EP08. New Self-Expression Course Launch ft. Crystal Hsia

In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, we're launching a brand new course called Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression in collaboration with frequent podcast guest and partner teacher, Crystal Hsia. Focused on the most highly-requested topics from all of you to help you navigate some of life's toughest challenges: Expressing Your Feelings, Interpersonal Relationships & Dynamics, Fertility Journey & Parenting, Caring For Aging Parents, and Self-Growth Journey. We're kicking things off with the release of the first module, "Expressing Your Feelings" - try a FREE LESSON from this module today!

THIS MONTH ONLY: Save $50 off (-25%) the regular price of the full course by pre-ordering today! Take advantage of the lowest price the course will ever be offered. Learn more about the course & purchase options HERE.

Learn new vocabulary in this episode, including the names of the various feelings covered in our first module, like 快樂與正向情緒 / 快乐与正向情绪 / kuài lè yǔ zhèng xiàng qíng xù ("happiness & positive emotions"), 憤怒與挫折 / 愤怒与挫折 / fèn nù yǔ cuò zhé ("anger & frustration"), 恐懼與焦慮 / 恐惧与焦虑 / kǒng jù yǔ jiāo lǜ ("fear & anxiety"), and more.

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EP07. Cross-Cultural Relationships ft. Gene Hsu

Gene Hsu is a fellow American-Born Chinese (ABC) who had a previous career in cross-cultural communication & management, teaching non-Chinese individuals about Chinese culture, mentality, and perspectives. On the side, he has also facilitated cross-cultural relationship mediation to help friends challenged in their marriages due to cultural differences and misunderstandings. Lastly, inspired by his current life in Southern California surrounded by many Chinese immigrants, he was inspired to write children's books teaching language and cultural tidbits to foster cultural understanding (What Do You Say To A Friend From China?).

We discuss a ton of new vocabulary words, including 全職爸爸 / 全职爸爸 quán zhí bà bà ("stay-at-home dad"), 語言障礙 / 语言障碍 yǔ yán zhàng ài ("language barrier"), 跨文化溝通 / 跨文化沟通 kuà wén huà gōu tōng ("cross-cultural communication"), and more.

If you like learning new vocabulary through this conversational format, try the free preview lesson of our course Real You Mandarin: Beginnings and check out the full syllabus to see if the course format is right for you.

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EP06. Third Culture Exploration ft. Isy

Isy is a Hong Kong-based online Mandarin/English tutor and mother of two who appears on the surface to be the classic poster child for being a "third culture kid." She was born and raised in Taiwan, moved to South Africa when she was 12 and lived there through her early 20s, moved to the Bay Area in California for a few years, and now is living in Hong Kong with her husband and kids for the foreseeable future.

We discuss a whole slew of new vocabulary words, including 種族 / 种族 zhǒng zú ("ethnic race"), 政治正確 / 政治正确 zhèng zhì zhèng què ("politically correct"), and 大英國協 / 大英国协 dà yīng guó xié ("the British Commonwealth").

If you like learning new vocabulary through this conversational format, try the free preview lesson of our course Real You Mandarin: Beginnings and check out the full syllabus to see if the course format is right for you.

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EP05. Taboo Topics & Common Mistakes ABCs Make in Mandarin ft. Jane Liu

We're back with Angela's "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" course co-creator and Taiwan-based Mandarin teacher, Jane Liu - this time, talking about taboo topics and common mistakes in Mandarin.

We dive into 3 specific terms: 1. "舒服 (shū fú)" vs "自在 (zì zài)", 2. "要不要約 / 要不要约 (yào bú yào yuē)" vs. "要不要約出去玩 / 要不要约出去玩 (yào bú yào yuē chū qù wán)", and 3. the concept of "報喜不報憂 / 报喜不报忧 (bào xǐ bú bào yōu)" (only reporting good news, not bad). Let's just say the first two, if used incorrectly, could be mistaken for... intimate meanings.

If you want to learn other taboo topics and common mistakes, we have an entire module dedicated to this in our "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" course. If you haven't already, try the free preview lesson on dating apps & describing your type, and check out the full syllabus to see if the course format is right for you.

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EP04. Dating Culture in Taiwan vs. the US ft. Jane Liu

We're joined by Angela's "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" course co-creator and Taiwan-based Mandarin teacher, Jane Liu, and we're talking about dating culture!

What does it look like in contemporary Taiwan and how does that differ from our dating culture in the US? Although the apps are prevalent in both parts of the world, Taiwanese culture still tends to be more conservative - for example, many people still have expectations around "告白 (gào bái)" or "confessing" your feelings towards the other person and formally asking to be in a relationship with them, vs. in the US we have a similar though different practice of "defining the relationship."

P.S. If you want to learn more dating related vocab, check out the free preview lesson of our "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" course for a lesson on dating apps and describing your type.

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EP03. Reverse Culture Shocks As A Taiwanese Immigrant ft. Crystal Hsia

Crystal Hsia (an LA-based Taiwanese born and raised Mandarin teacher) joins us again to cover the second half of our conversation around culture shocks. This time, we're going in reverse! After living in the U.S. for 10 years, what reverse culture shocks does Crystal experience when she visits Taiwan? We talk about how much more self-conscious she is of both her external appearance and the way she acts when she's back, and feeling like she needs to code-switch between "Taiwanese" Crystal and "Taiwanese-American" Crystal. Listen in to learn useful new Mandarin vocabulary from this conversation!

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EP02. U.S. Culture Shocks As A Taiwanese Immigrant ft. Crystal Hsia

Los Angeles-based Crystal Hsia, a Taiwanese born and raised Mandarin teacher, joins us as our first guest on the podcast! In this episode, we talk about culture shocks/differences she experienced after moving to the U.S. ten years ago. As a student, Crystal was confused by the need to ask questions in graduate school just to prove she had read the class material, and now by the work culture that requires speaking up for yourself and advocating for what you deserve. Listen in to learn useful new Mandarin vocabulary from this conversation!

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EP01. Mandarin Podcast For ABCs By An ABC

Meet your American-Born Taiwanese (ABT) host, Angela Lin. In this podcast premiere episode, Angela uses Mandarin to explain what you can expect from the show when she is joined by Mandarin teacher guests in future episodes, why she wanted to start this podcast, how it will help both you and her improve your "grown-up" vocabularies by discussing these real life topics with her guests, why she thinks this podcast format is special considering the rarity with which we hear other ABCs/ABTs actually talking exclusively in Mandarin, why she was motivated to start her company Real You Mandarin to help other ABCs/ABTs improve their Mandarin, and more.

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