global_jd

John Dowdell's journal of studying Chinese and more in San Francisco.

Progress Report, June 2011

Haven't written much here, but have been studying and practicing every day, working hard.

Usual day starts with situps by 7am, then Cantonese/Malay tapes while making coffee laying out clothes, then an hour spent working through New Practical Chinese Reader 4 page by page, saying everything multiple times, going to the dictionary whenever I need to check a tone, alternate meanings, compounds. Working through a page of a Cantonese Slang Dictionary while on the throne. Some online work while watching (and rewinding) CCTV News. A commute to the office listening to Mandarin (often NPCR5 now).

On the way home I listen to a ballgame or audio history of China, then usually practice Bach Inventions and other tunes for an hour or so. Before sleeping I've been going through the 700-page "1000 Basic Chinese Characters", reviewing 15 pages and advancing 5 pages each night, usually a half-hour.

Sundays I've been working on the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, the proficiency test. Not sure yet if I'll be fast enough to take Level 4 in October.

Each day is pretty much like the last. There are few milestones at this stage... I'm just pushing through to achieve my goals. About a half-year now of daily focused work.

Someday I'd like to play musette tunes on The Bund. Or maybe tangos for a Beijing dance hall. Or perhaps learn Chinese accordion playing in Qingdao or Tianjin. Or maybe something in Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, even Guangzhou or Kunming.

Right now, I'm just preparing....

June 09, 2011 in Progress reports | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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