Chien English Series (Serial 3) - My English Breakthrough Recipe: 4 Key Ingredients （Part 1）

說起我初到阿德萊德的生活還是挺不易的。

盡管有著英語基礎(chǔ)，但在這種純英語環(huán)境下的日常交流還是讓我十分受挫。喜歡表達(dá)的我無法讓人們輕松聽懂我在說什么。反過來，陌生的澳式口音和完全不熟悉的串串俚語，也讓我很難明白他人的意思。有時(shí)，我會(huì)鼓足勇氣請(qǐng)一個(gè)人重復(fù)一遍他說的話?？墒呛芏鄷r(shí)候，即使那人重復(fù)了一遍，我還是茫茫然而不知其所云。那種滋味。。。最后我只好尷尬得微笑散場(chǎng)，假裝聽懂。因?yàn)槲蚁胫鴮?duì)方應(yīng)該沒有耐心再重復(fù)第二次吧。同時(shí)也覺得很丟臉，因?yàn)槲也幌胱寗e人嘲笑我。

可想而知，這讓我的自信心急劇下降。無奈失落的我決定逃避現(xiàn)實(shí)，每天只與國內(nèi)的親戚朋友聊天。

就這樣兩三個(gè)月過去了。直到有一天，記憶中的一個(gè)場(chǎng)景在腦中一晃而過。也正是它使我的人生發(fā)生了劇變。

那時(shí)的我還在上高中，在一次乘火車的途中，我看到了車廂里居然坐著一個(gè)藍(lán)眼睛白皮膚的老外。這讓從未見過歪果仁的我超級(jí)興奮，因?yàn)槲医K于可以在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活小試口語了！猶豫良久后，我最終克服了害羞，開始與他聊天。

“但看看我現(xiàn)在身在何處？！”

被各種膚色的人包圍，可自己卻因?yàn)橛⒄Z水平而怯場(chǎng)了，避開人群了。有點(diǎn)諷刺，不是嗎？于是乎，自省模式開啟：

?“那個(gè)勇敢的愛語言的倩倩在哪里？”

?“從長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)看，這樣封閉自己真的會(huì)幫助到我嗎？不練習(xí)我的口語就能自動(dòng)提高了？”

我意識(shí)到此時(shí)的我真的很需要做出一個(gè)改變。我是真心想充分利用在澳大利亞阿德萊德的時(shí)光去提升自己，不枉費(fèi)爸媽的辛苦錢，也不辜負(fù)自己的青春時(shí)光。但究竟我該如何行動(dòng)呢？

記得很多英語達(dá)人都曾強(qiáng)調(diào)找到適合自己方法的重要性。因?yàn)槊總€(gè)人的情況都不同。以前，我曾試圖通過收聽英語廣播或觀看電視節(jié)目的方法去提高英文。但這對(duì)我而言似乎收效甚微，往往堅(jiān)持不了幾天我就自動(dòng)放棄了。因?yàn)榇蟛糠謺r(shí)候我都聽不懂里面在說什么。

“那我究竟喜歡什么呢？”我不禁陷入沉思。

良久過后，我找到了答案：“是人與人之間的無限暢聊！”

以此為引子，我漸漸探索到我的英語突破食譜里的四大秘密食材。在這個(gè)英語國家里學(xué)習(xí)生活更加速了整個(gè)過程。那么食材究竟有哪些呢？讓我們開始一一揭曉答案吧：）

食材一- 移動(dòng)式聊天

這個(gè)食材非常簡(jiǎn)單，不過聽上去卻又讓很多人緊張：在公共車站或在車上與陌生人交談。

在剛開始的一個(gè)月，每次對(duì)話前我都需要花很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間給自己打氣。

“如果他們覺得我很奇怪而拒絕與我交談直接走開怎么辦？那豈不是太尷尬了?！?/p>

“我會(huì)損失什么嗎？不會(huì)啊。我們本來就是陌生人。這也是人在海外的一大優(yōu)勢(shì)吧。不必?fù)?dān)心面子的問題。因?yàn)檫@里沒人認(rèn)識(shí)我，哈哈?！?/p>

深吸一口氣后，我開始一鍵進(jìn)入暢聊模式。

如果你也想嘗試一下，下面獻(xiàn)上我的三大錦囊：

1. 選人環(huán)節(jié)：挑個(gè)看起來面善的人。這樣你不至于太緊張，例如一個(gè)慈祥的老奶奶。

2. 話題環(huán)節(jié)：選擇你自己感興趣的主題，這樣會(huì)有助于談話的可持續(xù)性。我的燃點(diǎn)永遠(yuǎn)是文化背景，美食，餐廳或任何阿德有趣的地方。

