晚上好, wǎnshàng hǎo.

The pandemic continues; it affects every family in one way or another. Over the last few weeks, I have been dealing with family matters and they sometimes require great strength and courage.

During this time, Chinese has soothed me. My other hobbies include video games, but studying Chinese is a very productive and creative activity that calms my soul. I am well on track for passing HSK 1 in September and my partner and I have agreed to aim right for the top and do all the levels. Then we will be able to read literature, conduct business, talk to each other, and write. Here’s what I’ve been doing since we last spoke.

Reading. I am a reading a children’s book, in Chinese. It is a story about two cats. I can understand most of it. I am still a long way from being able to read novels, but I have learned new words such as 乒乓 (pīngpāng, ping-pong) and 网球 (wǎngqiú, tennis ball).

Writing. I like writing and do a lot of it. It helps me remember the characters. You can see from today’s image, I’ve been studying the cat story. Sorry for the bad handwriting.

Speaking. I’ve been watching Chinese teachers on YouTube, like Grace Guo. They are educational on the subject of where your tongue should be positioned to make the right sounds as you pronounce words. There is no speaking component in the first level of HSK 1, but later on I will need a speech tutor.

Listening. Working hard on this one now. My reading is easily good enough to pass this exam but I need to spend as much time as possible listening to spoken Chinese, so my brain becomes familiar with it. Activities range from watching Peppa Pig in Chinese (of course, isn’t that what everyone does) to episodes of ChinesePod, and quite a bit of Chinese drama on Netflix, sans subtitles.

Study hard, everyone. I’ll be in touch soon.