Chinese - I have to say - is probably not really the easiest language that can be chosen to learn. Europeans have to fight with many difficulties in learning this language. Drawing and reading Chinese characters is just one of them. I’m still very fascinated when I see a Chinese person reading a newspaper in Chinese characters. I’m already happy if I recognize one character in every second sentence. Now I know how it must feel to be an illiterate. It already starts in the restaurant when you try to order the food...I usually order the dish with the most beautiful characters...but I really have to say...it is not always the best tasting dish :-)).
Besides that, the next problem is to meet the right tone, while speaking Chinese. The Chinese language, all together has four tones. So it can happen that you have the same word in written, but with a different tone, then it means something completely different. So, for example instead of saying "I go quick to the bathroom brushing my teeth (teeth = ya, second tone)" you could end up saying "I go quick to the bathroom brushing my duck (duck = ya, first tone)"...I really would like to see the reactions on that...especially when the Chinese family really has some ducks :-).

But our Chinese teachers here in Jinan, at the Shandong Economic College try their best to teach us the Chinese language :-). I think we should be paid for their entertainment ;-).



Mrs. MaBo our very, very patient Chinese Teacher :)



We, very concentrated learning Chinese

Everyday we have about five hours of Chinese lessons. Fridays we have a test, where we can demonstrate our improved Chinese skills :)
Tuesday and Wednesday we have Taiqi lessons, which is a quiet interesting sport. Every time we have Taiqi lessons people stop and watch us how we try to follow our teacher - with her it looks always very elegant - but I assume we looks less elegant trying to follow her movements. But, of course, we try our best ;-). Look yourself:


Warming up :)


We haven even started yet with taiqi....and we are already tired. But our teacher is still very motivated doing stretching, as you can see :)


We, practicing confu kicks...so you better pay attention when you cross my way the next time :))


Finally, we are practicing Taiqi :)