Holy cow. Only nine days until I travel to China to become a flash quote reporter for the Olympic News Service. (So what is a flash quote reporter? I will be interviewing athletes after events to provide English- speaking media with quotes for stories. We will also be writing reviews of events and press conferences, among other duties. Our group has been assigned to cycling events.)
Truthfully, I am not nervous about the internship. It's the Olympics! It's going to be amazing. And we get bucket hats and fanny packs with our uniforms. Who can argue with that?
I am, however, nervous about the language barrier. I've been having flashbacks of a Spanish linguistics class I took last year. When I didn't understand a word anyone was saying, I would slouch in my seat (at least more than usual) to hide behind the person in front of me, flip through my Spanish dictionary, and use the old "avoid eye contact at all times" strategy. Of course, the professor called on me whenever I did this.
I know I won't become fluent in Mandarin anytime soon, but I would like to at least master the basics so I don't appear rude or uninterested in Chinese culture. I've been scouring YouTube, and it has been beneficial. Here's some of what I've learned so far, along with my expert phonetical pronunciation guide:
Ni hao (nee how) is "Hello" or "How are you?"
Wo jiao Lauren Harrington (woo jaow) is "My name is Lauren Harrington."
Xie xie (see-a see-a) is "Thank you."
Bu ke qi (boo cah che) is "You're welcome."
I don't mind if people laugh at me, as long as they know I'm trying!
