California = G.I. Joe, or, On Learning Chinese

There are definite advantages to learning Chinese in an English setting.

Sure, you won't get the pressure of full immersion, but for getting the basics, I do like starting in a less intense environment.

When catering to an English speaking crowd, the professor can pull examples from familiar territory to help you learn the four Chinese tones. So instead of having to remember how the tones sound from scratch, you can repeat this:

John, are you coming?
Wellll... yes!

John = tone one. __
ming = tone two. /
Well... = tone three. \/
yes! = tone four. \

Or, break out the music staff:

First tone: at the top. Second tone: start two notches down, move your voice upward. Third tone: start three notches down, move down one then raise up three. Fourth tone: start at the top, drop down four. Neutral tone: short, sweet and light at the top.

Out of everything we've learned so far, I'm mainly butchering the 'r' sound. The prof tells us it sounds like the s in television. I think it sounds more like a "zheh" oh "zhuh" with a marshmallow in your mouth.

In addition to the professor's helpful language tie-ins, you can also use other people's butcheration of the tone to help you remember words.

California in Chinese is Jiā zhōu (using 1's to indicate tone 1) and is written as follows:

(courtesy of http://chineseculture.about.com/)

Jiā is the sound that approximates the Ca syllable. Actually, the li, for, ni, and a syllables have sound twins too which brings the entire name to this monster: 加利福尼亞, or Jiā lì fú ní yà. Thank goodness it shortens to Jiā zhōu (the latter meaning state or province).

Even in its shortened form, I had trouble remembering that California = Jiā zhōu.

That is, until I sat next to a guy in class who thoroughly butchers the sounds and tones of Chinese.

When saying Jiā zhōu, he sounds entirely like a southerner saying G.I. Joe.

Try it out! Jiā zhōu. G.I. Joe.
But run the G.I. into a single syllable... G.I. Joe. Jiā zhōu.

So, thank you butcherer of tones. Because of you, I shall always remember that California = G.I. Joe.

Whatever works to learn the language, right?

Never Say Never

I am a packrat.

It takes years before I can bear to start getting rid of old school notes and assignments. Even then, it's more of a tame weeding than a complete purge.

Last year, after graduation and moving back to San Diego, I sat on my floor organizing the dead tree evidence of my Westmont academic life.

I came across my papers for Mechanics: my very last (and most painful) physics class covering Statics and Dynamics.

With a flourish, I threw the entire lot into the recycling bin.

"I'm NEVER going to need THAT again!" I crowed with delight.

Never say never.

Because I'm about to walk into the first class session of Dynamics at SDSU.

It's an entire semester full of all the material from the second half of Westmont's Mechanics class.

i.e. The hardest parts of the class.
i.e. The part that builds on the hard first section of the Westmont class for which I have no useful memories NOR any useful notes from which to jog my memory.

I threw those notes away because for all the uncertainty of my future, it was obvious to me that I would never set foot in mechanics related class again.

You think you know where life is going to take you?

Think again.