Learn Chinese in one week! Or not.

So I've given up on learning Mandarin because I'm pretty sure I have some kind of learning disability, but I'm still taking classes and I'm actually learning some interesting stuff.

In Chinese there are a set number of characters and that number never changes. So when something new is invented, the new thing doesn't get a new character, instead they combine two old characters to describe it.

For example, when computers were invented there wasn't a new symbol created; they combined "electric" and "brain" so when Chinese people say "computer", they're really saying "electric brain". A cellphone is a "hand machine".

I love that.

The best one was when Coca-Cola started selling their carbonated soft drink in the 1950's. For companies with an English name like Coca-Cola, they run into a problem when they translate it into Chinese. They can choose a series of symbols that sounds like their name; but the series of symbols will probably have a random meaning.

So General Motors could pick symbols that roughly sound like "General Motors", but the symbols could mean something random like "Horse Green Tissue".

But Coca-Cola's is really cool. Their Chinese logo looks like this:



There are four characters in there that roughly sound like Co Ca Co La. (Not exactly, but it's kinda close)

But here's the cool part: The first character means "Fit for", the second means "Mouth", the third "very", and the fourth means "happy".

So when people read the Coke logo, it says "Fit For Mouth, Very Happy". And all of this is just a coincidence. How cool is that? Or am I just a dork? Whatever!

I went to a Chinese opera the other day. They did a tribute to the history of Xi'an or something like that. I'm not very artsy or cultured, so I really had no idea what was going on.

Here are some pictures with what I was thinking.

This lady thinks CHINA ROCKS!



These women are feeling blue:



They all got guitar looking things for Christmas:



Where the heck is that leak in the roof?



She's always getting her big sister's hand-me-downs!



This scene is meant to represent the greatness of the Tang Dynasty. Obviously humility wasn't part of their greatness.




So there you go. It was a great show!

Tomorrow is the last day with the kids from my second English camp. We've been planning a talent show and I was worried for a little while, but I think everything is finally coming together. The kids are singing "Old McDonald" and "Take Me Out To The Ballgame", two students wrote a play, we'll have some poems, piano performances, a couple magic tricks... should be a good time.

I'm going to Beijing this weekend and already have a tour to the Great Wall set up and then I start a new placement on Monday. I'm not exactly sure what it will be, but I think it is teaching English to college students.

And that will be my final two weeks in China! AHHHHHH!!!!!! This is going by so quickly. At least it will be football season when I return to the US, so that'll be fantastic.