Am I actually a 'banana'? I wish I were, because it would make my identity a lot easier to market. The word has assonance, the concept is graphic... if I could get an angle on my lack of Chinese language skills, make it seem like I'm this yummy fruit that everyone would love to hire as a scriptwriter for an already successful TV show like - well, nothing comes to mind actually. Hong Kong TV sucks satan's sweaty scrotum.
Speaking of sucking, I really must suck on some more about the Language program I'm enrolled in right now. GIVEN that Chinese is a difficult language to teach - how do you make memorizing 3000 characters really Fun and Full of Fudgy Flavour and Rainbow Sprinkles??? ( or Hundreds and Thousands, if you're from across the pond) - I'm still irritated by the incompetance and general shabby attitude of the school which is supposed to have a prehistoric legacy in experience teaching Chinese.
Suck No. 1. I Did Not Get my Teaching Materials Until A Quarter of the Way though the Course.
When I signed up they assured that I could get traditional character teaching materials and that did not happen until way late. I had to continuously chase them up for the absolute basic things. Then it was suggested to me that , well, you know, simplified is a good option too! Why don't you change your mind and then we wouldn't have to do all this reformating and photocopying! ie. *you're an annoying customer, and we'd rather you CONFORM DAMMIT*
Suck No. 2. The teaching materials are designed ONLY to make you learn vocabulary. Some of the passages we read are so laden with four-word sayings that I could probably rap the thing out as for my oral exam (which is essentially a spewing out of a word-for-word recitation of the text. I have a vision of myself bringing a boombox into the exam room). It just doesn't seem like something you would normally read! Why don't I just make myself a bunch of vocab flash cards and save myself the money? (15 credits equals about 23,000 hkd. Do da math)
Suck No. 3. The campus is in the middle of nowhere. If you're an advanced learner, you have to travel all the way to Shatin for class. The commute is a bore.
Suck No. 4. The chairs are too small. My classmate, who is 6'3'' American with Swiss heritage, cannot possibly fit his booty into that chair and feel comfortable for the three hour class. They're an institute for foreign learners?! They should expect students of foreign sizes and adjust the seating accordingly so they don't get that 14-hour flight feeling?????
End rant.
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