庄雯钧 (Zoe) - 我在中文课的成长

对我来说，这个学期我的中文水平提高了很多！

In my first Learning Journal post, I wrote "我想提高我的中文水平，特别我的中文写作和口语能力". I feel that I have gotten better at both of these through the activities and assignments in CHIN 331. For example, writing the Intercultural Preview Posts gave us a chance to use the vocabulary for the chapter in advance of the lesson. This practice helped me remember the vocabulary because I put them into appropriate contexts. Another thing I also liked about the Intercultural Preview Posts was interacting with my classmates and learning about their respective cultures. It was a really good opportunity to exchange ideas and to get practice reading others' writing.

I also wrote that "I would like to improve my Chinese pronunciation". The Pronunciation & Tones Self-monitor Exercises we did this term really helped me with this because of the way it was structured. I liked how the characters and tones were shown but not the 汉语拼音, meaning I could practice associating the tones with the characters. I also enjoyed the time set aside for the Pronunciation Diagnosis in the Oral Practice sessions.

In terms of communicative ability outside of the classroom, I think I still have a long way to go. I think confidence is also a big factor that gets in the way of speaking Chinese with others. Although there are many people around me that I could practice speaking with, I barely even had the confidence to speak in class (下个星期我肯定会试试多举手！！）. However, I really appreciate the learning community that was built in our Chinese class, because it made me feel more comfortable.

A recent meaningful experience happened outside of the classroom just today. I went to a Chinese restaurant and was able to converse a little bit with the waiter, then order in Chinese as well (it helped that my family were the only guests in the restaurant at the time, so I was less nervous 😅). I felt like I could pinpoint moments where I used material I learned in CHIN 331 while holding the conversation, which was really cool!

下个学期，我的学习目标是：
1. Get to know my classmates better to contribute to the welcoming learning environment

2. Seek out native speakers to practice my conversation skills with
3. Build my self-confidence (in all areas of my life to be honest haha, but especially in CHIN 333)

谢谢大家，下个学期见！