Suzhou and Song
For some reason, my listening comprehension was down today. Tingting said a lot of things I had trouble understanding. On the other hand, I was speaking a lot more Mandarin today. I really made an effort to try saying everything I could in Mandarin, to see if I could overcome whatever block I've been having lately. It was better.
For awhile we talked about Suzhou. Every time she tells me things she loves about Suzhou, I want to go there more. My sister's husband has visited China many times for work, and he always says that Suzhou is his favorite city there. My dream vacation is in Suzhou.
Somehow we ended up talking about family life in several dynasties. I think it started because she sent me several images from a panoramic painting from the time. Maybe also because I've been thinking about the Song dynasty since I've been watching shows that take place then. She asked what show I've been watching and I said, "Jiào shào nián yáng jiā... shénme..." (couldn't remember the last word). She started telling me more about that story, which she remembers from when she was young.
So this week I felt better with the speaking (a little), but worse with the listening. Oh well. Maybe my ears are exhausted from 50,000 hours of Chinese television over the weekend...
Maybe I should rest my brain and watch something in Korean.