learn Mandarin

what is all this extra schnick-schnack getting in my way? i can’t imagine i’m ever going to want to write step-by-step directions on How to achieve goals. the audacity, blahblah.

anyway, the lovely YM is leaving soon—her post-doc year is up, so she’s off to pastures new. meaning that we’re losing our teacher. i can’t say we’ve done a great deal in the past few months, but it was fun while it lasted, and i actually understood a man speaking Mandarin on the news (he was counting houses that had been demolished in his village prior to the Olympics). i’d like to give this another go at some point, with an equally fun teacher/group, but i’m done for the moment.

Ooooh, I can identify with the author of this article

“I thought I wouldn’t even manage to commit to memory the numbers zero to ten. Nothing would stick. In the evening, I paced up and down my kitchen reciting: ling, yi, er, san, si, wu, liu, qi, ba, jiu, shi. Words swam around like fish which refuse to be caught.”

Interestingly, when she’s had enough of the hot and stuffy classroom, she goes to sit on a shady bench in … wait for it … Russell Square. Snowleopard? Oyster cards? Wang Lili?

M and I are going to take relaxed after-work lessons with our most excellent Taiwanese doctoral student. I’ve found all the free stuff from The Times that ma and pa sent me and am getting excited! M and YM had originally arranged to do a tandem thing: German vs. Mandarin. I’m going to see if I can get out of the other tandem part by buying the drinks, arranging copies of material, etc.

until i get this project finished…

because it makes me happy just to think about it. And i’m going to do it, yes I am. just as soon as i’ve finished this project. Which is why i’m going to get back to work and Get It Done!

Would still love to do this, but it’s out of the question until at least the second half of 2006, so why have it cluttering up my wishbox?