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Richard Perry
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Languages,
Mandarin,
Challenges
It has now been a month since I started my Mandarin Chinese language challenge, so I think it’s time for an update on how I’m doing. To be honest, it’s not being going all that well. The first week went quite well, I was generally following my study plan (except for some evening sessions), but then it became unworkable. I guess I didn’t really plan it well enough, so I have amended the plan in an attempt to make it easier to follow without reducing the commitment needed. Well, it still isn’t really working. Here is a summary of the key points from this month. The Good I do listen to Mandarin radio most of the day in work; I have kept up with my vocabulary...
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Richard Perry
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Photography
This is my favourite photo from our week in Scotland with FreeSpirit ESU. Three of the leaders
(& George) decided to take a trip over to Inverary, mainly to visit Loch Fyne Whiskies
(supposedly the “finest whiskey retailer in the world”), but also to see the area. As we stood
looking out over the harbour, this was the view. It was absolutely stunning and I really think this
photo has captured the scene so it’s one I’m really proud of !!
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Richard Perry
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Languages,
Mandarin,
Challenges
Since early 2009 I have been learning Mandarin Chinese off and on. This may seem an odd language to choose so let me explain. In 2007 a good friend of ours told us about a Scouting trip he was organising to Russia, Mongolia & China (further details available here. This seemed like a good idea at the time, and, to cut a long story short, Rosie & I decided to stay on in China for a further 5 weeks. The time we spent in China was absolutely amazing and I gained a real appreciation for the country, the culture and the language and I wanted to learn more. I decided to learn the language to better understand the culture. Since then, it seems that my language...