Free Chinese classes, 7 days per week :-)

 AN INTENSIVE COURSE OF CHINESE LANGUAGE

Finally! We gave you information about the camp location, who we are, accommodation and meals, we introduced you to the Romanian world, we gave you details about Vadu Soresti, about the people who live here and now we will inform you about the classes. J

The Chinese Language Camp opens at the end of June (the earliest on the 28^th of June and closes at the end of August, the latest on the 28^th of August).

Here is information about the Chinese language from the country where it is spoken, China! We do not give you information from Google, from the newspapers, from different comments or opinions, but real “live” information.

Maybe you already know this but there are others who do not know it:

1)       The Chinese language does not have an alphabet, it has characters, about 60.000.

2)       In China, a native student who graduates high school, knows about 4000-5000  characters.

3)       If that student continues his/her studies in faculty, when he/she graduates, he/she knows about 8000 characters.

4)       A native Chinese teacher knows about 10.000 characters.

5)       Calligraphists know a bit more characters because they represent the “tools” of their work.

6)       In order to say that you are proficient in Chinese, it is enough for you to know between 5000 and 8000 characters.

7)       The dialects of Chinese, except for the Mandarin one, are different to the standard language, they are like different foreign languages, the only thing they have in common is the writing.

8)      Generally speaking, the Chinese people who live in the south of the country, have a pronunciation which is far from the standard one, therefore, they understand what those who live in the north of the country say - the Chinese who live in the north speak the Mandarin dialect, on which the standard language is based – unfortunately, those who live in the north can hardly understand, and sometimes not at all, what the inhabitants from the south say in the standard language, as speaking of dialects, if they use the different dialects, they do not manage to understand each other at all.  

9)       The knowledge of Chinese language one needs to have for the highest level of HSK (level 6) is equivalent with the level of a native Chinese language speaker who graduates high school in China.

10)   A Japanese student had excellent results: after four months in which she studied the Chinese language in China, she managed to pass the 4^th level of HSK. Well, it is true that the Japanese writing has its origins in the Chinese language.

11)   Levels 5 and 6 have tricky questions, they require a lot of attention and practice or if you do not have a lot of time for preparation, it is necessary to have spent some time in studying Chinese: a Chinese language teacher, specialized in teaching Chinese to foreigners, informed us that he only managed once to solve all the questions from HSK level 6.

Which is the level you would like to reach? J Speaking seriously, it is obvious that you cannot learn Chinese in a month. But you could pass the first two levels of HSK or at least you could learn enough as to have a solid base to improve later on your own for the next levels.

It is advisable for you to come for 3-4 weeks. We’ll go through a complete course from the end of June up to the end of July. Then from the end of July up to the end of August, we will start it all over again.

No matter how long you stay, you will receive the materials for free, both for the course and for HSK simulation.

This summer, we prepare students who want to pass the first three levels of HSK. Even if you have already passed these levels, the audio courses and the speaking practice will definitely be useful for you for the upper levels.  Moreover, we have the textbooks and the audio materials for simulation of HSK for the next three levels also for free. J

This year we will receive a maximum number of 30 students! Ius primi occupantis ! The first to come are the first to be welcome !

When the weather is fine, we’ll have the classes in the open air. Don’t worry, it’s a rural area so it is peaceful! J

When it rains, we can install a big tent or we’ll have the classes in the building of the old, abandoned school or inside the kindergarten.

If there are more than 15 students, we’ll organize 2 groups: group A and group B.

From Monday to Friday, there will be classes (in French, English, Romanian and of course, Chinese) and all that involves the practice in common related to writing, reading and grammar and vocabulary explanations (we require you to be active students at the classes). So the schedule would be the following:

Group A :

8 :30 – 9 :15 – class

9 :15 – 9 : 25 – break

9 :25 –10 : 10 – class

Group B :

10 :15 – 11 :00 – class

11 :00 – 11 :10 – break

11 :10 – 11 :55 – class

If there are less than 15 students, then there will only be one group and the schedule would be the following:

9 :00 – 9 :45 – class

9 :45 – 9 :55 –break

9 :55 – 10 :40 – class

From Monday to Friday, between 14 :00 – 17 :00* and at the weekend (unlimited time)** there will be revision classes, based on speaking and listening activities (in order to practice for the listening test, the first part of HSK exam) only the Chinese language will be used this time.

*The Revision classes from Monday to Friday will take place while performing other activities, such as volunteering activities or trips in the villages nearby, the vocabulary taught during the morning classes will be connected to those activities.