3. 實(shí)踐環(huán)節(jié)：微笑微笑微笑。微笑能傳遞溫暖，也更容易建立信任。我們的老祖先不就曾說：伸手不打笑臉人嘛。

在此，我還想獻(xiàn)上一條安心信息，我的聊天邀請(qǐng)還從沒有被拒絕過，所以？ ：）而且，從千奇百怪的談話中我還收獲了很多有意思的信息。公交站就像是一個(gè)迷你世界，開闊了我的視野，并幫我透過不同的視角領(lǐng)略了這個(gè)大大的世界。

倩故事時(shí)間

如果要問我，這么多次談話中，進(jìn)入聊天模式最自然的是哪一次？

我的回答絕對(duì)是：和那個(gè)背著吉他酷酷的音樂人的那次。

“你喜歡什么類型的音樂呢？”作為一個(gè)音樂粉，我就這樣直接進(jìn)入主題。不過他后面提出的問題卻驚訝到了我。

“你能給我介紹介紹你們中國的音樂嗎？我一直很想問一個(gè)中國人，但這太難了?！?/p>

“哦？怎么會(huì)呢？”我很好奇。

“因?yàn)槲易⒁獾侥銈兛偸窍矚g集體出洞，而我是一個(gè)人，一對(duì)多還是挺考驗(yàn)?zāi)懥康??！彼t腆地笑了笑。

“哦，原來即使對(duì)于一個(gè)男生而言，主動(dòng)發(fā)起對(duì)話也不容易啊。但我每天都在這樣做啊?！?想到這里，還挺為自己的勇氣自豪滴:) 同時(shí)我又也開心聽到別人對(duì)中國文化感興趣。這讓我不禁意識(shí)到很多時(shí)候我們可能代表的并不僅僅是自己，還包括我們血緣里的文化和身后的國家。所以我應(yīng)該盡量把每件事都做好，不能給祖國丟臉哈。

也有一些對(duì)話讓我打破了自己原先對(duì)于西方國家的一些刻板印象。

我就曾遇到過很多類似以下的對(duì)話：

“你從哪里來呢？”

“中國。”

“來這邊多久了？”

“剛來幾個(gè)月，我在這邊讀書?！?/p>

“您來這里應(yīng)該是因?yàn)檫@邊有一些認(rèn)識(shí)的人在這邊吧？”

“并沒有?！?/p>

“哇。那你和你的父母都很勇敢啊。如果讓我想象自己的孩子在一個(gè)陌生的國家求學(xué)，我會(huì)很擔(dān)心的。我不知道自己能不能做到。”

出乎意料的回答。因?yàn)橹拔以诿襟w上總是聽說西方父母和中國父母很不一樣。他們?cè)诤⒆右怀赡昃蜁?huì)把他們趕出房子，讓其獨(dú)立在外闖蕩。這也是我來澳大利亞的目的之一，想親眼看看世界。用自己的眼睛，耳朵和心靈去觀察，感受和體驗(yàn)這個(gè)陌生的國家。

公交站還是答疑解惑的理想場(chǎng)所。

在中國，我們往往對(duì)其他國家的人特別熱情而友好，總是爭(zhēng)相主動(dòng)與他們聊天。所以，那時(shí)的我想著自己在澳洲的大學(xué)里應(yīng)該也能享受到這個(gè)待遇吧，但這種福利卻鮮有發(fā)生。為什么呢？

當(dāng)看到一個(gè)面貌和善的姑娘在公交站等車時(shí)，我立馬走上前去。確認(rèn)她也是大學(xué)生后，我拋出了這個(gè)自己一直百思不得其解的問題。

“我從來沒有想過要主動(dòng)去搭訕誒。因?yàn)槲也⒉挥X得他們與眾不同，也不想讓他們覺得我們認(rèn)為他們和我們不同。澳洲是一個(gè)多種族國家，我從小就在這樣的環(huán)境下長(zhǎng)大。另外，我擔(dān)心自己會(huì)不會(huì)因?yàn)橐恍o意識(shí)的言語而冒犯到他們。” 她思考片刻，說道。

