Xiaoning's Blog

Well, this is the 2nd time I've "sent". Let's see ...

2008-08-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the 2nd time I've "sent". Let's see what happens this time:
I recently e-mailed a message thanking you for your insider's view on the Olympics. My China-born daughter and I have loved watching the events and seeing more of the beautiful sights and people of China. I spent 2 1/2 weeks in China in 2006/2007 and didn't want to leave. I can attest that the people are so friendly, kind, and helpful. I am looking forward to another trip to China!

I don't recognize Beijing with all the cars and ne...

2008-08-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

I don't recognize Beijing with all the cars and new modern buildings, but I am proud of the changes I've seen. The Beijing has grown up into an exciting modern city with a wonderful respect for it's long historical past. I loved sharing hte images with my daughters and now they are even more excited to take a trip there some day and are anxious for their language studies to start up again this school year.

Congratulations China!

We too are very sad to see the Olympics end. We v...

2008-08-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

We too are very sad to see the Olympics end. We viewed them from our home in Michigan and loved every minute. When the last of the fireworks went dark at the end of the closing ceremony we all were silent and then our daughter said "I wish they lasted forever." Our daughter saw her birth country absolutely shine in the international spotlight both as hosts and as athletes. She saw sites she recognized from our homeland tour and new sites she wants to see on our next tour. The opening/closing ceremonies highlighted ancient and modern Chinese cultures beautifully. China is not a perfect country, but neither is the United States where we live. The Olympics gave our daughter and our family/friends a chance to see aspects of China that we don't normally have a chance to see on American TV. It was wonderful. China and its people created an incredible Olympics and shared their culture with the world. I wish this Olympic spirit could last forever.

You don't mention how old your children are. As a ...

2008-08-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

You don't mention how old your children are. As a an English teacher I do correct blatant grammatical mistakes, however the purpose of writing is to communicate. If that goal is reached, then the piece of writing is successful. Most of us learn out native languages by a process of osmosis, even American children make grammatical errors. Sadly, the written expression of some teachers is not flawless either.
I have taught English in China also. Though those students have been drilled in English grammar, they as not as easily able to communicate in spoken and written English. Finally, as a student of the Chinese language, I find Chinese grammar difficult and I too make grammatical errors in my writing. However, when I am in China I can communicate. The Chinese likewise, are tolerant of my mistakes, helping with communication rather than correcting every mistake.

I think this was in a way, China's coming out part...

2008-08-24T23:26:00.000-07:00

I think this was in a way, China's coming out party. I'm 61 years of age and oh what a change in my lifetime. I'm an artist and from my childhood have been influenced by chinese brush painting. I had a good friend during my student years at UCLA who was from China and opened me up to the delights of Chinese cuisine. There is a special place in my heart for China and this coming out party was a delight.

Those answers indeed cracked me up! To be honest, ...

2008-08-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Those answers indeed cracked me up! To be honest, I won't be able to fill out all those blanks except one, because I graduated high school in Guangzhou in 1974. The most of my schooling period was during the Cultural Revolution - you know what I mean. We have only learned very little classic Chinese poetry. I admit that I would never be able to be as creative as these Chinese new generations, because we were taught to be "conservative", ha ha. What a great post! Hope you post more.

By the way, as you mentioned in "About Me" in your Blog, you started to enjoy the western cultures right after the Cultural Revolution, which reminded me about that very exciting period. That was the time that we started to embrace not only the western cultures but also our own wonderful cultures that were banned during the Cultural Revolution. That was the time that I started to learn and enjoy a lot of different things, literature, arts, music, operas etc, western and Chinese. I still do until today.

Xiaomei Pollan
From Port Washington, NY

I'm glad that you find my blog about the Olympics ...

2008-08-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

I'm glad that you find my blog about the Olympics insightful. I'm so happy I can be here to provide "eyes" for those who can't! I'll try to post more and tell as much as possible about my experiences in Beijing during this historic time.

I'm also happy to report that, beginning today, our customers can buy a DVD of the opening ceremonies at:
http://chinasprout.com/shop/VCA077

Thank you so much for providing such wonderful det...

2008-08-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for providing such wonderful details about the opening ceremonies. They were simply awe-inspiring. My only disappointment was that I was not able to watch them with my daughter Ming who is happily at overnight camp. We will certainly buy your DVD! Thank you for your terrific posts. It's so wonderful to have your insight at our fingertips.
With very best regards,
Rose Lewis
Author, "Every Year On Your Birthday" and "I Love You Like Crazy Cakes."

