goodsue's Guestbook

Wow
You are having a ball. How are you feeling? I have to have a gastroscopy because of a cough I have had. The doc said my throat is red and put something down to look. Also reflux and a type of asthma where you cough rather than sneeze. Trying to get mom into a nursing home for about a month. Want to take a a little vacation somewhere close and get some rest. Have to see him in a month and also get some bloodwork. Keep on trucking. How is your job? What are you doing for the month off? Madge

Trucks.Holidays.horns
Hi Susan, Good to hear your comments about trucks unloading far from downtown. It would be good in the US to regulate them more, for pollution, size, and process in the city. I'm here in Nashville a couple weeks now, and already feel more relaxed with less trucks and traffic. In an area like Little 5, (also Little 5, in E. Nashville), but with much, much less traffic, like what's become so intense on Moreland. I don't know if I could handle the horns you describe without JUMPING all the time. But your happy visit inclines me also to want to go there. HOLIDAYS..WHEN, what day and month, does the holiday you refer to begin, and when does the "month" of holiday take place. First I knew of this....Hope your travels continue well and SAFE..love to the many billion and U...Howard M. Romaine, 811 Riverside Dr., Nashville, TN 37206

Your Tues. weather report was not true for the Phila. region!! Colder here. The photos are so clear on your site and the moon cake wrapping so beautiful! Have you seen any candy that looks like Necco wafers? Alisha had some in school one day for snack and pointed to the Chinese symbols, read them with a tone of, "Can't you read this for yourself??" Today she said she is so excited cuz her grandma and grandpa who have been back in China since last summer are coming home very soon. Hope you are well! That days of the week stuff is wild! Imagine being absent minded there about what day it is?!? Love, Gailey

Ahh. Friends. Nothing like friends.

illness
Was one of them Flagyl/metronidazole? So sorry---next time god forbid---add a little salt to the glass. Only a small amount (to make Normal Saline; that's how I treated Mother's dehydration and she plumped up COMPLETELY in less than 24 hours)

The market looks like loads of fun to browse. Hooray for new friends!

Yeesh!
Sounds like a rough time. Thank Buddha you're OK now!!

How awful
It was probably a sulfa drug you got. That's what they use here but in China it it may be diffferent. I am interested in Chinese med. Glad your tests came out ok. In spite of all it looks like you are having fun. Nothing new here.

haha :)
Susan, you're so yong! ; ) Lucky to have you as our conversation teacher~~~

try more
The beginning of studyin' a new language is really hard. I almost killed myself in my early days of Japanese ! How could I remember those words without someone to talk? Wish you could get through it.Someday you can speak fabulous Chinese!

Your apt. looks great!! Spacious and clean! Must be such an adventure, though tiring! Stay well! Love, Gailey

Living with illiteracy
Being illiterate does take getting used to. Your frustration makes me ask myself how I cope with it. I have been here for years and still do not read Chinese, so I sincerely doubt that you will be literate by the end of a year here. My advice is, forget literacy. It is overrated. Instead focus on listening and speaking and non-verbal communication. I learned the numbers by listening to students doing their morning exercises - yi, er, san si (1,2,3,4) wu, liu, qi, ba (5,6,7,8). This method assures that you will learn the proper tones. Another tip: Get a student to open up and shut down the computer in the classroom. I just hand the student my flash disk and say, I want the ppt named . . . Chinese students expect to help their teachers. In fact, they often run up and take the eraser out of my hand when I start erasing the blackboard. Another thing - Chinese society is so commercialized that you can assume that any unsolicited messages you receive are advertisements. Throw them away or delete them immediately. What you might want to read are the notices on the boards in the foreign languages department. I hang out in front of them, and then when an English speaker approaches I say, "Is there anything here I should know?" Usually there isn't, but it is nice to know that you don't have to know all that stuff. Look on the bright side. You are immune from all sales pitches. You form relationships with people when you ask them to help you. You empathize with the millions around the world who are also illiterate. Some of the English translations you find in China will make you laugh.