The Olympics in Beijing officially begin at 8:08:08 p.m. on 08/08/08. For a moment i think we need to look past all the controversy of the Olympics and the protests and the blah blah blah and let’s ask one simple question: “What is up with all those 8’s?”

The answer is not that it’s coincidence. (Update: I stand corrected, read the comment from Rita) The number eight in China is considered a very lucky number. I don’t think our American culture minds can fully understand it. I mean, the Chinese really love the number eight. People pay extra to get 8’s in their license plates, people love to get married and have babies on a date with an 8 in it. But why eight?

The number 8 in Chinese is pronounced “ba.” This sounds similar to the word “Fa” which means wealth. So, you get it? Ba=eight. Fa=wealth.

You are now one step closer to being ready to live in China.

I’m terrible at answering my cell phone. Anyone that has ever tried to call me knows this about me. I don’t like to talk on the phone, therefore, i don’t like to answer my phone. This mindset isn’t going to get me very far in China. I’ll tell you why…

In China you must answer your cell phone. In my brief experience, i have discovered that it’s not only rude to ignore a call, but it’s offensive! You might even lose a friend over it. Ok, losing a friend is probably taking it a little too far… it’s not that bad. The basic idea is this: in America it’s somewhat acceptable to choose which calls to answer because we think it’s rude to answer a call during a meal or while talking with someone face-to-face, but from my experience in China, you should always answer the phone.

The problem is that i don’t know WHY this is the case. Do you? Can any of my Chinese friends help answer this question, why must you always answer your phone when it rings? Also, what do my American friends think of the Chinese cultural rules against screening calls?

My first dinner when i arrived back to America was Red Lobster (for my Chinese readers, that’s a famous sea food restaurant). As i typically do at dinner time i ordered a nice cold glass of Coca-Cola. When i got the coke i took a big gulp and thought, “this sure tastes weird.” Then, i realized that there is a noticeable difference between American Coke and Chinese Coke. “What is the difference?” You ask. I’ve been racking my brain to put my finger on it, but i finally have a decent answer. i think what it comes down to is that Chinese coke is sweeter. Almost too sweet for my liking. But when i was in China i didn’t drink the coke and think, “wow, this is too sweet.” No, nothing like that happened. I simply found that while in China my little taste buds prefer Pepsi.

So pay attention, here’s todays lesson… If you are a coke lover and you find yourself traveling to China, try the Pepsi. I personally prefer Pepsi in China, but Coke in America. Interesting, I know. However, if you are a Pepsi lover in America, well then i just don’t know what to tell you. You’ll have to do your own experiment.

So, what about you? Pepsi or Coke? (in America)

Last night i went to eat at my usual little chinese restaurant where i have a great relationship with the owners and the food is always good. I asked the owner’s wife if she would teach me some Chinese and she agreed. So there on that back table of an empty restaurant we started our small dialogue in Chinese. Occasionally she would stop to explain some words and occasionally i would be able to say a few words instead of simply nod my head. Surprisingly i was able to understand a lot of what she was talking about. For almost an hour she helped me use Chinese to express my love for Chinese people and my reason for wanting to live in China.

Then, before i could figure out what had happened i realized we were singing “Jesus Loves Me” in Chinese. It was amazing. We were singing very loudly in this quiet restaurant and i had a moment in the middle of the song where my brain paused and i suddenly realized what exactly was happening. I was sitting with a dear friend in a small restaurant in a small town singing “Jesus Loves Me” loudly and passionately. She was singing the language of her heart and somehow i’ve been graced with the ability to join right in. Even today i’m still trying to get my head around that surreal moment. How many people in the world have had an opportunity like that? Maybe a lot more than i think, but to me it was special and it’s a memory that will stick with me for a long time.

It’s a small thing, i know, but it’s significance it’s massive.

(Warning: if you have no interest in learning another language then this post is going to be boring for you. Come back later for something more to your taste… literally… just wait until you see my next language and culture post)

Ok, so if you made it past the warning then i will assume you have some vague interest in learning another language or maybe you already speak a couple of languages or you’re thinking of speaking another language… whatever your case, this post is about learning language and specifically the pros and cons of Rosetta Stone language learning software.

What makes me credible to give such a review as this? Well, nothing really, i just own the software and have used it for several months both in America and in China and i have combined it with other language learning strategies and tools. I’m no expert… did you catch that? I said, I AM NOT AN EXPERT. These are just my simple opinions based on my experience.

