2011，LET'S CHAT IN ENGLISH ~

莲步青云

Hey guys! Nice meeting you here!

It is really a nice club for learning English. Thank you, Hupo JJ (don't think Amber is a good translation of your name), for all your efforts.

I am happy to see it works well and people are passionate to join, young or old.

Right now I am in the US. I will 'report' my daily updates for you guys, and of course nice pictures.

Enjoy your day!

莲步青云

Basically, I came to US for a short vacation.

The city I stay now is called Memphis, the birth place of Elvis Presley. It is in the south part of the United States, the state of Tennesse.

In the downtown area of the city, there are rockn roll museums, music studios, country music clubs and bars. It is full of musical elements everywhere.

However, it is not as prosperous as Beijing. Especially in the suburban areas, you can only see houses and churches along the way. But the green grass and forest cover the whole way which make you feel like in the wild land. There are no big avenues but only 'small' lanes even in the downtown district. The houses are quite unique to others, each which has its own style.

People are nice to each other, and say hi to me on streets even though I don't know them in person. But it may not be a good place for young people. It will drive you lazy and cozy and forget your life goals. Well it is a perfect for old people after their retirement, but if you are restless and ambious, go to big cities.

I will continue tomorrow. Stay tuned.

莲步青云

These days I am struggling with the jet lag, sleeping for one day and being awake for another. It is said that keeping busy is the only way to adjust to it, for once you are tired and exhausted, you feel like going to sleep.

I went to the Mississppi River today. It is fantastic, long and wide, with the water running quite fast. Especially in the beginning of the spring, the ice and snow are melting and flowing together to join the main stream, the river runs very fast and looks dangerous. On the side I am standing is the State of Tennesse, whereas on the other, is the State of Arkansas. The Mississppi River is considered as the division of the two states, on which there is a giganic bridge connecting the two borders.

莲步青云

I walked along the river and got to the downtown area of the city. There are music bars and clubs everywhere. But it is not as crowded as in Beijing.

Today the only thing annoys me is stares. People are staring at me wherever I go. Believe it or not, there was a truck driver turned his head and stared at me while he was passing by. A lot of people just stared at me without avoidance. Though it is considered that America is a big melting pot where people from all over the globe join together. But Memphis is a city in south America which develops slowly. There are rarly Chinese or even Asians coming to this city. I think I could understand how foreigners feel when they are stared by people in Beijing. They may not have something in mind, but the pure curiosity is kinda rude and impolite.

Now I realize that I am a real 'foreigner' here among people, black and white.

莲步青云

I  like  nocle who  is  the  pure   foreigh  woman  teacher   in  wsi~ she  is  a  hummer  lady.  she  treat  us very kindly  every  time.  i think   she   is   cute  and  amazing,  althought  she  is ...
喜欢琥珀 发表于 2010-4-2 06:24

It is always good to have English native speakers to learn from. In that case you can learn something local

莲步青云

Mm, how do you  feel  about  the  fool  day  In  the  usa?
喜欢琥珀 发表于 2010-4-2 15:51

It's just a usual day. I didn't feel much about it. People work or chill out as normal.

Haha... I don't know how it went in China. But it seems more 'concerned' by us.

莲步青云

Today is Easter holiday in US. (Now it is Saturday morning.) We had a "Good Friday" yesterday and today we will have a little gathering together just for young children. People will prepare varieties of gifts for their kids and let them 'find' in the yards. Usually there are a bunch of eggs and bunnies for them because of their religious symbolic meanings. Tomorrow we will go to the church to celebrate Jesus' resurrection.

莲步青云

No Problem. Any time.

I am glad that I can help.

Hupo JJ is really a diligent person. We should all do our best to support this English corner!

莲步青云

i  learned  the washionton  time was  later  the  time  of  beijing    last  night.     it   is  thirteen  hours  between them.  i have   learned  much  more  english  from  mm  and  other  neighbors. ...
喜欢琥珀 发表于 2010-4-4 06:17

There is one point that needs to make clear: American time is not 'Washington time' like we have in China, where Beijing time is the time of the whole country.

In America, there are 6 time zones and 6 different time: Hawaii Time; Alaska Time; Pacific Time; Mountain Time; Central Time; Eastern Time.

The place I stay now is 13 hours later than Beijing time, but Washington DC is in Eastern Time zone which is one hour earlier than where I stay. So Washington time is 12 hours later than Beijing time.

It is a bit confusing. At first I was surprised to know America has 6 different time within one country. But it's good to know about it!

莲步青云

I missed the chance to go to the church and attend the ceremony of Easter. But I saw there were many cars parking in front of the First Baptist Church of the city. To some religious families, Easter is quite traditional and holy, while for some families, it is just a holiday for young kids. They have three days off, from 2nd to 4th of April, which are considered to be Good Friday, Easter Saturday, and Easter Sunday. I bet we have the Qing Ming Festival from 3rd to 5th of April in China now.

莲步青云

Food is the prior concern of me. I didn't have many formal meals here like I did in China, for one thing is that it is more complicated and expensive than Chinese restaurants, like paying for tax and tips; for another, American food contains too much fat, corn syrup, etc, which make you become fat in one day. I've seen tons of overweight people here and am amazed to discover that I am small and slim!!

莲步青云

The formal meals I had so far are:  Salmon served with potatoes, green peppers and red peppers; BBQ pork ribs served with vegetable salad and bean sources; Italian lobster, pasta served with fruit salad and greens, and some crisp bread.

For drinks, it is almost like juice everyday. If you don't wanna get fat, you'd better not drink any soda. Once I drank 'tea'. Gosh, it was horrible. It tasted nothing but sweet water. It was not 'tea' in our sense at all!

莲步青云

I missed rice more than you could imagine! Once I went to a Chinese restaurant, 'Royal Panda' to have rice and ribs. The rice was so hard and tasted like dry sands. I talked to the waitress, who is from Guangdong province. She speaks a little Mandarin but I could understand her with strong Cantonese accent. Her boss is a Taiwanese and their restaurant is more sorta like one with southern taste, which is light and sweet.

I just miss the rice from my home town where north-eastern rice is considered to be the best!

莲步青云

105# 喜欢琥珀

I rarely have three meals a day here. I usually have a brunch at about 10-11am, and then have another meal at about 3-4pm. So I never really had a 'dinner' here.

Today I had some Italian food at 3pm, so I decided not eating much at night.

How about you, JJ? Did you have breakfast yet? Are you off work today?

莲步青云

105# 喜欢琥珀

Hupo JJ, excuse for my rudeness, I guess the title of this topic should either be 'Let's talk in English' or ‘Let's speak English'?