iOS App in Gansu

Here's another story in our iOS app tester experiences series. Last up we heard from junglegirl in Ethiopia, and now we have Alex Louis in Xi'an.

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I have been serving in the Peace Corps in China since the summer of 2010. Integrating into the local culture is crucial for a successful volunteer, and that means learning the language. Fortunately, the Peace Corps provides the best language training out there--in two short months, I was able to order food, buy train tickets, and have short, simple conversations, all in Chinese.

The only catch is Peace Corps language training doesn't teach reading or writing. Since we only have two short months, they have to cram as much as they can, which means no time to labor over radicals and stroke order. So while I could order food in Chinese, menus were gibberish. And if I ever missed my train, I couldn't read a train schedule to find an alternate route. When I first went to my work site and couldn't tell which bathroom was the men's room, I knew I had to learn to read.

Luckily a fellow volunteer recommended Skritter during those first few months at my site, and I've been hooked ever since. In just 17 months of studying Chinese--12 of those with Skritter!--I just passed the HSK level 4. But Skritter's biggest downside was I had to sit in front of my computer at home to study. I'm in a remote city in Gansu province, one of the poorest in China--there are no Starbucks with WiFi where I could take my laptop. And I came to China to see China, not to stay in my bedroom to stare at my laptop. When the sun was shining and people were out in the streets, using Skritter came to be a chore.

Then I was offered a chance to test out the Skritter iOS app. It has completely changed how I study. You won't find me cooped up inside anymore. You'll find me at the wetlands surrounding the city, using my iPod to Skritter and chatting with the people strolling on the path. Or I'll be at the local dumpling joint, the owner's kids grabbing my iPod to play with the app and "teach" me how to write correctly. I recently took a weekend trip to the provincial capital Lanzhou, which normally would mean I'd get behind in my studying. But I had my iPod with me, and I could Skritter the whole 7 hour train ride. The app has gotten so good that I don't remember the last time I used the website to study. I bought a cheap stylus and write with it; it's just like pen on paper. Most importantly, in three short months of using the app I've learned nearly 500 new characters. I never learned that fast when I was on my computer.

Even though the app is still in development, it's pretty much good enough for me right now. But the Skritter team are perfectionists and won't quit improving it, so I know when it's finally released, it will be awesome!

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If you haven't already, go check out the Skritter iOS app teaser page and sign up to get an email when we launch the free app. You'll also be entered to win a free iPad to Skritter on.

The Legend of Nian

This year Monday, January 23rd will mark the Lunar New Year, commonly referred to as Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is a time steeped in tradition and custom. Like superheroes, these traditions often have at least one origin story associated with them--Chinese New Year has several. One that I'm particularly fond of is the legend of the mythical creature 年 (Nian).

Legend says that with winter coming to an end and spring fast approaching, the mythical beast Nian would come from hiding to feast on people and anything else it could eat. However, Nian had a fear of three things: the color red, blazing fires, and loud noises. One winter, after discovering the beast's three weaknesses, the people of a small village decided to prepare for the beasts arrival, placing planks of red peach wood on either side of their doors, and lighting large fires before their doors. No one dared sleep that evening, so instead they stayed awake beating pots and pans, making as much noise as they could muster.

That evening the beast fled from the village, never to return again. The next day, everyone gathered together to celebrate their success, wishing each other safety and happiness for the year to come. That day became known as Guo Nian, or the day that they survived the attack of Nian. From that day forward, every year when winter was coming to an end and spring was fast approaching they would cover their doors in red, light fires and spend the night making a racket in case Nian decided to return.

Today, people have long forgotten the legend of Nian, but the customs still remain. Guo Nian (过年: guònián）now means to pass (or observe) the New Year. The planks of red peach wood are now the 春聯 (chūnlián: spring festival couplets) that can be found pasted on doorways. The fire and loud noises are the 鞭炮 （biānpào), the string of small firecrackers that people light on New Year's Eve. Still today, on the first day of the new year, everyone gathers together on the streets to celebrate and wish everyone a peaceful and happy year.

The modern version of 春聯 that are hung up outside of doors for the New Year.

Everyone at Skritter hopes you all have a wonderful Lunar New Year. If you've heard other Lunar New Year legends, or want to share some of the other traditions associated with the New Year, be sure to share them in the comments below.

新年快乐！
The Skritter Team


* The above legend was translated (loosely) from the following text, with parts added from Jade Dragon.

