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SLV | Episode 13 | Language Checks, Chinese Ghost Stories, and Beijing's Air Quality

Steven's Language Vlog Podcast

Release Date: 10/28/2024

SLV | Episode 19 | Missing the hometown; how long do you hold onto a book; and why China? Why Canada? show art SLV | Episode 19 | Missing the hometown; how long do you hold onto a book; and why China? Why Canada?

Steven's Language Vlog Podcast

Episode 19 of The Language Vlog Podcast and we're talking about hometown memories, holding onto books for too long, and why China, why Canada? Recorded on Sunday, December 8, 2024, this episode was shot in front of a bookcase of books I've had since my university days. Some might say it's been a long time, others might say too long. When do you get rid of a book that's just sitting on your shelf? And if you're just joining in, be sure to join our newsletter (link below) as we're about to launch TWO new email campaigns: an introductory Chinese course and a "10-minute reminder" which we hope...

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SLV | Episode 18 | Reality of being an expat and an introductory Chinese course show art SLV | Episode 18 | Reality of being an expat and an introductory Chinese course

Steven's Language Vlog Podcast

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SLV | Episode 17 | Visiting Canada, Studying while Travelling, Making Books and Video Ideas show art SLV | Episode 17 | Visiting Canada, Studying while Travelling, Making Books and Video Ideas

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SLV | Episode 16 | From Seoul, South Korea! Textbooks, APPs, and another language check! show art SLV | Episode 16 | From Seoul, South Korea! Textbooks, APPs, and another language check!

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This episode was recoded while in transit at the Seoul Incheon airport in South Korea. I figured it would be better to record it early before the trip rather than try to set everything up once I was back in Canada.  This episode includes a discussion of recent activity on the language vlog, notably an "exit" language check while at the Beijing airport. Then we also talk a little bit about the difference in using textbooks and APPs and why it's sometimes easier to buy one instead of the other. Finally, I talk about the reason for the trip to Canada and its short duration. Transcripts here:...

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SLV | Episode 15 | Universal Studios Beijing, Reading the Classics, and Talking About Living in China show art SLV | Episode 15 | Universal Studios Beijing, Reading the Classics, and Talking About Living in China

Steven's Language Vlog Podcast

Welcome to episode 15 of the Language Vlog Podcast! This week's discussions include: Deleted commentary on the YouTube channel (oops!) A visit to Universal Studio Beijing (bring your own food, power bank, and get the express tickets!) Reading classic novels and works of literature Taiwanese, Cantonese, and Russian language lessons Responding to even MORE comments about living in China Transcripts here:   Keep in touch! Join our newsletter!   Enjoying what you hear? Buy me a coffee!   Time stamps: 00:00 Introduction and Channel Overview 00:35 Recent Video Updates 02:24...

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SLV | Episode 14 | 聊斋志异 and the Chinese Ghost Story and Why am I STILL in China?! show art SLV | Episode 14 | 聊斋志异 and the Chinese Ghost Story and Why am I STILL in China?!

Steven's Language Vlog Podcast

This week's episode covers a well-known collection of short stories from the 1600 to 1700s, 聊斋志异, LiaoZhaiZhiYi, by Pu Songling. We just released a video about this on our YouTube channel and in this week's podcast episode we discuss what the collection is and why it's significant. Furthermore, we include a bonus audiobook at the end of this week's podcast which you can download for free over on our Buy Me A Coffee website (. Next, we discuss a little about how our language study sessions are going, including what I'm currently reading in Russian (The DaVinci Code). I also mention how...

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SLV | Episode 13 | Language Checks, Chinese Ghost Stories, and Beijing's Air Quality show art SLV | Episode 13 | Language Checks, Chinese Ghost Stories, and Beijing's Air Quality

Steven's Language Vlog Podcast

In this week's episode of the Language Vlog Podcast, we discuss the busy week which saw me renewing my work visa, visiting the police station and navigating the usual paperwork.  All the while, we posted a new language check in video in which I try my hand at speaking both Russiand and Chinese. We also cover this week's live streams which included Chinese ghost stories (聊斋志异 in particular) and Russian declenions.  We finished the week with a couple of YouTube Shorts that gave a look at the air quality in Beijing as it stood on Friday afternoon.  For more language tips,...

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SLV | Episode 12 | Chinese visas, Russian speaking, and what is the five second rule? show art SLV | Episode 12 | Chinese visas, Russian speaking, and what is the five second rule?

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In this week's episode of the Language Vlog Podcast, we talk about some of the challenges in learning Mandarin Chinese and Russian, including the difficulties of switching between the two languages. We discuss daily routines with writing out Chinese character sheets and translating them for better comprehension. There's also an overview of renewing a Type Z visa for China, obtaining a Chinese green card, and the life of an expat in Beijing during the colder months. Finally, we cover building an effective Anki deck for Russian grammar and techniques shared by viewers during a recent live...

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SLV | Episode 11 | Deconstructing Chinese Characters, Russian Grammar Tests, and What Makes a Good Teacher? show art SLV | Episode 11 | Deconstructing Chinese Characters, Russian Grammar Tests, and What Makes a Good Teacher?

Steven's Language Vlog Podcast

In this episode of the Language Vlog Podcast, we talk about this past week's live streams including deconstructing Chinese characters (both Simplified and Traditional), failing Russian grammar tests, and what makes a good English teacher. We also ask: what does it mean to be self-taught and can you be a self-taught language learner? Keep in touch! Join our newsletter! Enjoying what you hear? Buy me a coffee! Time stamps:  00:00 Introduction and Greetings 00:22 Welcome to the Language Vlog Series 01:19 Weekly Language Learning Update 02:02 Deep Dive into Chinese Character Practice 10:22...

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SLV - PODCAST - Episode 10 - October 5, 2024 show art SLV - PODCAST - Episode 10 - October 5, 2024

Steven's Language Vlog Podcast

In the 10th episode of the Language Vlog Podcast, we discuss how the Beijing autumn is now settling upon the city and touch on how the Chinese holiday "make up work day" system works. This episode also marks our foray into the land of podcast streaming, as we are now on all the major broadcast channels. I also discuss a little bit about a new habit I'm trying to form each and every morning: reading some Russian before going about my day (and before I fit in my Chinese studies, too!) We talk a little bit about the hutong neighbourhoods here in Beijing and an electric pipa performance that was...

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More Episodes

In this week's episode of the Language Vlog Podcast, we discuss the busy week which saw me renewing my work visa, visiting the police station and navigating the usual paperwork. 

All the while, we posted a new language check in video in which I try my hand at speaking both Russiand and Chinese.

We also cover this week's live streams which included Chinese ghost stories (聊斋志异 in particular) and Russian declenions. 

We finished the week with a couple of YouTube Shorts that gave a look at the air quality in Beijing as it stood on Friday afternoon. 

For more language tips, expat life insights, and to support the podcast, subscribe and buy me a coffee!

Keep in touch! Join our newsletter!

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Enjoying what you hear? Buy me a coffee!

https://buymeacoffee.com/stevenslanguagevlog

 

Time stamps:

00:00 Multilingual Greetings

00:51 Introduction to the Language Blog Podcast

02:05 Visa Renewal Process in China

05:43 Recording Language Checks

07:42 Challenges of Multilingual Recording

13:40 Live Stream on Chinese Ghost Stories

14:28 Exploring Chinese Ghost Stories

16:02 Western vs. Chinese Ghost Stories

17:36 Learning Russian: Challenges and Strategies

21:00 Struggles with Russian Proficiency Tests

22:00 Beijing's Air Quality and Ginkgo Trees

25:57 Upcoming Projects and Final Thoughts