Hi, my name is Niel, otherwise known as Confused Laowai. I blog about my exciting, yet often confusing adventure learning Chinese.
My Chinese Textbooks for University
Check this video out. This is my first video blog post. I show you guys my textbooks that I use for university. I am a total newbie (新手) at video blogging. If you like it let me know, otherwise tell me how I can improve! Also, excuse my South African English accent, haha. If you have any other questions about how my classes work or the textbooks, please ask away! P.S. – If you can’t [...]
HSK Tests in my Future
My teacher gave us some HSK resources yesterday. Apparently there is a test taking place in October here in South Africa. Last year I took a mock HSK exam for level 1 and 2. Passed one easily, but with two I failed on the listening. The reading was easy. Did a quick test exam for level two again yesterday only for reading part. It was rather easy. I got books for level 1, 2 and [...]
Laowai Speaking Chinese on Youtube
I’ve stumbled on these videos on Youtube of Laowai showing their speaking skills. Some need some practice, but they all are admirable in what they do. It’s actually interesting listening to some laowai, because their vocabulary will be limited, just like my own. Therefore it enables me understand a bit more. Yes, their pronunciation is not perfect, but it also gives me some insight into my own pronunciation, so I can improve it, by seeing [...]
Blogs and Dictionaries
First things first. I have found this excellent new dictionary site that pulls examples from the internet! It has a really slick interface. Go check it out. In other news, I’m still actively developing Social Mandarin. A recent new feature that has been added, is the possibility to have your own blog on Social Mandarin. This will allow other users to more easily share their personal stories and anecdotes on learning Mandarin. Read more info on it [...]
