Showing posts with label Introduction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Introduction. Show all posts

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Why China? More about me!

A few of my readers wanted me to answer a few more questions they had been wondering about why it actually is I am learning Chinese, and why I am going to China. Let me answer these questions to give you guys a little bit of a better idea about what it is we are doing over there! I've also discussed with my husband answering these questions, and he agrees that these are all questions I can publicly respond to.

1. WHY are you moving to china? Is your husband Chinese?

My husband's job is taking us to China. He is a Marine Foreign Area Officer, which basically will makes him one of our military's China experts. They sent him to graduate school to study Southeast Asian Affairs, then to an intensive language school, and finally to spend a year of in-country training in China. So, no, he's not Chinese!


2. What does your husband do - will he be quitting or is he working over there?


My husband will still be employed while he is there, however, while he is actually in China, his only job is to continue studying Chinese at a language institute in Beijing, as well as travel throughout the country to better understand the history and the culture of the Chinese. Although we will have to pay for my tuition, I will also be officially studying Chinese at the same language institute while we are there.

3. How were you able to be in class everyday all day for the last 15 months? Did you quit your job? What was your motivation for learning the language and going to China?


I was previously employed by the Navy as a Victim Advocate - it was a part time job while I finished my masters degree in Criminology. I finished my masters degree at the same time the Chinese course was starting. We decided that because having the ability to speak and understand Chinese is such an asset, it would be more than worth it for me to quit my job and dedicate 100 percent of my time to learning Chinese. Due to the type of field I want to work in, this type of ability will definitely be an asset to my future.

4. Why china? What made you decide this? Why not Spanish and go to Spain?

When my husband was considering the list of possible languages to learn and places to go, China was his first choice. He has always been really interested in Chinese history and Chinese culture. China is also one of the most influential countries in the world right now - all of this inspired him to learn Chinese. We both decided China would be a great choice just because of the benefits towards our careers, as well as just because... well... we love a challenge! The Chinese program is 63 weeks long - the Spanish program is 24 weeks long - and you graduate at the same proficiency level. That just goes to show how much more difficult learning Chinese is! and as I said... we love a challenge.

WELL -

I think this answers all your questions! If you guys want to know anything else, just ask!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

China, here we come!

So, I've been putting off writing my first post because I'm not exactly sure how to do this blogging thing! I mean, about a year or so ago I used to have a food blog, but it was short-lived, mainly because I was just way too busy to even cook, let alone blog. For the past 15 months I have been learning Mandarin Chinese. Monday through Friday for the past year plus, I have been in class from 8:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon. That doesn't include the time I spent at home, a total hermit, on the couch with my husband, memorizing new vocab words, reviewing old ones, and listening to Chinese. It has been INTENSE (and socially alienating)! But the rewarding part of learning a foreign language definitely outweighs all the hard work that you have to put into it.

I think learning Chinese is the coolest thing I have ever done. Really. Just the fact that I can listen to something in Chinese, something that just 15 months ago sounded like a bunch of noise, totally foreign, totally incomprehensible - in just 15 months it has transformed into something I (most of the time, lol) can actually understand! How cool is that?! I'll tell you - it is one of the coolest things ever.

So where does Beijing come in? As part of my incentive for this ridiculously long period of studying, studying, studying, I always knew that at the end of this schooling would come the best part about it all - MOVING TO BEIJING! Yes, readers, I am moving to Beijing, China and will live in China for one year. My husband and I are so, so looking forward to this! We LOVE to travel. I've never been to Asia. I can't wait. We want to see every province and many of the border countries.

I also know there will be plenty of challenges.

1. I may be one of the girliest girls you will ever meet
2. I don't like getting dirty
3. I don't like being uncomfortable
4. I'm soooort of a picky eater
5. I can't use chopsticks... something about a lack of coordination... (but I will damn well learn!)
6. I don't really like big crowds (that will be a problem in a country with a population of 1.3 billion people)
7. I don't particularly love public transportation, which is how we will get around China
8. I make everyone in my class use purell
9. And I've spent at least a few hours scouring the internet for sandals that are good for traveling but still fashionable (it seems those two things can't go together, but, I am determined to make it happen)

Trust me, everyone who knows me is watching to see how this will play out! My goal while I am in China is to try (almost) everything at least once; embrace the food, the culture, the language, the people, the history - and with a country with as rich a history as China's and as quickly developing as China is - this is going to be a really amazing journey and I think its a really great time to be IN China experiencing all the changes first hand.

So with our passports and visas ready to go and our plane ticket booked - China, here we come! We will be leaving May 9th for Beijing, with no house waiting for us on the other side of the ocean, alone & unafraid as my hubby would say. :)

This blog will be all about my experience in China, my travels, the food, the people, the culture, as well as the fashion! (Can't leave out fashion!)

So you might be wondering where this amazingly creative & original blog name come from. I think its an interesting perspective as I am pretty sure I am going to stick out in a crowd over there.

Anyway I'll be posting some fashion/beauty related things in the next few days (hey you need to shop before you go!), and some posts about getting ready for a move like this. Stay tuned!

And so this post wasn't a total bore, my cute little JIWAWA I'll have to leave with my mom in the U.S.