So, let’s dive in.

Overall, i think Rosetta Stone is a great tool for learning language, especially if you are living in a culture where the target language is not the one spoken (for example, studying Chinese while living in America). RS (can we call it RS?, Thanks.)… RS does a great job of immersing you in the language, where literally you can get lost for hours in the wonderland of listening to and speaking another language. However, if you live in the same culture as the target language then your best bet is to get off your butt and just go talk to people in the neighborhood.

What are the RS shortcomings?
1. RS is not conversational. The software does an excellent job at going through useful vocabulary by using the words in practical sentences, but it fails at teaching practical conversation elements. It doesn’t teach, “Hello, how are you?” or anything of that sort. This is a significant problem.
2. RS doesn’t teach sentence structure or offer ANY clues to the meaning of the sentence. I think there should be a, “give me a clue” button. Also, when learning such a different language as Chinese, i think there should be lessons that teach the difference in sentence structure and grammar. You may figure out the vocabulary in each lesson, but it will be impossible to piece together the rules of structure without some other outside teaching.

Do i recommend Rosetta Stone?
For Chinese? Yes. For any other language? I don’t know, haven’t tried them. I recommend it for a couple of reasons. For one, the depth of the software. There is so much you can do and so many lessons to go through. The depth of RS continues to amaze me, that aspect is far more than i expected. I also recommend because it’s like carrying a chinese book, but on a CD-ROM. It’s amazing. I can carry around a heavy book or i can have a CD to stick into my computer whenever i want. And the last reason i’ll mention here is that it’s a lot of fun. It really does feel like playing a game. Sure, i get frustrated when i can’t figure it out, but i also have a ton of fun when i see the progress i’m making.

Ok, this post can’t stop with just my opinion. If you read this far then i need to know what you think and what you’ve tried and how that’s worked or not worked.

What successes have you had in learning another language? Is there a strategy, software, website, etc. that you could recommend to us?

Yesterday, while driving to a wonderful birthday party for my friend, Katlin, i noticed 2 skinny little white girls jogging down the road. They were chatting casually and listening to their iPods at the same time (i’ll never know how that works). As i drove by these joggers i was reminded of my friends in China.

One day in China while i was walking near one of the soccer fields and running tracks i was making small talk with a few students and the idea of exercising and jogging came up. As the sun was setting and it was gradually getting darker i noticed a few more joggers starting to emerge from the darkness. My friends went on to tell me that most girls will jog at night because it’s dark and they don’t want people to know they are trying to lose weight. And sure enough, when we left 30 minutes later, it was fully dark and the running track was swarming with college girls enjoying their daily jog. Some of them chatting and listening to iPods at the same time.

This small incident shows me an interesting cultural difference. College girls in China (not ALL, but the ones i saw and talked to) jog for exercise and weight loss and don’t want to be seen doing it. College girls in Auburn (not ALL, but certainly many) jog to see and be seen. Jogging in Auburn is for social interaction, even if it’s a silent interaction between the pretty jogger and the college boy staring at her while he drives by. This is an interesting difference in exercise habits and motivations. i wonder why girls in Auburn will jog down the busiest street in town when they could go to a smaller area and jog in secret. Is it for the exercise or for the social factor?

As i begin processing more of these cultural differences i will share them with you. I personally think it’s very interesting to notice the small differences…

Do you?

I have made the decision to add a new category to Biscuet.com. The new category is the “Language and Culture” category. Living in China has increased my awareness of how important it is to learn and understand other cultures. So, as i read books, learn language, and dive more into culture i’m going to be sharing some of that here. Here’s the beginning…

Recently, i’ve been gaining an understanding of the value of learning language and culture for living in cross-cultural environments. It’s easy to live in another culture and simply get by with basics. I don’t particularly like the idea of “getting by.” I want to be able to engage in meaningful conversation and understand the inner workings of other cultures. For this stage of life that culture is Chinese culture.

The book i’m reading says that if you plan to spend four months in another culture then you should spend four months learning the language. Two months overseas? Two months learning language. So, you get the idea. As westerners, the most effective thing we can do to communicate love is to humble ourselves and learn the language and embrace the culture. America is not superior. English is not superior. Living cross-culturally should mean to play by their rules, using their language and understand their lifestyle.