动，但是我要他在别的地方代开礼物了。我也说：我希望他很喜欢我的信件。他说他看信件的时候，我的信件让他的心情很开心。

Character Count: 316

 

我长大的时候，我跟我的外婆做在一起做很多事。所以我现在觉得她是我最喜欢的朋友。可是因为我已经两年还没跟她在一起过我的生日，所以我认为居家隔离让我的外婆很开心，因为她可以跟我过我的生日。她给我做我最喜欢的面条和买一个很好吃的蛋糕。我们吃蛋糕以后，她给我一个红包。每个生日我的外婆很喜欢给我红包和生日贺卡。但是今年的生日贺卡比较特别因为她用中文写我的生日贺卡因为我能看懂，理解汉字。以前，她用英语写我的生日贺卡，但她写的东西很基本，因为她的英语不太好。

看到她在生日卡里写的中文使我哭了。她终于可以写下她想说的话。虽然我经常告诉妈妈我真的希望她在我长大的时候对我说中文，但现在我很高兴和感激能够学习中文。

(501 个汉字)

Word Count: 263

 

319 Characters

Character Count: 129

(176 个汉子）

Word count: 一百七十四

198 

Word count: 两百七十四

character count: 二百五十七