I bought a new dictionary, an Oxford Chinese mini-dictionary. It is quite small, easy to fit into a pocket for easy access when walking about or shopping. Yes, it is something I have used when shopping. One of the “extras” that I hadn’t counted on was the fact that there is a website by Oxford where one can download mp3 files for practicing listening and speaking of Chinese expressions.
Oxford University Press Chinese Mini Free Download files are found here. Of course if you wander around their site, there are other offerings available. One thing I am learning is that there is never too much help or too many resources available if one wants to learn a second or third or so, language.
Another book I recently picked up is Tom Ang’s Digital Photographer’s Handbook. Now that I have purchased a new camera, a Sony DSLR, I want to learn more about digital photography while back in Changzhou. It is a great way to spend free time. Keeping busy, active and occupied is necessary if one wants to avoid going stir-crazy. It is too easy to slip into a depression in a foreign country when one has too much time on one’s hands with nothing to occupy the hands and the mind.
Of course, if one is interested in learning how to speak, read and write Chinese, there are usually free lessons offered by the university. I know that I plan to take advantage of this when I return to C.I.T. as they offer these language lessons for free to all Foreign Experts (ESL teachers) who work for them. When last at C.I.T. I found that other schools offered their ESL teachers a chance to study Chinese at C.I.T. as well.
An additional way to spend some of your free time would be to take part-time ESL teaching sessions for various kindergarten, middle schools or businesses that don’t have the resources to hire a full-time ESL teacher. The pay is usually quite good and that is a good enough reason.
Regardless of what you want to do with your free time, it is important to do something. Otherwise, you might end up returning home sooner than planned with less than happy memories of your time teaching in China.
One of the tasks that are necessary for one who is heading off to teach ESL in China, is to get some Chinese money which is often referred to as “yuan” (yuán – 元), or as “kuai” (kuài – 块) by the locals, or officially as “renminbi” (rén mín bì – 人民币).
