Most of the drivers in Guangzhou speak Mandarin as their first language, admittedly they may have a Funan (hmmmm, Hunan) accent or they may be local drivers with a Cantonese accent, but either way it is a great opportunity to speak Chinese. People always tell me they do not want to make a fool out of themselves with their friends and colleagues as their language skills are not good. This is even more of a reason to use the taxi driver as your language partner because the chances of seeing them again are limited so who cares if you make a few mistakes!! Introduce yourself, ask him some questions, say anything you like. It will help you to remember what you have learned, can build your confidence and you can even learn some new words and phrases as your skills develop. At the end of your journey you can even grab the fapiao and claim the 'language training' on your expenses!
1 comment:
I do agree on the point that a cabbie is a good language partner. Even if here in Shenzhen your language partner would ask you for 12,50 upfront or later in the evening even 16,10 for your lesson . But what I really want to motivate all of you and join Ben with his statement. The really best language partners, after your learning process, are out there, the 7/11 staff, the staff in the restaurant, the guy / lady doing your foot massage, your barber… only by not being shy and use the Chinese skills you learned in the classroom, it will get just so much better and reinforce your learning so much. Don’t worry about the reactions too much. Nobody will laugh about you when you speak Chinese. Go, give it a try...
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