What I Learned In China
Hey everyone!
Just got back from my trip out east and I must say it was pretty great. I traveled to Shanghai and Xi’an and wanted to go to Beijing as well, but there was just no time! Oh well, hopefully I’ll be back there again.
And since there just isn’t enough space here (nor do I have the energy!) to write down everything that happened, I figured I would give you a mini-sparknotes version of my trip. Naturally, you are more than welcome to ask for more info; however, I’ll at least give a list of the things I learned in China.
To be honest, I learned a lot. I learned about the country, about traveling, about the culture, and about myself as well. It was a great learning experience. And so, without further ado, here is what I learned from my trip to China:
June 27, 2010
Author: Street Saint
Posted in: General 
2 Comments
Away in China!
Hi all!
So, I’m headed off to China. Not sure that I’ll have any access to internet once I’m over there, so you may not be getting any updated from me until I get back.
I’m bringing my ASL books with me though! 
And hopefully I’ll have some great pictures and such to post up as well.
I’m flying back to the states on June 26.
Until then!
June 13, 2010
Author: Street Saint
Posted in: General No Comments
ASL, Week 4: Possessives
Sorry for the late update! I’ve been super busy trying to organize my life a little bit that wasn’t able to write the update earlier.
That being said, I need to let you all know that I’ll be going to China this weekend!! I’m so excited, but so unprepared! I should be fine once I get my bags packed, though. 
And though I’m looking forward to the trip, it also means that I won’t be able to update you all on my progress (I doubt I’ll have any consistent access to the internet while I’m over there). If I get a chance, though, I’ll certainly give you all an update! Read More…
June 9, 2010
Author: Street Saint
Posted in: Learn Sign Language No Comments
Honorable Mention vol. V – Language Aquisition [Postponed]!
Though I hate to do this to you, I have some bad news about the Honorable Mention that was supposed to be posted today. Due to some poor planning on my part, as well as a lack of sufficient submissions, I am forced to postpone the Honorable Mention segment. And since I will not be around for much of June to review the submitted work, the next Honorable Mention will not be posted until August 1st.
I apologize for this, but I feel there is no other way to properly handle the current situation. So instead of the segment compiling one month’s submissions, submissions will be open throughout the summer. Read More…
June 1, 2010
Author: Street Saint
Posted in: Honorable Mention No Comments
ASL, Week 3: Similes
As I entered into week 3 of learning sign language, I began to realize that I need to be more aggressive with my approach if I want to make serious headway in a year. For this reason, I’m going to attempt to start completing a new lesson plan each week from my ASL books.
As I’ve mentioned before, though, I want to give myself enough time to memorize each new word I learn. Naturally, I can’t simply rely on learning a word in one week and then expecting it to stay in my long-term memory. For this reason, I have been making it a point to go over all of the words I learned in the previous weeks every week.
You can imagine how long this list may end up becoming! For this reason, I’m trying to come up with a method of reviewing the words I learned without having to go back through all of them every week. I’ll let you know when I solidify that method. Read More…
May 31, 2010
Author: Street Saint
Posted in: Learn Sign Language No Comments
Anxiety Update
Hey everyone! Thought I’d let you all know about something I just realized.
So I just graduated from college last week (HOORAY!) and my parents came up for the ceremony. Over dinner we got on the subject of my social anxiety. My mom mentioned that I tend to shy away from making eye contact (something she says I picked up from her). I’m considering making an amendment to my “Conquer Anxiety” goal to include eye-contact because I didn’t realize I was so bad at it and I think it’s important.
In any case, something else that came up was the question of whether I am “shy” or not. My step-father had mentioned offhandedly that I was still shy, but have come a long way, to which my dad responded: “Eric’s not shy.” He then referenced the many times that I would volunteer to speak in front of audiences, perform on stage, or sing in public. Read More…
May 26, 2010
Author: Street Saint
Posted in: Conquer Anxiety No Comments
ASL, Week 2: Pronouns
This week I finally made my way to the library and picked up some actual ASL books. Hooray! Now I don’t have to wonder if what I am learning is ASL or something someone made up.
I went to the ASL section of the public library and browsed around. There were a lot of good ASL books (although, not as many as I would have thought), so I grabbed a bunch.
It has been helpful to have all the books around because I’ve been reading up on ASL and learning a lot about not only the language, but the history and culture of deaf people. Read More…
May 23, 2010
Author: Street Saint
Posted in: Learn Sign Language No Comments
ASL, Week 1: Hot and Cold
So it’s the first week of me learning sign language. And though I have learned some various signs before, it was never with the expectation that I would retain any of the knowledge.
I figured the first thing to do would be to refresh my memory of the basic ASL alphabet.
Eventually, I’ll get a working web camera so I can post videos of myself doing these signs…
For the most part, I have them down, but there are a few that consistently give me trouble. In particular, I often mix up “D” and “F,” and for the longest time I couldn’t figure out what “H” was supposed to look like (this video shows the sign a bit better, but I started out with some cavemen-like sketches). Read More…
May 16, 2010
Author: Street Saint
Posted in: Learn Sign Language No Comments
New Goal: Learn American Sign Language
As I mentioned, my next goal will be to learn a new language. And after much deliberation, I’ve finally decided what that language will be.
Starting today, I am going to strive to learn American Sign Language.
Language has always been a struggle for me to pick up, as it tends to be with a lot of people. Sign Language seems particularly difficult to me because there are so many different signs to learn and interpreting signs rapidly seems like it would be much harder than listening to words. In any case, I figured I’d give it a shot!
I’ve tentatively decided to set my timeframe for one full year with the goal being to have a coherent conversation with a fluent signer. Even with a whole year, I’m nervous. Picking up a new language has always seemed out of reach for me, so I’m happy to be taking on this challenge to work at it seriously.
Speaking of which, I’ve decided to make my goal to be to learn a new word or phrase every day. In other words, pick up 7 new words every week at least. And each week I’ll be reviewing what I’ve learned, so it all stays with me.
Should be interesting. If anything, I’m just happy to be working on something new!
May 10, 2010
Author: Street Saint
Posted in: Learn Sign Language No Comments
The Final Assessment
I apologize for not delving deeper into what’s been going on with me and my quest for an anxiety-free (or moderately anxiety-free) life. I admit that some of my posts have been vague, and my methods unclear. The main reason for this is that my methods have indeed been unclear (even to me!)
The process of recovery from an anxiety condition is a largely individual process. You can have allies, companions, and aids, but no one can really share your experience. No one can point you to exactly what you need to do to get better. It really depends on your own personal needs. That’s why there are so many different methods psychologists, psychiatrists, and self-help gurus promote: each one works for certain people and perhaps not for others. Read More…
May 5, 2010
Author: Street Saint
Posted in: Conquer Anxiety No Comments
