DennisLeiqin

For awhile I tried to learn one new Chinese phrase each week. I'd repeat it over and over. I'd write it down in pin yin and in phonetic sounds and carry it with me. I'd practice on every Chinese I knew (found out that depending on where they're from they might have a different pronunciation, so I usually would stick with the South China sound of my wife). I now am proficient with ~50 common phrases. Problem is that I don't have a working vocabulary like 2mike&jin where I can sting words together to make a sentence. Volunteer teaching ESL to Chinese I notice that the students tend to have difficulty putting words together to make a sentence. I've suggested that they too learn a phrase a week... "May I use your restroom? How much does this cost? What is your name? I am happy to meet you. I live in Alhambra... " Seems to help them excel

Seems like the cruise persons would have answers to these questions. Sounds like life is good for you David... nice to read just a bit of an update.

Poor bugger, it looks like he should have left out the A.

I've been thinking about this and realize living within and among the largest US Chinese community, we have available just about everything and anything you'd want or get in China. Leiqin goes to the Chinese herbalist ~ once a month to buy her special herbs and medicines. Stores here have Wisconsin and Korean ginsing by the barrel. Point is, if anyone wants to send us a list of things you need that you must have and can't find where you live, send me a PM (in Chinese OK) and we'll purchase and mail it to you... prepaid (within reason). Or PM me with your phone number and I'll have Leiqin call and talk to your wife about her needs.

Hi Hank, Fostering a Chinese student is a popular way to supplement income here in SoCal. Chinese prefer their child stay with an English speaking family. Most often the school that he's attending would file for the students I20 (student visa) and once approved send to the student. Check with his school. They will have all the answers to your questions. Good luck and don't let him stay up all night on QQ chatting with his friends back in China.

Gotta question this - wouldn't you need to know the current requirements for the charging? The specs he gave are for the hub only. The charger OUTPUT: 5V-2000mA So, yes, what is he charging?

Congratulations, Dan... now don't let it go to your head.

A penny doesn't buy much or anything in the US anymore. Watched some TV show recently that said how it cost more to make a penny than a penny is intrinsically worth. Yet, those pennys are valuable to many in the world. I remember my first trip to China, I paid one Yuan for a pedal cab. The Yuan was worth the equivalent of 12-1/2 cents back then. Made me think how that 1/2cent was probably important to my 'driver'. We have coin offerings at our church. Those coins are collected and given to World Visions who uses the money to feed those displaced by the Haiti earthquake. $100 will feed 2000 meals.

Nice... I will use that story too, from time to time.

"To the moon, Alice..."

Darn it, the music drowned out CC's speech. Cripes, and I wanted to hear it! Still...congratulations Lee and CC.

A young woman with a soiled infant strapped to her back rummaging through trash.

Leiqin asked me this just recently too. Whether a large group or just us, we'd sure like to see you and Ling again, Mike.

Got me back...good laugh!! Depends on your mask. I use a Mirage Ultra Nasal mask and have learned that I can keep my glasses on, under my mask, while I watch TV. Yeah, wearin' a CPAP ain't the sexiest bedtime thing, but kinda wish I had brought it with me on my first trip to China. I do believe that after hearing me snore, that young lady realized what a lifetime of torture awaited her if she decided to immigrate with me.

Chinese have a difficult time understanding the differences between carbs and protein. They have this (assumed urban legend) idea that Americans are fat because we eat too much meat. Problem is, when Chinese continue to eat their diets high in rice and noodles and become sedate like most Americans, diabetes often becomes a problem. I know several Chinese who've developed diabetes since living here. Sorry, but you're going to need another Chinese who understands how our bodies coverts excess carbs into sugar and that excess sugar is then stored as fat. My wife took a nutrition class given in Chinese by the county health dept where she learned about carbs and protein...still, she can't give up her rice and noodles. I have sleep apnea and sleep with a CPAP. Please insist that your doctor prescribe a sleep study. Snoring and sleep disorders cause a lack of oxygen to your blood. Your heart must work hard to supply oxygen thus potentially shortening life. Apnea is a serious problem, yet easily treated without medication or surgery. Get that sleep study! Good luck.

