很高兴(hen gao xing) – Very Happy

This has been a very good week. First of all, I got over the wicked cold that I had, so I was able to get out of the apartment. (Free at last, free at last ...) Monday, I returned to the scene of my public humiliation, the basketball court. Despite the fact that I don’t move quite as fast or good as I used to, I played pretty well. By pretty well I mean no one shook me so bad that I fell on my butt, unlike the last time. To me, that's a win. I'm happy.

Something strange also happened this week. For some reason I have been looking forward to school every day (For those of you in the know, I have pretty much dreaded school since we arrived). Every day we have to do something called Ting Xie 听写, which means listen, then write. Our teacher, Sheng Laoshi (who has nothing to do with my aversion to school, in fact she has made it enjoyable), says a word and we have to write the character. Usually my performance with this exercise is less than stellar. I don’t do poorly, it's just that I don’t do well either. So many times, I forget either one or two strokes on several words, or I simply forget how to write the word altogether. Well, today I actually got everything right. I didn’t forget anything. It was unbelievable. I contribute this unusal turn of events to the fact that this week, I have changed my routine. When I get up in the morning, I now use the two hours before class to prepare for the day’s lesson. This has helped improve not only my performance but also my attitude. On the way to class, while in class, and when I left class today, I was 很高兴。

Another great thing about this week is that I am beginning to think that studying here in China is actually going to pay off. I have stated that we often go into the city so that we can meet people and practice our Chinese. Well, this week I have been able to communicate much better. I often find myself carrying on a conversation with someone before my brain has time to figure out that this is not my native language. I took a taxi this week and for the entire trip, the driver and I conversed. I told him how to get to our place. I asked about his family and what he was going to do when the market where he picks up most of his fares closes down. On the bus just this evening, I sat next to a lady and we chatted. Yes, I actually made small talk with someone. I still 听不懂 (ting bu dong) don’t understand every word of what is said, but I am able to get the gist of it anyway and can make myself understood. So many times I find myself using the 生词 (shengci), vocabulary words that we recently studied. Occasionally, I even use them right. If I am not careful, Mrs. Bruce’s boy might learn something. That would make me 很高兴!

- 付伟国 Frank
Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.
Anne Frank (1929 - 1945)