You are not obliged to take part at the volunteering activities but you are obliged to be present at the revision classes, so that at the end of your stay in our camp, you will be able to speak Chinese even if that is at a beginner level.

**The revision classes during the weekend involve unlimited time because they will take place during the trips organized in the villages that are close to Vadu Soresti or in other villages from Buzau county, where we will visit sites that are unique in Europe and even in the world.

We will add more details but until then, we let you imagine, what it would be like to go to classes on a road in the countryside, by bike, in the summer. And what about going to classes, riding a horse or in a cart? It depends if your host has a horse or a cart, you will not travel like that every day to your classes but you will be able to “taste” the experience J

About Vadu Soresti

Where is Vadu Soresti?

Vadu Soresti is in the south-east of Romania, in Buzau County, in the south of Moldavia, more precisely in the south from that part of “Big Moldavia” which is at the moment inside the borders of Romania.

                                             Vadu Soresti on the map of Romania

Where is Romania? Some consider it to be in the central-south-eastern part of Europe, others in the south-east of Europe. If you look for it on the map of the world, you will find it at the parallel 45, in the west of the Black Sea, in the north of the Danube, having in its centre the arch made up by the Carpathians. We will provide more specific details about how to get here, on another page which is designed for orientation purposes.

The position of Romania in Europe and on the Globe

When was Vadu Soresti first mentioned and what are the names of the villages nearby where we will go on trips?

Vadu Soresti village was first mentioned at the end of the 19^th century, when it was the residence of the parish Vadu Sorestilor from Slanic in Buzau county.

The parish was formed from the villages Clociti (today named Pruneni) and Harboca (divided in Vadu Sorestilor and Blestematele); the population was of 1190 inhabitants; a school and two churches were used here at the time.

In 1925, in Socec Annual , it is said that this parish is made up from the villages Clociti, Harboca and Vadu Soresti and it has 1654 inhabitants.

In 1968, the parish Vadu Soresti was dissolved and the village was included in Zarnesti parish, whose residence is in Fundeni. It was also then that the village Harboca was dissolved and included in Vadu Soresti.

In 2002, the population was of 1482 inhabitants.

Source :http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadu_Sore%C8%99ti,_Buz%C4%83u

Shortly, the villages we are going to visit when we leave Vadu Soresti are: Pruneni, the area of the former Harboca, Petrisoru (a village which belongs to another parish – Racoviteni and in which we will find the sites from Vadu Soresti), Zarnesti (where the mastodons were discovered in 1884) and Fundeni. In the future, we also intend to make a map of this area so that the tourists who prefer to go on trips on their own, without joining the group from the camp, do not get lost.

A virtual trip in Vadu Soresti

You can see the houses, the households, the gardens, the roads, the church, the main store in the village, the old school building, etc. by pointing your mouse to the little orange man from the left bottom of your computer screen or you can drag with your mouse, the picture you opened and which takes most of the space of your screen.

https://www.google.ro/maps/@45.317417,26.871114,3a,75y,99.97h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1srV6AqmvEL2XbNtkGVYV3Zw!2e0!6m1!1e1

Who lived here more than two thousand years ago?

       The Getae who spoke the same language as the Dacians, situated on the territory where Transylvania is today. Who else? The Roxolani, cattle breeders between the Dnieper and the Don (the east of Ukraine –west of Russia), nomadic population which spoke Iranian dialects, between the second and the first century before Christ, they migrated to the eastern part of the present Romania.  

       They lived with the Getae and they allied together against the Roman Empire, helping Decebal during the war, between 101-102 after Christ.

      

     

The Dacians and the Roxolani in the Roman Dacia

        “The Atlantis of Dacia/Romania”

Anciently, after Dacia was conquered by the Roman Empire, Ptolemeu Claudius (Greek astronomer, mathematician and geographer) indicated in the south of Moldavia (part of the the ancient Moldavia which is still between the borders of Romania), an important citadel of the getae-dacians. – Ramidava (from the tribe of Ramae masters).

At present, the certain location of Ramidava is not known, but according to some historians and archaeologists, it is situated at Ramnicu Sarat (in the north of Buzau county), at about 20 km from Vadu Soresti, this is why it is thought that Vadu Sorestri could be one of the old parts of Ramidava.

Others say that Ramidava was situated in Prahova county, in the south-east of Buzau county.