过年的习俗，有很多不同的传说，有一种说法是：

有个怪兽叫做 “年”，冬天快结束， 要到春天的时候，常会出来吃人，找食物，但它怕三样东西，一是红色，二是火光，三是很吵的声音。所以大家在冬天的时候，在门的两边挂上红色的桃木板，门口放一堆火，夜里不睡觉，敲敲打打的弄出很吵的声音，结果把 “年” 这只怪兽吓跑，再也不敢出来，过了这一夜，大家互相庆祝，说说吉祥话，恭喜大家平安快乐。

后来，门两边挂上红色桃木板的习俗，就变成了在门的两边贴上红色的“春联”。火光和大的声音，就变成了放鞭炮。一到了新年的早上，到处都会看见红色的喜气，大家见了面都会互相恭喜，祝贺大家都平安，可以快乐过新年。
（Text adapted to simplified Chinese from tcsl.ntnu.edu.tw/writing)

How to write a New Year's Card

With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, it is a time for many to return home and spend their holiday with family. But sometimes connecting with distant (as in location) relatives isn't an option. In times like that, the 新年賀卡 (xīn nián hè kǎ), or New Year's Card is a perfect way to send one's well wishes. For students of Chinese, this is the perfect time to put some of our hard-earned studying time to good use, and to get some serious culture points in the process.

A traditional 新年賀卡

The traditional New Year greeting card (see above) is typically just a single piece of paper with four major components.

1. 收件者 (shōu jiàn zhě: the receiver). The receivers name should be placed in the top right corner of the card, followed by their 尊稱 (zūn chēng) or honorific title (if they have one).
2. 吉祥話 or 祝福話 (jí xiáng huà: auspicious words / zhù fú huà: well wishes). Place in the center of the card, as this is the meat of the greeting card. The words should appear larger than the rest. Auspicious words should be selected according to the status of the recipient.
3. 寄件者 (jì jiàn zhě: the sender). Placed on the left hand side of the card this portion is divided into three sections. The first is 自稱 (zì chēng: your self-professed title) ex. 學生(xué shēng: student). It should be slightly smaller than your 署名 (shŭ míng: signature), which follows on the next line over. Proceeding your signature is the 啟事敬辭 (qǐ shì jìng cí), a way of further showing your respect to the sender. A typical example of this is 敬上(jìng shàng), the Chinese form of "respectfully".
4. 日期 (rì qí: the date). Much like personal and professional letters it is always important to wrap things up with the date. This appears furthest to the left on a traditional greeting letter.

Even if you are using the more common western-style greeting card found today, the components remain the same--just be sure to switch all the components to fit western standards.

A more western style of 新年賀卡, where the writing goes on the inside!

The big question still remains. What should you put in the middle? While the ubiquitous 新年快樂 (xīn nián kuài lè), or Happy New Year, is the obvious choice, there are many other options. One that is certain to be popular for 龍年 （lóng nián: the year of the dragon) is: 龍年行大運 (lóng nián xíng dà yùn), which will bring good luck to all your actions during the year of the dragon.

For a great list of some standard well wishes, and some great four character couplets, check out Card City, and some of their more standard greetings (found in the box marked: 參考賀詞: cān kǎo hè cí). The site is all in traditional Chinese, but pretty easy to navigate. You can even send an e-card to your friends and family if you choose.

Care to share a few of your favorite New Year greetings? Put them in the comments below.

Big Noise from the Little Island

January 14, 2012 might not seem like an important day in the west, but here in the "rogue province" we know as Taiwan it will mark the 13th-term presidential election. I'll let The Wall Street Journal and other news media outlets report on what this could mean for China/Taiwan relations, as Ma Ying-jeou and Tsai Ing-wen battle it out for what is expected to be quite the photo finish. Instead, I thought I would try and capture a bit of what it means for me here in Taiwan, and how the political atmosphere feels compared to the US.

I swear there is a scooter in the picture somewhere.

Firstly, the upcoming elections has meant loads of spam in my mailbox (the old fashion kind, that is). I'm sure candidates want to make sure that their message gets out to everyone. However, based on the fact that just about every piece of political spam in my apartment building now graces the floor of our first floor entryway, I would say that the general population (or at least everyone in my building) has already made up their mind on how they are going to cast their vote this Saturday. I guess it is better than having people go door to door, but that would at least give me a chance to practice some politically focused Mandarin!

