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Intro - Old membership, always a newbie

Introduce Yourself 自我介绍
#1

Hey guys, My name is Daniel and I’m from Brazil.

Besides Portuguese, English and Spanish… I know how to survive (that should be a proficiency level) in French and Italian.

A few years ago I’ve decided to take a shot and learn Mandarin on my own. I’ve joined chinesepod back in 2007 (!!) and back then listening to John and Jenny was the best way to start a day. However, since I had no one to practice with I struggled a bit to leave Elementary (things were a bit harder 8 years ago).

Now living in São Paulo, I’ve decided to take another shot. I’ve hired someone to teach me Mandarin (she’s tawainese!) and I’m using chinesepod as a complement. Plus now I can live watch chinese TV (CCTV app), listening to chinese music (spotify) so I don’t lose content after class. Working great so far.

Needless to say now I have now a new best way to start a day: watching Fiona :smile:

#2

We’re glad you re-joined. ChinesePod works great with a tutor because you can print off the lesson notes and go through the class and really practice speaking it rather than just passive listening.

If you’re a fan of Spotify, you should join our collaborative Chinese songs playlist of songs we like.

Click the link to add some of your favs.

https://open.spotify.com/user/gwilymjames87/playlist/3LEgrNLVVTaIYSGhX8Kmwc

#3

Wow, thanks for the prompt response.
That’s great, I’ll join it right now! A collaborative playlist sounds like a fun idea.

Talking about music/media suggestions, may I suggest something:
It would be great if you guys could post a few suggestions of movies, songs, books, tv shows from time to time. Things we could use in addition to chinesepod to get the “mandarin mindset” going after/before classes.

Not quite sure where to fit it though. (Qing Wen maybe?).

#4

WOAH, this is great! I have been trying to find some good Chinese songs/music for a whilie now. I don’t currently have spotify as I mostly use Google Music for my streaming, but this makes me want to sign up. Perhaps I will go through the list of songs and try to re-create it on google music. I like the idea of collaborative music sharing though.

#5

@GwilymJames I downloaded the spotify app to check out this playlist and it’s awesome! I just wanted to ask if there are any restrictions on the genre of chinese music that can be suggested/added by other people. I have found a couple songs that are good that I could recommend but they don’t fit with the current music style that I heard so far in the playlist.

#6

I think all styles are welcome. My knowledge of chinese music is pretty limited so it’s good to have lots of choice.

#7

The collaborative playlist is such a cool idea! I added a few songs myself - I hope others do the same!

#8

I’ll add a few songs tonight (well, tonight for me - GMT-3). But I’ll tell you guys in advance they are not really my cup of tea as far as music goes… :slight_smile: but it’s the kind of music I’ve been listening to listen in mandarin. They are soft, easier to understand.

BTW, if anyone knows any chinese rock band (from Kaiser Chiefs to Metallica-like). please let me know.

#9

you may have interest in this week’s Sinica podcast on HIp Hop in China. In the discussion section listeners turn up a lot of names and sources.
http://popupchinese.com/lessons/sinica/hip-hop-in-china

#10

Tks. Nice podcast. I’ll make sure to check the discussion later on.
I’ve added a few songs to the Playlist, no “the moon represents my heart” but overall they’re a bit girly.
The one song I would like to add is this one 對不起我的中文不好 (Transitions - Dui bu qi) but I couldn’t find it on Spotify. Only on YouTube. I thinks it’s really funny and useful for learners.

#11

@danielpioner This might not work, but I’ve created an initial collaborative playlist on YouTube. Perhaps you can have a go at adding the song here:

P.s: I made a cover of that song in my bedroom a few years ago :blush:

#12

@danielpioner I also discovered Transitions song 对不起 a while ago and loved it; especially since I felt I could relate to the lyrics haha.

@GwilymJames cool cover of the song. I like your YouTube channel, has some neat videos. Didn’t realize that you did this as well.

1 Like
#13

@GwilymJames @Matt_T I am happy to find out about the great spotify list!

A pity that the recommendation to this list is hidden here.
To should promote it better. It is awesome.