Since the surface on which Ramidava could be situated is not as big as Atlantida’s, which is thought to have been situated in different places all over the Globe, those who are passionate of archaeology could have the chance to take part at digging sessions together with the teams of Romanian archaeologists and to solve the mystery. Good luck! J We might join the teams as well after we manage to make the Chinese Language Camp work efficiently and after we succeed in putting in practice the project “FROM SCRATCH”. J

      

       What happened to the inhabitants from Buzau area after Decebal lost his war against Trajan?

       

Being allied with the Getae-Dacians, the Roxolani fought to free the south-eastern part of the present Romania, except for Dobrogea, therefore, starting with 117 after Christ, the Dacians and the Roxolani from Buzau county became free, they only spent 11 years under the Romans’ occupation.  The rest of Dacia which was under the Romans occupation during 164 years, until 271 after Christ, represented 14% of the whole Dacia.

Free Dacians after the year 117 after Christ (green area) and Dacia under occupation for 164 years, until 271 after Christ (yellow area)

     In 167, the Roxolani, Iazyges and Guads ally with the Costobocs and Carps and attack simultaneously Dacia Traiana, Raetia, Noricum and Pannonia, the latter being in Hungary today. Subsequently, "Barbara Federation" mentioned above also attacks the Black Sea coast, Macedonia, Moesia and Thrace. Then Roxolani, Carps and Costobocs advance up to Thessalonikis and Athens (Greece), where the natives help them destroy the Roman settlements. In 242, the Goths allied with the Carps enter the Roman provinces, Moesia and Thrace and attack them. For more details follow the link:

http://istorieveche.ro/2014/01/11/23-de-razboaie-si-rascoale-dacice-intre-106-271-d-hr/

In 330, the Goths ban the Roxolani from the area. A small part of them set in the Roman Empire and the majority, together with yazigi, in Pannonia, on the territory of Hungary at present. Since the end of the 4^th century, there is no other information about the Roxolani in historical sources.

Sources : http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxolani 

(To be continued)

The "Chinese Language Camp" Team

Introduction in the...Romanian World

Wild Carpathia

We posted the three documentary films about Romania for you can become familiar with the landscape, the people, their food, customs and traditions and thus you will have an idea about our activities in the camp.

The films are written and presented by Charlie Ottley, due to the desire and with the support of Charles Prince of Great Britain, whom the Romanians are greatful to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijHBd20B6JM&list=PLfjSV0AuxHtmkrvLMXxMUj5OFHZfyublu


Enjoy the films!


The "Chinese Language Camp" Team

Where will you be accommodated?

HAPPY TO HAVE YOU WITH US :-)

Although it was not easy, the winter and the distance did not prevent us from contacting a few villagers. The start is really promising: with help from our team, they will prepare materials (photos, interviews, etc.) in order to show you the room in which you will live and the yard where you could settle your tent, for those who are willing to feel the wonderful smell of summer flowers and the fresh air from the countryside. 

You will select yourselves the family with which you will live and in order to prevent any possible unpleasant surprises, the hosts will describe all they have or do not have in their yards. Even if some of them have more animals, a bigger house, a car, etc, the rates for accommodation and meals will stay the same, as we mentioned in the first pages of our blog, our purpose is to increase the living standards of the local people, which does not mean that we want to support some, more than others. All the donations and help we will receive, will be directed to those who really need them. So, we hope that the rooms and places for tents offered by old people and by those less fortunate will be the first to be taken. 

Hopefully, at the end of March, beginning of April, we’ll fill the page with the offers.

As details, the offers will contain:

- a photo of the room;

- a photo of the house;

- a photo of the family;

- if the members of the family speak any foreign languages and which are those;

- the number of family members;

- if there are children in the family and their ages;

- whether they are happy to receive any kind of help: second-hand clothes, school objects or other useful objects that the student/ tourist/visitor has at home but does not use it/them anymore anyway.

ATTENTION!! EVEN IF THE FAMILY MENTIONS THE FACT THAT IT IS WILLING TO ACCEPT HELP, NOBODY IS OBLIGED TO BRING ANYTHING! This is similar to the volunteering activities which we will organize in almost every afternoon and at the weekends when we do not go on trips, activities which include, for example, helping an old man/woman to pick up the fruits or the vegetables or to harvest the cereals or to dig his/her garden, activities which will be performed only by those WHO ARE WILLING TO DO THEM. The ADVANTAGE of performing such activities would be that during the afternoon, the Chinese language vocabulary, taught in the morning, will be repeated, vocabulary which will be connected with the activity performed and you could practice the spoken language as well as the audio part for HSK exam. Moreover, some of the activities will be performed as contests, for example: who manages to fill the greatest number of buckets with fruit, the prize will be awarded by the villager who is helped and it will also be a surprise for the “Chinese Language Camp” Team. J

There will also be information on whether:

-      They have or do not have a car

-      They have or do not have a bike

-      They have or do not have a cart

-      They have or do not have a sledge (for the winter camp of course)

-      They have or do not have a bathroom/toilet inside the house

-      They have or do not have Internet

-      They have or do not have animals/poultry in their yard (for you to know if they can offer you fresh milk and what kind of milk, eggs and what kind of eggs, meat for those who eat meat and also if you can ride a horse, in case they have one, if you can play with dogs, cats, etc or on the contrary, for you to avoid them if you do not like them).

