Blog Assignment 4

In the essay, the Chinese student, Liu is encountering a serious problem that every international student may have, which is the culture shock. As is said in the passage, he made a lot of efforts to fit in his school and the American society, but failed. And his solution was to transfer to another college and live with people from China. It would be certainly easier for him to stay with his own people. However, there would be a lot more difficulties to get to know other Americans and learn more about American culture. Since he had only two years to stay in the US, it would be meaningless if he only get more Chinese friends during this experience. Nevertheless, he can still make it up by trying to reach out to the Americans who are friends with his Chinese friends. Also, a different school might lead him to more friendly people who do not care about his age (since he said that his age was a problem while building friendships). Moreover, as he said, he could have a deep relationship with an American so that he would be able to have connection with the US even after he leaves.
Actually, last year I had the same problem as he did. Since I was here as an exchange student, I had to live with a host family and there was a lot of problems going on, both cultural related and nonrelated. And I also chose to move to another place and live with my relatives. I might not know the US culture as well as I was supposed to be in that way. However, since I was in a public high school, all the people I met were Americans, and I could still learn some of the culture.

Nonverbal Expressions - Blog Assignment 3

The nonverbal expressions are of vital improtance in our life though it does not make any sound. It can be interpreted differently by different people, especially when they have different culture. However, most of the facial expressions and gestures we use in China and the US are similiar. We nod to show the agreement and shake our heads to show disagreement, which might be opposite in some countries. Personally, I can pretty much understand those nonverbal expressions made by the Americans. Moreover, I make up my own gestures and they seem to work pretty well.
Nevertheless, there are still some minor differences between China and the US. We Chinese usually do not show the quotation marks with our fingers bending as the way the Americans do. And there are to gestures that I heard of but have never seen or used before. One of them is to raise the thumb on the road, which means that a lift is needed. And the other one is to cross the fingers and roll the thumbs to show that you are bored. Also, I usually do the gesture which seems to mean victory in the US, and for me, it only shows that I am happy. In addition, I usually put my fingers towards my face in that gesture, while one of my best friends, who is also Chinese, usually put her fingers beside her face.
There is also one difference that is not as obvious as the ones I mentioned before. The nonverbal expression for the Chinese might be more implicit and delicate, especially when dealing with the superior officers. As to the Americans, the expression is usually easy to read.

First Impression - Blog Assignment 2

Sometimes I ask my friends what they thought about me when we first met, and most them see me as a quiet, gentle and wordless person. One of them even believed that I would never talk to her unless she talked to me first. There was even once that my friend took me to her friends who did not know me and ask about their first impression on me. She put what people used to say about me together and asked her friends like this: do you think she (pointing to me) is a person who is really silent, calm and gentle, just like a kitty? And more than ninety percent of her friends agreed with her. What's more, some of them even told us that was precisely how I looked like. However, there was only one person said that it was totally not me. That person had seen me several times before, and probably had already known me somehow. I am a quiet person when I start to know new people. In that case, I would like to listen to people rather than talk to them. However, when they get to know me a little bit more, or when there are some of my friends around, I would turn out to be one of the most chatty people in the group. I can be rather active and energetic as long as I want to, which would be most of the time. One of my classmates was even wondering if I really had a cold since I was so lively and talkative during the day. However, calmness is still part of me that might not show up when I am with my friends.

Different "Languages" - Blog Assignment 1 Part 2

Well, in my situation, I only speak Chinese with my parents when I was in China. When we are trying to be formal, the way we speak and write is pretty much the same. Usually we use fancy words and pay more attention to grammar when it becomes formal. But surely tere are a lot of difference when we talk. I started to chat online when I was in primary school, so I know a lot of "online language" in Chinese, which would be some words and usages that my parents sometimes never even get to know if not from me. However, my mom loves learning them from me. She thinks that she can more or less get in touch with "my world" in that way. I was an exchange student in the US last year. And when I got back home last summer, it was so amazing that I heard so many words and sentences from my mom's mouth that I used to say a lot.

Also, sometimes I feel it really hard to translate the sentences I used to say in Chinese into English. When I first came here, I always wanted to say those sentences but did not know how, which really depressed me some how. After some time, I just decided not to translate them, and try to say something else in English. But I was so surprised when I knew that Olly, who is also a Chinese studying in the US now, brought his habit of using Chinese into English. He told me that he said "you are very two", which is directly translated from Chinese and means that you are so stupid in a kidding way. And what surprised me more was that his American friends also say that with him. He was actually speaking English in his own way and it affected his friends, while I was only trying to get used to the expression way of the native speakers. I never thought the problem in that way. But it might open another window for me to use English more freely. But I am surely not using it in formal situations.

Introduction of myself - Blog Assignment 1 Part 1

Hello everyone! My name is Qi Feng and I am a 18-year-old girl from China. Actually you can call me Angela if it is easier for you to remember. I got this English name from my first English
teacher when I was in first grade. She was from Canada and was really nice to us. My major now is Chemical Engineering. Everyone says that it is a hard major but I think I will stick with this major and hopefully get a good grade there. I am interested in a lot of stuffs, especially some new and extraordinary things. I am really lazy, but for most of the things I need to do, I will get them done on time. And sometimes I would like to make things as perfectly as I can when it is actually not necessary. And that might cost me more time than others. And I am a pretty random person. You will know more about that when you get to know me more.