sych

Our most recent task in writing class was to write ~600 chars in class time, given the topic: “如果。。。” (If...). I was glad to be given a writing task in class time for once, instead of having to do it for homework.

Anyhow. I only made it to about 450 characters in the end. It took me half an hour to think of something to write, then 90 minutes to actually write. To match my mood at the time, I settled on "What if I was back home now, and not in Beijing?", and how much nicer it would be to be laying on the beach with friends, instead of writing essays in cold, smoggy Beijing. Then I got to writing about what one learns about one's self, one's country and one's culture when one experiences and studies another. So I eventually managed to write something that sounded half positive.

I really must say I don't enjoy this writing class. I do like seeing the finished product, and I'm sure it's one of the more useful things I could be doing to advance my Chinese... but I think next semester I might choose a spoken Chinese elective instead.


如果我是在澳大利亚，不在北京

我最近听到，澳大利亚悉尼白天的温度已经到33度了。有的北京人抱怨夏天太热，而我我更怕冬天。在悉尼，我最喜欢的季节毫不疑问的是夏天。在北京现在天气逐渐变冷的时间里，我常常就想起来我在南半球上国家的暖和天气，而羡慕在享受着夏天的亲戚和朋友。有时候，我考虑：该不该放弃学习汉语这个好不容易得来的机会，回家，跟朋友们每天都一起卧在沙滩上晒太阳？

不过，在北京我的生活是挺有意思的。庞大的北京比小悉尼大四倍，而正在快速地发展中。出国留学真让我大开了眼界。通过学习另一种文化以及语言，我不仅逐渐了解中国，并且加深了对自己国家的文化和语言的理解。看到另一个国家，人们无奈地开始深思：这个地方与我们的有什么不同？这是什么缘故？祖国的发展跟这个国家相比有什么不同？为什么？有了新的角度，出国的人不仅会慢慢地更多了解双方的国家、文化和语言，并且多了解全世界的人民。依笔者来说，这个新的角度是留学中最宝贵的收获。

北京的天气虽然不完美，但是我在这里有了新的经验，新的朋友，和一个新的角度。放弃回家只是胡斯乱想--我一定会坚持，继续！毕业之后，也许搬到中国南方，找个暖和的地方住！