Good luck. Hope you find her a 'keeper' too. You know where the blame lies if he turns out to have flaws like most of us men have.

I do believe that within our large circle of Chinese friends giving and sharing is now common practice which was once seldom done. Most are eager to learn of the western/Christian way of giving and sharing without expecting anything in return that goes to our foundation of Do Unto Others... Sadly, it's difficult, one must keep your guard up and be wary of those newly arrived who have not adjusted to the ways of the west. As, they will very likely try to use you and drain you of your good will.

First thought was that's one way to extract some teeth.

Nate's post made me think about my original foray into bringing her and her daughter here... Always an interesting question; if I could do it over, how would it be done differently? Although I am happy with the outcome and I have a good wife and marriage today, I sometimes wonder how things might have been today had my former SO and I not parted ways and I brought her and her daughter to America to be with me. I doubt that I would have done anything different. I am who I am. I have learned a long time ago to be wary. I fell off that turnip truck, oh….round about 1970. After traveling to meet her, exchanging rings and going off on a honeymoon - all in a matter of the first few days of arriving in Nanning - I remained skeptical. I kept asking how could this younger, (22 years younger than I) woman could love someone whom she didn’t know and could barely talk to. WTF? Was this some weird dream that I had entered? One moment I’m hunkered down, alone with my computer and in a seeming instant I am transported to Yangshoe, China with this woman who calls me her husband. OK. I go along for the ride….for the adventure. After returning home, I continued to ask her ‘why does she love me?’ Today, I realize that love, as we know it, doesn’t always figure into the equation for a Chinese woman. To my good and naïve fortune, however, I did not know this and continued to ask and question her, even when she continued to assure me and tell me to ‘just believe’ and have faith. It is not such a thin line that one must tread to choose to either throw ourselves in, head first, helter skelter to staying wary of red flags and questioning constantly. Yet, the question IS: were my constant questions warning flags for her that I was an untrusting and suspicious man, as she once wondered? Or, had I not questioned her would we be together today and would we have been happy together now? Who knows? Yet, I think this is the dilemma that many of us face when we venture down this road. I still don’t have answers. Does one throw the dice and go at it with blind faith and hope for the best? Or, does one become an inquisitioner with the hope to find what lurks behind and underneath the soul of this exotic person who cannot talk to me and will forever be an enigma and run the risk of making her high tail herself as far away from me as humanly possible?

She committed herself when she slepted with him, unsure if he knows what that means to her. I understand his position, singel parent, three kids at home, it's not like he can just pick-up and go and live in China, travel yes. I hope he's able to re-connect with her. My rhetorical post wasn't meant for anyone in particular.

Awesome!...such varied comments and questions...makes me wonder what Americans would want to ask Chinese...

'Wow, dern, damn, she will sleep with me? I had best try to keep her. I may never find another one like her.'

You have to realize, though, Dennis, that most of our others are divorced (and some with children) which makes them less desirable to these men. If they are "desperate", why would they be so picky? My wife said that she had had several marriage proposals after her divorce (and one child), but from what I see here, that's unusual. Absolutely correct. But, do you ever get snide comments from men? Only time I did was while in GZ and those comments came from rural men working in GZ. My thought was then and after reading this article that those men who see us with 'their women' sometimes take it out on us easy targets, regardless whether the woman I am with is a thirty-something divorcee. But again, just a thought...

From my experiences both in China and among the Chinese community here in SoCal, I find that white skin and European ancestry is viewed with high esteem by many...especially women. Therein lies the animosity among many Chinese men. Sure, those men with wives get caught up in wanting to get their picture taken with the white guy too. But, for single men to see their women swoon and coo over western men whom western women would not give a second glance is no doubt disheartening. Especially disheartening to men who are desperate to find a loving wife amidst slim pickings, especially if those men from the countryside and are city workers laboring for a pittance for a wage and feel hopeless in attracting a spouse. Can you imagine if the circumstance were reversed and us poor Yanks were watching our ladies swoon over old, ugly fat Chinese dudes?

If the woman isn’t as concerned with the USC’s character, income, values etc as he is with hers, then the USC should be asking himself; why isn’t she?