Go to Shenyang, China - Heart of the North East
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We American host families have learned to exaggerate our mistakes and
hit ourselves in the forehead or hit each other softly on the back of the head when mistakes are made or point our fingers at each other and shake our heads NO NO NO.
They, the host kids, eventually agree to join the balloon tossing contest and the hula hoop contest and the other silly things that we do to make each other laugh.....but it takes awhile and doesn't always happen at their first picnic.
Losing face, something we old people are not at all afraid of anymore.
Thank you for teaching in China. We must learn each other's languages if we are to exchange anything valuable in the future.
Some day care centers here in town and around the country are teaching Chinese and Arabic to toddlers. Cracks me up, but their yuppie parents are thinking about future business and trade.
posted by
benzinha
on September 11, 2008 at 3:39 PM
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Hi Vogue
Welcome aboard. I hope I can provide some useful and entertaining entries. I have hopped around so many blogs in the past week and a bit myself. There are some gems and I am sure there are many I have not seen yet myself.
posted by
witenite3333
on September 10, 2008 at 4:04 AM
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It must be stressed, Benzinha,
to the Chinese students that they will not lose face by having fun and making mistakes. Tell them that making mistakes is ok and that nobody will think worse of them. When they gradually realize this they will loosen right up and participate even more. One of their biggest fears is making a mistake.
posted by
witenite3333
on September 10, 2008 at 3:54 AM
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yup, the Chinese students here in Tucson, Arizona must be coaxed to
participate in games at our get togethers with other foreign students and are very serious. They loosen up some over time.
My Korean hosted grandson was so studious when he arrived that he thought about just going home as there was no fun at all and everyone else was having fun.
Then he began to paly basketball with some Japanese boys and dance with some Korean boys and then he joined some ballroom, salsa, merengue and samba classes and is now hooked on dancing. He figured out that he will be hired by his father in his dad's shipping company and take over some day, so, he only needs to just graduate anyway.
His explanation had me laughing as though attending a stand up comedy act as he spoke of grade point averages........
He feels really reckless, but cannot stop dancing. I sympathize and giggle and tell him serious things and then burst out laughing. He will be fine............poor baby.
It is fun to watch them blossom, but not all can do it. As you said, it is too long ingrained.
posted by
benzinha
on September 9, 2008 at 10:42 PM
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How gruesome. I am glad I happened upon your blog and sure will be back.
posted by
vogue
on September 9, 2008 at 8:19 PM
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