-      They have or do not have a garden with vegetables (you will have the chance to eat bio-vegetables or not)

-      They have or do not have fruit trees (the kinds of fruit you will be able to pick up yourselves and eat them on the spot, these lacking any sort of chemical treatment, so they are completely healthy)

-      They would be happy to receive guests who are 100% vegans or vegans who consume milk, eggs and cheese

-      They bake cakes and other cookies, etc

There will definitely be other questions after you pick up you host family but we will address those issues at the moment they arise. Until then, during the next two months, we will prepare the materials and we will keep writing about other subjects related to the camp on the new pages of our blog J Stay close!

The “Chinese Language Camp” Team

Accommodation and meals

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

We consider that this subject is of great interest so even if work is still in progress on the other pages of our blog, we provide some information about accommodation and food.

Accommodation:

You will live in the house of a villager who will provide you a room with a bed, whether you’re a student/tourist/ visitor.

The prices in dollars and euros are adjusted. For example, the value of 30 RON, the price for accommodation per night is precisely 6,6 euros so, adjusted, it would be 7 euros.

The minimum price is 50 lei/night/bed. It is called „minimum”, because the money will be considered a donation, so the amount is not set. The organisation we will found will release invoices, and then it will invest the amounts received from this(and more by) funds in the necessary products for the villagers for house renovation, toilets in house, etc.

Considering the present currency :

1 euro = about 4,5 lei : so approx. 7 euro/night / bed

1 $ = about 3,4 lei : so approx. 9 $ / night / bed

If the toilet is inside the house, the price for accomodation is double: 60 LEI (14 EURO or 18$): 30 LEI (7 EURO or 9$) go to the host, the other 30 LEI (7 EURO or 9$) go to the team "Chinese Language Camp", which will invest it in improving the living conditions in the village.

For those who are willing to share the bed with a friend, the price per bed stays the same, which means that you and your friend pay together 30 Ron or 7 euros or 9 $, in other words, if you share the cost, each of you will have to pay 15 RON or 3,5 euro or 4,5 dollars.

If you need an extra bed, the price is 20 RON/bed/night = 4,5 euro = 6$.

The extra bed in which two people will sleep, has the same rate, so each of the two will pay half the price : 10 RON/night or 2,25 euros/night or 3 $/night.

If you are 4 friends, sharing the same room, you decide yourselves how you share the costs :

30 RON main bed +20 RON extra bed=50RON/4 people=12,5RON/person/night

7 euro main bed+ 4,5 euro extra bed= 11,5 euro/night/4 people = about 3 euro/person/night

9$ main bed +4,5$ extra bed=13 $/night/4 people= 3,5$/person/night

Cribs : We could find some in the village, we do not know at this moment exactly how many would be available, we will offer them for free, but we do not provide baby food as well.

  

Meals:

Breakfast: free;

Lunch : 10RON/person= 2.5euro/person= about 3$

Dinner : 10RON/person=2,5euro/person= about 3$

We’ll offer you more details about accomodation and meals in another post. The details will have images of the room provided by the host, of the host house, maybe there will also be a short presentation of what you could find in the house and in the garden, what kind of animals and poultry, the kinds of vegetables and fruit trees, cereals, hive of bees, etc, if the owner of the house also has a car, a cart, a bike, a motorbike, etc so that you can choose accomodation according to your tastes and also taking into account your food preferences.

We’ll also mention if the family is rather poor, an average one or above average, if they would be glad to receive any kind of objects from you, such as clothes or school stuff from your children which you would not use anymore.

We will also let you know if the family is willing to cook for vegans or for those who do not eat a certain type of meat or who are maybe on a diet.

Please let us know if you are allergic to a certain ingredient, the host will take care not to serve you any food containing it !

We will also let you know if there are speakers of foreign languages among the members of that family, and if there are, which level they are at, so that you know beforehand whether you will be able to communicate directly to the hosts.

(We will add more details about the conditions and preferences regarding meals and accomodation )