嗯，原來如此。所以，作為國際學(xué)生的我們，要想提高口語，必須要積極主動(dòng)地去開啟對(duì)話呀。

此外，這兒還是一個(gè)很棒的故事角。

因?yàn)槊慨?dāng)我遇見老人時(shí)，總想知道他們以前曾做了什么。每個(gè)人都是一本獨(dú)一無二的書，對(duì)嗎？

仍然記得那位老爺爺，大方地在車上與我分享他的人生故事。

“我曾做過多年的美發(fā)師。我很熱愛我的工作，因?yàn)橛X得自己做的事兒很有價(jià)值。”他的眼睛里閃爍著興奮的光。

“一些人的容貌因?yàn)槲业募舻抖耆淖?。”他繼續(xù)說道。 “但是一場(chǎng)地震卻讓我的職業(yè)發(fā)生了改變。我開始做護(hù)發(fā)產(chǎn)品銷售。我的業(yè)績(jī)很好，所以直到退休我都再?zèng)]拿起過剪刀?，F(xiàn)在想想還是挺遺憾的。”

嗯，有一份自己超級(jí)熱愛的工作，聽上去真的很棒。我也很想擁有這樣的感覺。于是我往自己的夢(mèng)想后花園里種下了這顆種子。

除了這些精神收獲外，巴士還讓我收獲了一份驚喜。

一天，當(dāng)我下車后，兩個(gè)女孩朝我走來：“你也是這個(gè)校區(qū)的學(xué)生吧？”

“是的，你們?cè)趺粗赖模俊蔽腋械胶苷痼@。

“哦，我們?cè)诠嚿蠠o意聽到了你的談話?！?/p>

我們開始邊走邊聊起來。最后，我和其中的一個(gè)女孩喬安妮（Joanne）還成為了好朋友。多么美妙的遇見：）

喬安妮來自馬來西亞，她也會(huì)說一些中文。但她提議道：“我覺得，為了長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)發(fā)展，我們應(yīng)該堅(jiān)持說英語。而且這樣做，一些不懂中文的人也可以參與到我們的對(duì)話中來，如果他們?cè)敢獾脑?，你覺得呢？”

對(duì)啊。我怎么沒有想到呢？多么有禮貌而富有包容性的舉動(dòng)。獨(dú)特而明智！雙手贊同！另一個(gè)秘籍輕松學(xué)到。

如果看到這兒的你，還是覺得在公交站聊天實(shí)踐難度太大，那么可以想辦法降低難度。比如在你消費(fèi)時(shí)，在理發(fā)店理發(fā)或禮品店購物中，去嘗試著和理發(fā)師或售貨員聊天。有創(chuàng)意的按照自身情況自行調(diào)整哈。

下篇我將介紹我的另外三大秘密食材。敬請(qǐng)期待：）如果你有任何小妙招，請(qǐng)記得留言分享哈。

Part 1

To be honest, my first few months in Adelaide were not easy.

Despite my English foundation, I still found it very frustrating in daily conversations. I couldn’t really express myself well enough so that people could easily understand me. Meanwhile, it was not easy for me to get others’ points either, due to the foreign accent and Australian slang. Sometimes, it even took so much courage for me to simply ask a person to repeat themselves. And the worst thing was, after that person repeated, I still felt puzzled. So I just smiled and pretended that I got it, because I was too embarrassed to ask them to repeat again.

So my self-esteem dropped dramatically. I chose to escape from reality, only talking to my friends and family back home every single day.

This lasted for two to three months. One day, a scene popped up into my head and it changed my life.

Once when I was a teenager on a train travelling to another city in China, I saw a foreigner. I got so excited because finally, I could practise my spoken English in real life! Eventually, I overcame my shyness and initiated the chat with him.

“But look where I am now! “

Even though I was surrounded by different races and colours in everyday life, just because of my poor English I chose to shy away from the crowd. Ironic, isn’t it?? I asked myself:

“Where is that courageous and language over Qian?”

“Will closing myself off help me in the long-run? Is my English going to be better if I keep doing this?”

I realised I really needed to make a change. I did want to make the most of my time in Adelaide, in Australia. But how?

I recalled some people had stressed the importance of?finding the methods that you feel most?comfortable with. Previously, I tried to listen to the radio or watch TV episodes. But, they just didn’t work for me, as I couldn’t understand much of what was being said.

“What do I like?” I pondered.

“Ah, people interaction.”

I then finally discovered my own four key ingredients gradually for my English breakthrough recipe???Living in this English speaking country?definitely accelerates the whole process if you are proactive enough. So what are my ingredients?

No.1 Ingredient - Moving Talk?

