Language

The alternative to connecting with others around language is body language, noises, acting, use of a smartphone and whatever else one might have at their disposal. Of course, people don’t bother going through all of this hassle unless they have a good reason. For us, my wife, friend Ting Ho and I that good reason was dried shrimp. We wanted 5KG of it. If you want to see the video of the trip chick here. We didn’t know exactly where we were going, but my Ting Ho was pretty familiar with the market and the process. He also had an…

Recently I read the story of two very smart individuals. The story comes from Outliers. They were both recognized geniuses, but unfortunately only one was successful. A person’s up bringing has a lot to do with whether or not they will be successful. The first man Chris Langan grew up with an alcoholic father. He was emotionally neglected and even abused. The second man Robert Oppenheimer grew up privileged. His parents were wealthy and they gave him a rich cultivating environment. He was regularly encouraged to think outside of the box and asked questions. Robert developed great social skills and…

Wealthy parents provide their children with a rich cultivating environment. Their kids learn good habits and discipline. They learn to expect the best from themselves and others. When someone is unkind to them, they don’t sweep it under the rug and forget about it. Instead they learn to deal with all different types of social dynamics in a positive manner to achieve a positive result. Then when they are adults they good on to make go decisions for themselves. As adults we are always choosing what to care about. Asking Questions A child from this kind of background would be…

Teaching wasn't what I expected. Years ago, I went into teaching thinking that I would make a difference in the lives of young people. Now years later, as I reflect, I realize that there was something gained and something lost. I gained skills and experience to become a better teacher, but I went through a lot of loneliness to get to this point. I teach in a band 3 school. For those of you who don’t know, there are 3 bands and band 1 is the best. Students are “banded” according to their academic performance. Lots of people have asked…

Awhile back my wife told me that she got the luck draw in a raffle and that we were entitled to a free outing to TopMun Island. Tracy’s work decided to offer this activity to encourage colleagues to relax. They organized the boat ride, lunch, sharings, and coffee activity. I thought it sounded like a good opportunity. When Tracy and I arrived at Wong Shek Pier, the tour guide met us and introduced us to the others in the group. She wanted to know if I could speak Cantonese. I told her that I understood Cantonese and that if I…

The answer could be both yes and no. If you put in the effort you will undoubtedly learn useful words and expressions. Even a beginner can learn to say thank you and receive a smiling approval from a taxi driver. Language is all about connecting with others. Sometimes connecting with others is easy and for limited exchanges, your Cantonese might be enough. However, longer exchanges tend to be another matter. To answer the question, "Is my Cantonese good enough" we need to consider your expectations and other people's expectations. Recently, I heard a proverb - "Inch by inch life’s a…

A few weeks ago my cousin Aaron, his wife Misha, and their 2 year old son Kide (It means Maple in Filipino) visited Tracy and I in Hong Kong. We had a great time together. I'm always curious about the role language plays in a cross cultural couples marriage, so I asked Aaron and Misha for an interview. They graciously accepted. Three key take aways from our talk are the importance of patience, Misha says Aaron is patient, the importance of having a vision, and thirdly being positive.

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone in English when a few others stepped into the room, and all of the sudden the channel was switched to another language, and you no longer understood what was going on? You go from understanding everything and then nothing. Well, if you have taught English as a second language in another culture, I’d being willing to bet that you have. How did you feel? How did you respond to it? It happens to me quite a bit. I think it’s a little bit like eating a meal with a person, but…