While we don't get the door to door visits, I'm actually quite surprised at how willing people are to share their political views here. While I grew up being taught that politics were never a polite topic during meals, I've certainly had my fair share of politically conversations at my local breakfast shop. Not that I really have an opinion one way or another, but when I'm reading the newspaper I can't help but ask a few questions about what is being said by the candidates, and how the talking heads (yeah they have those here too) are spinning the facts. But things are all smiles when it comes to talking politics. The owner of the breakfast shop informed me that he and his brother don't speak because of political difference. Needless to say I didn't probe any further on that topic.

On the streets, you would have to be a fool to not know that something big was going on. Taipei, a city usually filled with more scooters than I ever thought possible, is now filled with the political equivalent of Hell's Angels--scooter gangs than have transferred their rides into rolling billboards for the candidate they support. Unlike the Angels, they've traded loud pipes for small speakers systems that blast the candidates' maxims for all to hear (and in three languages too). Since I live near a gas station, my apartment has been inundated with these sounds for months.

It doesn't stop there, as mini-trucks pick up the scooter slack, blaring the message even louder and longer, since they can't quite zip through traffic in the same reckless manner. In addition to these mobile ads, all the major roadways are graced with political flags and banner ads, as if the seeming disconcern for traffic lanes (or signaling before a lane change) weren't a big enough distraction while on the road.

For many, this weekend marks a trip back to their hometowns. Taiwan does not have an absentee-ballot system, so if you want to cast your vote it means you've got to head back to wherever "home" is on your resident IDs. This is a huge issue for many of my classmates who are still not done with finals and final reports for the semester. However, not wanting to miss their first chance to vote (the voting age in Taiwan is 20), they are getting even less sleep than before, trying to cram before the weekend. On an even bigger scale this also means that an estimated 180,000 overseas Taiwanese are returning home to cast their votes as well.

Reflecting back on my time in Taiwan around the 2008 election, it felt nothing like these past few weeks. Sure there were mini-trucks and flags, but it didn't feel like politics were out to get you, waiting in dark alleys or something. If that is any indication, I would say that the 14th is a huge day for Taiwan. The margins are close--way too close to call, and the general noise surrounding the streets (and the relentless mailbox spam) means these candidates are doing everything they can to get the votes. When the dust settles on the 15th, it will be interesting to see what this means for the upcoming future of Taiwan and cross-strait relations. At least one thing is certain: the streets will be a little quieter. Until Chinese New Year, anyway.

So many ways to be distracted on the road!

iOS App in Ethiopia

While George, Scott, and I are working hard on the upcoming Skritter iOS app, we thought we'd share some of the alpha testers' experiences with it so far. Even in its rough form, a lot of testers have great stories to tell about how they're using the app. First up is junglegirl, who you may remember from the October newsletter.

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For several months I had been planning a 3-week trip to Ethiopia in November 2011, and as much as I was looking forward to it, I was also dreading being away from Skritter for so long. I knew that Internet access would not be widely available there, and even when I did find an internet café the connection would probably be too slow. On the rare occasions in the past when I had gone just a few days without Skrittering, my study routine had been turned upside down, and I had become very frustrated by seeing how quickly I had forgotten what I had learned. I hated to think what would happen after three weeks.

At that time the iOS app was still in the early stages of alpha testing; it tended to crash a lot, so I didn’t have much hope that it could hold out for the whole trip. Nevertheless, I explained my situation to Nick, and he finished a stable version for me the day before I left. Lo and behold, it worked!

Thanks to the iOS app, I had Skritter in my pocket, no matter where I went! I could Skritter while cruising from one monastery to another on a boat around Lake Tana, watching gelada baboons playing on a plateau above Lalibela, trekking through the newly harvested fields of the Tigrai region, waiting for the bus conductor to change a flat tire, or just relaxing in a hotel room after a long day of travel. Ethiopia is a beautiful and often misunderstood country with a unique history, culture, cuisine, religion and people. I had an amazing trip there, and it was made all the better by the fact that Skritter was right there with me the whole time.

Even now that I’ve returned home and am connected to the Internet for most of the day, I definitely still enjoy playing (I mean, er, studying) on the app. Skritter is actually much faster on the app than on my laptop, and it’s great to be able to pick it up and study straight away, even when I only have a few minutes, rather than waiting until I have a solid chunk of time available to sit in front of the computer. Knowing how far the app has come already, I can’t wait to see what the finished version will be like once it hits the market.

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For more photos of junglegirl's trip, check out jungleboy's Flickr page. And if you haven't already, go check out the Skritter iOS app teaser page and sign up to get an email when we launch the free app. You'll also be entered to win a free iPad to Skritter on.