I am addicted to these brushes. I enjoy looking fo...

2008-07-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

I am addicted to these brushes. I enjoy looking for the professional type each time I go to China i find more. In Changzhou I only found 2 shops with any good selection. My wife asks> when will I learn to use them...who knows maybe someday. haha. If you need me to go to China to purchase brushes or Tea in Hangzhou give me a call. hehe

Xiaoning, I noticed the difference of views by the...

2008-07-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

Xiaoning, I noticed the difference of views by the media also. When I am in China I see news reported from different angles depending on who is reporting. Maybe Chinese news network, BBC news, or CNN news. I get home and I hear the same story again but with different points of interest. I never realized how information can be so selectively relayed to the population. I should not be so surprised I guess. We all need to be cautious of what we see and read. I have discussed the earthquake news with my wife(she is in China still)she has different access to news as well. So we are not always talking on the same page. hehe It makes us aware of what we see. OK. Keep up the good work at China Sprout. Love your selection of products. I have just found your Blog, now I will be checking it more often.

I learned to speak, read and write from my parents...

2008-07-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

I learned to speak, read and write from my parents, especially my mother who was a teacher. I am an older part-time university student and have tutored students for English composition I. I am shocked to see that a high percentage of students are poorly prepared. At our tutoring training sessions I learned from the Professor to guide the student into meeting his/her expectations. However, international students who may not be prepared,work very hard and do well by the time they graduate.

For what it is worth, my daughter is 3 years old. ...

2008-05-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

For what it is worth, my daughter is 3 years old. She has enjoyed the "Follow Jade" and "MeiMei" DVDs. I recently purchased a "Dora the Explorer" in Chinese and she will watch it. I think for a preschool child, any video that is common in the US (Dora, Diego, Wonderpets, etc.) will be something that they will watch because they are familiar with the programs. "Ni Hao Kai-Lan" will be issuing a DVD out later this summer. My daughter loves this show as well.

As an adult, I enjoy watching movies in Chinese with the English subtitles on. That way I can still follow the story while listening in Chinese.

Thanks for sharing your experience and for your re...

2008-05-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks for sharing your experience and for your recommendations. Interestingly, I asked a Chinese friend if her children's teachers correct the homework. She responded : "No, I have to do it myself". She told me I should not expect teachers to correct students' homework, it is the parent's work, just like what you mentioned. She also told me she works everyday with her children on the homework, especially the essays. Since many Chinese cannot write English well (including myself), this is their biggest challenge, but they still ask their children to practice writing everyday. So now I do the same! I correct my son's homework and ask him to write an essay everyday. I do hope it will help him.

You also mentioned most teachers are under-paid, but how about teachers in China? I still remember my elementary teacher who earned only about 40 yuan/month (ok, this was during the culture revolution) and she had more than 40 students for each class, but she corrected each math and Chinese homework we did, my parents didn't help me with anything or corrected my homework, in fact, my mother was even sent to the countryside. If we could receive such kind of education during the cultural revolution, why the kids in the US cannot receive what we had at that time?

Ni hao, I feel that the American Educational syste...

2008-05-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Ni hao, I feel that the American Educational system , overall' is insufficient! My opinion; , you should correct your son's homework and see what his grades are the next time. Most teachers are under-paid, and sometimes don't have the time to correct each student, or unfortunately don't care. We helped our son at home as much as we could, and his marks were always good, plus we developed a very close parent/child relationship. Hao Fu', xiexie, Li Ma-Ke

Sichuan Province is very special place to us. Just...

2008-05-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Sichuan Province is very special place to us. Just over a year ago we traveled to China to bring home our beautiful daughter. We stayed in Chengdu for 5 wonderful days. My 5 year old son was very upset when he learned of the tragedy in China. He wanted to know how we could help and if the Panda's were safe. So thank you for sharing the links to were we can help, and your memories.

Thank you for sharing your memories and helping us...

2008-05-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

Thank you for sharing your memories and helping us grapple with this terrible disaster. For some, like my family, who have adopted from China, it is haunting to worry about our unknown, but very important, relatives who gave us our beloved daughter. Both China Sprout's offer of donating 5% and your list of news sources and charity links is very helpful for everyone. --an adoptive mom in Oregon

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2008-05-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

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