This ingredient is very simple, but nerve-wracking at the same time. That is, to talk to people at bus stops or when I was on the bus.

“What if they feel I am so odd that they walk away and refuse to talk to me? That would be so embarrassing.”

I hesitated. Then I thought:

“We are strangers anyway. Will I lose anything? No. That’s one of the joys of living overseas for a Chinese person.??I don’t need to worry about losing face. Because no one knows me.”??

Taking a few deep breaths, I started to initiate conversations with strangers.

Here are my three tips for you if you want to try out this too:

1. Pick someone who looks friendly, such as an old person.

2. Select a topic that you are interested in or familiar with, because that will help you to keep the conversation flowing. Forme, the topics are always cultural heritage, food, restaurants or any interesting places.

3.? Smile smile smile. A smile sets a tone and initiates trust. There’s a Chinese saying goes that, never slap over a smiling person.

One comforting fact for you, I didn’t have any rejections. Instead,I had so many interesting conversations.?It's like a mini world, opened my horizon and helped me to see the world through different lenses.

Story Time

Reflecting back, what is the easiest conversation for me to start?

It must be the one I had with a person carrying a guitar.

"Which music genre do you like?" As a music lover myself, it was so easy to initiate the conversation. But later, something he raised struck me.

"Could you tell me the music from your country? I've always wanted to ask a Chinese person. But it was too hard."

"How so?"

"Because I noticed you tend to go out together as a group, so for me as an individual, it's very intimidating to approach you."

"Oh, even for a guy, to initiate a conversation is not easy. But I am doing It. " I thought. It made me feel proud of myself :)Also, it's great to know people are interested in my culture. That also made me realise sometimes I not only represent myself, but also my country. I should strive to be great at everything I do then???

Some conversations helped me notice my own strengths and break a stereotype.

?I've had quite a few similar chats like this:

“Where are you from?”

“China.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Only a few months, and I am here to study.”

“Did you know anyone here when you first came?”

“No.”

“Wow. You are so brave as well as your parents. I would be so worried to send my children to study overseas.”

Hearing that surprised me. Because I was told in media that western parents are generally very tough. They throw their children out of their house once they turn 18. That’s one of my purposes coming to Australia too. I want to see the world, to discover Australia with my own fresh eyes, ears and heart. How exciting??

A bus stop is also a perfect place to ask some of my burning questions too.

For example, in China, we tend to be so intrigued to talk to a person from other countries. But here, it seems not the case. My friends and I used to hope that local students could approach us first, but this rarely happened. Why?

When I saw a friendly girl waiting at the bus stop, I started to chat with her. After confirming that she is a university student too, I asked my question.

“It has never come to my mind because I don't feel they are different and don't want them to feel they are different either. We are a multicultural nation, and I've seen so many races when I grew up. Also, I don't want to offend them if I said something wrong.”

Ah, that explained why.?So?as international students, we do need to be proactive to initiate conversations?if we want to improve English.

In addition, it's a?great storytelling place too.

Whenever I met the elderly, I was so curious to find out what they did before.

I still remembered that gentleman, he was so willing to share with me his life stories.

“I used to be a hairdresser for so many years. I loved it, because it’s so rewarding.” His eyes beamed with excitement.

“Some people's looks changed completely because of you.” He continued. “But my career changed after an earthquake. I started to sell hair products. I did it so well that I've never got the chance to do hair cutting anymore. I missed that.”

Hmm, to have a job that you thoroughly enjoy. How does it feel like? I want to experience that feeling. I planted this seed in my dream garden.

Besides, I even received a?pleasant surprise after a bus conversation???

One day, when I got off my usual bus, two girls came along and asked: “You are a university student studying here too?”

“Yes, but how did you know?” I was shocked.

“We overheard your conversation on the bus.”

We ended up walking and chatting along. One of the two girls Joanne and I even became good friends ever since. What a wonderful encounter??

Joanne is from Malaysia, and she can speak some Mandarin too. But she suggested: “Let’s speak in English for our own good in the longterm. Also,?it is a more inclusive act in?public if any non-Chinese person wants to join our conversation.”

What a unique but wise perspective! Deal! Another lesson learned.

If you think talking at the bus stop still sounds too scary for you, then try to talk to a stranger when you are using a service. For example, when you are having your haircut at a salon or choosing a gift for your friend at a shop. Be creative and adjust when you need to.

In the next serial, I am going to reveal my other three ingredients. Stay tuned :) If you have any feedback or any great English learning tip, welcome to share with me.