There's a quote somewhere from someone that you learn more about a person by the questions that they ask than the questions that they answer. In that vein, I asked my students to write down any questions that they had about me or America in general. I thought I'd share a sampling of what I received:
FROM MY FRESHMEN PRONUNCIATION CLASSES:
"I always feel puzzled about how to be a girl love by many of people. Do you have any advice?"
"Do you like football? I love David Beckham so much that I want to see him in America. Will go to Los Angols to see him when you return home?"
"What do you think of your girlhood? And can you imagine the life in 20 or 50 years later? Do you think the hi-technology will endanger us?"
"What do you usually have for breakfast? Is the life pace faster? What time do you usually have lunch and dinner? What do you have for dinners?"
"If you get married with a chinese what kind of wedding ceremony would you like to take?"
"Whether it is difficult for me to ask a American girl to see a movie with me in the evening? If I fall in love with a American girl What shold I say to her?"
"Dear Lucy, In my mind, all Americans are very rich. Do all Americans live a happy and easy life?"
"What do you think about the traditional Britishes?"
"What kind of people are most despised by American people?"
The most common question: "Have you had Chinese food? What do you think of it?"
FROM MY PhD ENGLISH WRITING STUDENTS:
"What's the main difference between America College Education System and Chinese College Education System?"
"How to write something with all of my words? Because I know many words, but when I write something, I just find a few to use."
"I have received from foreign guests who come from German, Canada, and Russia. The biggest problem is I don't know what are they? How can I go a step further?"
"What kinds of pressures in U.S.A especially the students?"
"Can we takes pictures of you?"
"America is the richest country in the world, is there any poor people there?"
"Do you feel angry that students copy papers from www instead of doing their homeworks?"
"If the American to lose liberalism, what can they do?"
"Did the Americans concern about Chinese people's life?"
"If an person in American is poor, how to he find happness?"
"Are there many pop stars in American? Which one would you like best?"
"You are young and beautiful. We all love you."
"What's the everyday life of an American farmer? Is his living condition the same with the people live in the city?"
"America is the strongest country in the world, but it seems so many American don't know China well, and many policy of American are to restrain China's development. What do you think about this problem?"
"Which college is best in America for studying rapeseeds?"
Pretty interesting stuff...how would you answer some of these?
On Despair and Hope
2 weeks ago
5 comments:
FROM NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS IN AFRICA
1. Isn't one of your questions actually more of a comment than a question?
2. Can I get fries with that?
I love the questions! It's great to see what they are thinking and wondering about.
You got a tattoo?!?!!! I do love that yours has a special meaning and that you got in there in China!
I love looking at all of your pictures! China is beautiful and I'm glad that we are able to see it through your life there.
My favorite is "You are beautiful. We all love you." And what exactly are rapeseeds?
I'm with Adrienne. If you learn something from people by the questions they ask, I'd stay away from the rapeseeds kid.
Because I am home and have a LOT of time on my hands...I'm going to answer these.
"I always feel puzzled about how to be a girl love by many of people. Do you have any advice?"
I handle it with grace and elegance.
"Do you like football? I love David Beckham so much that I want to see him in America. Will go to Los Angols to see him when you return home?"
In American we call what he plays ''soccer'' and he is British...asi que no le hago caso.
"What do you think of your girlhood? And can you imagine the life in 20 or 50 years later? Do you think the hi-technology will endanger us?"
My girlhood was robbed when that pesky penis appeared.
"What do you usually have for breakfast? Is the life pace faster? What time do you usually have lunch and dinner? What do you have for dinners?"
For breakfast my mother prepares fresh baked rapeseeds.
"If you get married with a chinese what kind of wedding ceremony would you like to take?"
I'll take a ceremony 3 with no pickles.
"Whether it is difficult for me to ask a American girl to see a movie with me in the evening? If I fall in love with a American girl What shold I say to her?"
You don't mention rapeseeds.
"Dear Lucy, In my mind, all Americans are very rich. Do all Americans live a happy and easy life?"
No.
"What do you think about the traditional Britishes?"
The Britishes have funny teethes.
"What kind of people are most despised by American people?"
Republicans.
The most common question: "Have you had Chinese food? What do you think of it?"
I love it. Even after the half hour on the toilet upon arriving home.
FROM MY PhD ENGLISH WRITING STUDENTS:
"What's the main difference between America College Education System and Chinese College Education System?"
We lack the rapeseed major.
"How to write something with all of my words? Because I know many words, but when I write something, I just find a few to use."
You don't have to use allll of them.
"I have received from foreign guests who come from German, Canada, and Russia. The biggest problem is I don't know what are they? How can I go a step further?"
I have no idea what's going on right now.
"What kinds of pressures in U.S.A especially the students?"
Peer.
"Can we takes pictures of you?"
Absolutely.
"America is the richest country in the world, is there any poor people there?"
Many.
"Do you feel angry that students copy papers from www instead of doing their homeworks?"
No. We just laugh when they get busted.
"If the American to lose liberalism, what can they do?"
They can to win it back.
"Did the Americans concern about Chinese people's life?"
Yes, we did. Not anymore.
"If an person in American is poor, how to he find happness?"
I have nothing witty to say here. Not even about rapeseeds.
"Are there many pop stars in American? Which one would you like best?"
Britney Spears. She has dedicated so much time and donated so much money to rapeseed awareness.
"You are young and beautiful. We all love you."
Tell me something I don't know.
"What's the everyday life of an American farmer? Is his living condition the same with the people live in the city?"
It's fine til WalMart moves in and forces him and his family into poverty.
"America is the strongest country in the world, but it seems so many American don't know China well, and many policy of American are to restrain China's development. What do you think about this problem?"
When you take over, you can force us to learn.
"Which college is best in America for studying rapeseeds?"
East Tennessee State University.
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