Final Day in Tianjin, China.

And just like that, three weeks flew by. Had my last day of class today. Overall, I've been satisfied with my Chinese lessons here in Tianjin. I feel my 发音 （ tones and sounds ) improved a lot. I feel my 信心 ( confidence ) in my Mandarin abilities is at the level where I have no trepidation of speaking with other native speakers. I can hold my own ground, and I plan to continue studying Mandarin either on my own or maybe with another school out in LA. ( I've also talked about Skyping with some of the teachers here on a weekly basis to continue my Chinese training. )

I will try to write a post-trip reflection once back in the states. But honestly, I think, whether or not this was a successful spritual journey, I feel I have grown, even if it's in a very small way. For one thing, I've learned to accept my uniqueness of being a very emotional person. I think of it now more as a trait than a weakness. And being in China, I've learned to control it better. In fact, now that I look back at the many incidents of this past year where I just lost it over someone or something, I just laugh and think how absurd I was back then. I definitely embrace it, but I think from here on out, I'm gonna be okay. Sure, feelings may arise here and there, but I'll be able to keep things in perspective, instead of hanging my heart on my sleeve for all to see.

It was definitely a bitter sweet day, having to say farewell to the many friends and students I made during these short three weeks. During one of my breaks today in between classes, I chatted with my language partner/teacher for a bit, and then suddenly she started tearing up, drops strolling down her face. I asked her "什么问题？" (What's the problem?). She said it wasn't anything, but then I realized she was feeling the same way many of my close friends feel when things come to an end...she was having a hard time saying good bye. She really liked me as her student, always praising how hard working and smart I was. I basically told her all my dreams of learning Chinese so that maybe one day I can act in Chinese movies. Basically all my teachers know I hope to become a 演员 ( actor ) someday, and all have been supportive of me, always encouraging me and asking me what my plan of action is. So cool to be talking about my dreams in Chinese :)

I'm looking forward to going back to the states. I've lost a lot of weight since being in China, due to lack of exercise and nutrition. All my shirts are now loose on me, no longer that nice wrap around muscles I feel I'm used to back at MIT. I plan to hit the weights hard once I move to LA, among many other things I have to do ( find apartment, buy car, find/enroll in acting class, furniture, etc. ) The real world is setting in real fast, and I look forward to it. Besides my family, the thing I look forward to the most is being a student of the craft again. I miss it so badly, and it's itching inside me to just ACT!

Early flight back to Hawaii tomorrow....NOT! Making a pit stop in Korea for a few days, then heading back to Paradise. Can't wait to see what Korea has to offer. Best part...no teaching, no learning, just plain enjoyment!

2 Down, 1 To Go.

Two weeks of Chinese classes have already passed. TGIF! It's definitely mean a grueling week of Mandarin speaking and listening, but I am starting to not only improve in confidence and pronounication, but also developing a real passion for the Mandarin language. I guess I really enjoy being able to walk up to anyone in town and just strike up a conversation in a totally new language. Now, I know they probably expect me to already speak well, since I LOOK Chinese, but deep down, I'm always going to be a 美籍华人。 But I'm still determined to do my best, and learn as much as I can during my next final week in Tianjin, and in China in general.

A few days ago, I was ordering food at KFC ( yes, I'm so tired of Chinese Food! ). After I finished my order, the customer behind me asked if I was Japanese? Korean? I promptly asked her why she would assume such thing, and she told me, 因为你中文说得不好。 I had to hold back my anger from slapping this old lady in the face. Here I was busting my ass trying to master this language, and she just outright insults me. ( I'm sure she didn't mean to. ) Anyway, I'm realizing there will always be haters and negative individuals out there, and at first, I was thinking, why even bother learning something if I'm never going to be great at it, never going to master it. But I know I'm learning this for myself, not for a grade, not for my parents, but for myself. And if opportunities come up my way because of this skill, great. If not, at least I know how to speak and listen to another language, even if it'll forever be at a basic level.

Enough be ranting. Haven't updated for a while. Let's talk about last weekend. This past Saturday my friend's cousin took me around Tianjin. She and her family were so nice, and showed me the city, ate a fantastic dinner, and checked out the beauty of Tianjin at night. Sunday some friends from Beijing came down to Tianjin, and we lurked around the city, and had a really nice time. Monday was sooo tiring for me, and had a hard time staying alert. But the days afterwards ran pretty smoothly. Though because my classes start at 8 in the morning, and I sometimes skip breakfast cause I wake up too late, and by the time lunch comes around, I'm starving. Not a good idea, since I have four hours of class in the morning!

I am not gonna lie, I look forward to going back home. I'm definitely going to keep in touch with my Chinese friends here, and also my Chinese language partner, who has been very awesome. I wish I talked with locals more. I just got back from class, and saw some old ladies playing with the Chinese version of a hacky sack, and decided to just jump in. We conversed for a while, and then they corrected my tone for 教。 I guess sometimes when I speak casually I don't really think about tones, and then everything just messes up. Sometimes I wish Mandarin came as an overnight success for me, but I know like anything else in life, if you want to get better at something, you gotta practice.

Not sure what's in store for me this weekend. I'm hoping to learn some Kung Fu with a teacher tomorrow, and then just do some hard core studying. Maybe hang out with some of the other students, and then just take advantage of my last week of classes. One on one classes has its advantages and disadvantages; definitely a good amount of individualized attention ( you're the ONLY one :)

Tianjin is 好！

It's been rainy weather here in 天津，but ain't letting that ruin my parade. Life has been good. Very tired right now from reviewing and doing homework. 5 hours of lessons a day can really tire a man out. But I'm loving all this Chinese that I'm learning. In just three days I already feel like I've identified my weaknesses in the different areas of Mandarin, and working really hard, in and out of class to improve.

From listening to CDs, to asking lots of questions in class, to answering questions asked by teachers, to conversing with my language partner, to chatting with local people, I'm really enjoying this "only having to focus on one subject" life. Even got to learn how to make Chicken Chow Mein tonight from a local 天津 woman.

Two more days till the weekend. Wonder what's in store for me?