这次我想写中文因为现在我的电脑用汉字
I thought about writing vaguely inappropriate things in Chinese here, since only certain people that I know would be able to read it, but then I decided it just wasn't a good idea.
So James has urged me with much vivacity to post here again so that you all can know of the exciting things that I am doing here in China. Let me tell you, it has been exciting. This past weekend I went to the Anhui province and played "Mafia" in Chinese with various Chinese students from Nanjing University all night long on the train there, with occasional interludes of BS. BS is a card game that involves a lot of lying, and it becomes especially hysterical when language and culture confusion gets thrown into the mix.
After we got off the train, we went to this awesome little village by the name of Hongcun - it was the filming location for several scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And it was really pretty, and very cold, and I was very tired and almost fell asleep while walking. While we were there I discovered that they have the world's best spicy sauce for guotie (potstickers), and I learned that the word for "drool" is 口水 ("kou-shui").
The next day, or maybe the day after that, we went to Xidi, which is a happy place. They have strange yellow fruits there, about yay big, with these seeds that you have to spit out, sort of like pomegranate seeds, although besides that they have little in common with pomegranate. I think they were just called "huangguo" which just means yellow fruit. It might have actually been that no one knew what they were, but an old man trying to sell us jewelry in the village said that if you ate too much you would get sick, so I suppose he knew what was up.
When we were in Xidi we stayed in the sketchiest hotel I have yet to stay in, and there was no heat in our room, even though it was cold. So some of us decided to sleep on the roof, since we figured it would be about as cold, and we were right. But it was also very creepy because it was super dark (no night life at all), and there was a ghost creeping about with a flashlight occasionally banging a gong on the streets. But we could see the stars, including shooting stars, which are called "liuxing". :)
In other news of great wondrousness, I finally have a Chinese name that Chinese people do not hate. My old name sounded like it meant "a baboon carrying a horse on my back", but my new name sounds like a regular Chinese name, and even sounds vaguely like my English name. :) For your viewing pleasure (those of you with Chinese fonts, that is), I give you Fang Tao: 方涛. The Fang is like "Fahng"; it's not pronounced like the tooth, if you don't know your Mandarin pronunciation. Fang doesn't really mean a whole lot here; Tao means "big wave".
Traditional "tao":濤
I was also knighted today.
So James has urged me with much vivacity to post here again so that you all can know of the exciting things that I am doing here in China. Let me tell you, it has been exciting. This past weekend I went to the Anhui province and played "Mafia" in Chinese with various Chinese students from Nanjing University all night long on the train there, with occasional interludes of BS. BS is a card game that involves a lot of lying, and it becomes especially hysterical when language and culture confusion gets thrown into the mix.
After we got off the train, we went to this awesome little village by the name of Hongcun - it was the filming location for several scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And it was really pretty, and very cold, and I was very tired and almost fell asleep while walking. While we were there I discovered that they have the world's best spicy sauce for guotie (potstickers), and I learned that the word for "drool" is 口水 ("kou-shui").
The next day, or maybe the day after that, we went to Xidi, which is a happy place. They have strange yellow fruits there, about yay big, with these seeds that you have to spit out, sort of like pomegranate seeds, although besides that they have little in common with pomegranate. I think they were just called "huangguo" which just means yellow fruit. It might have actually been that no one knew what they were, but an old man trying to sell us jewelry in the village said that if you ate too much you would get sick, so I suppose he knew what was up.
When we were in Xidi we stayed in the sketchiest hotel I have yet to stay in, and there was no heat in our room, even though it was cold. So some of us decided to sleep on the roof, since we figured it would be about as cold, and we were right. But it was also very creepy because it was super dark (no night life at all), and there was a ghost creeping about with a flashlight occasionally banging a gong on the streets. But we could see the stars, including shooting stars, which are called "liuxing". :)
In other news of great wondrousness, I finally have a Chinese name that Chinese people do not hate. My old name sounded like it meant "a baboon carrying a horse on my back", but my new name sounds like a regular Chinese name, and even sounds vaguely like my English name. :) For your viewing pleasure (those of you with Chinese fonts, that is), I give you Fang Tao: 方涛. The Fang is like "Fahng"; it's not pronounced like the tooth, if you don't know your Mandarin pronunciation. Fang doesn't really mean a whole lot here; Tao means "big wave".
Traditional "tao":濤
I was also knighted today.
posted by Tom at
7:00 AM
9 Comments:
Your posts are awesome. I think they win the prize for randomness on the blog. They contrast so nicely with James' very thoughtful, insightful posts and then yours about learning "good" Chinese words like "drool." I like the part about the sketchiest hotel ever. Sweet.
P.S. Why won't you ever skype me? You're hurting my soul.
P.P.S. Haha, that's a stupid joke. I don't think you could hurt my soul. I'm the invicible older sister.
P.P.P.S. For the sake of being random, there's a car alarm that keeps going off outside of the building I'm in right now. It's awesomeness.
P.P.P.P.S. What does the name of your post mean, seeing as how I don't speak Chinese and all?
the name of the post means "this time I want to write Chinese because my computer is using characters right now"
Christine, sometimes I wish I could be as random as Tom. Did you know Japanese houses use heated carpets? ... see, that's just too forced. Teach me, wise sensei, the ways of nonsense.
I also wish the Japanese word for drool was 口水 (mouth-water, probably koisui). Sadly, it's 涎 (yodare).
Just where did you learn the ways of randomness, Tom? Nothing to do with your parents, is it? I'm not sure which of you (Tom or Christine) wins the prize for random comments in our family.
But, maybe it is your mother...
Hmm...you aspire to more randomness, eh James? Do you really know what you're asking to be taught? Randomness just happens. You start saying what comes into your mind as it comes into your mind, yet you kind of have to structure it as well so you don't say something particularly offensive. I think it has something to do with how you structure your thoughts, so if you're too structured in your thinking processes, you'll probably never quite be as random as you wish you could be. Think stream of consciousness!
I doubt that randomness can be taught. Just hang out a lot with Tom once you're both back in the states and maybe it'll rub off on you.
As far as the randomest Feagin...that would definitely be Mom. It was especially awesome when she was completely random as a substitute teacher.
Enough rambles. Enjoy the randomness!
P.S. Little bro. What's the story behind the knighted thing?
tom. i wish your parents would adopt me.
i want to be random too.
but i think i'd stick out in your fam. i'm too asian looking.
...
ohhh...wait a minute...
haha tom 口水 could also just mean "saliva" if you wanted say drooling, you can say "流口水" (liu kou shui)
haha, tom, your family sounds awesome ^_^
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