Different Culture Between Chinese And Saudi Arabia

  I have studied in EAP 1 for 1 mouth. I have seen lots of situations. These situations show the different culture between Chinese and other countries.
  First, I want to say, in my culture, it's impolite and maybe immoral to use people's name in public poster unless you are very close. So today I don't use any real name instead of Mr.A or some like that.
  The first difference is the way we talk to others about our score. Yesterday and today, Scott give us our mid-term score. Everyone has different reactions about the score. That's because some people get good score some did do well at this exam. But I just focus on these guys who get high score. They still have different reactions. Mr.A comes from Saudi Arabia. He got a good mark, I don't know the detail about the exactly score about his exam. But he said very good when I asked him. And he ask me how about my exam. I told him it's ok. I think I can use very good or something like that. Because I get 2 100% and the worst one is 89%. But I just say that's ok. I just want to point out i didn't mess up rather than show him how good score I have got. This is a very big culture difference. Chinese people always don't want to people know how good they are for the following reasons. First, We always think humility is very important. If you always say I'm good, in our opinion thats means you are not humility. Second, Chinese people like middle. Chinese all know some sentences. "The big tree always need to fight against with the heaviest wind." or" the bird will be killed unless the bird hides good." These sentences last for thousands years. A lot of awesome people who showed how good they are always end up with failed. Because if you show you are good, all the people will be your enmeys in your area. Because Chinese people don't like someone success. We can be all failed. But if you success and I failed that's not good things. So some of them will do something immoral. It happens all the time in Chinese. The reason is easy. We have a lot of people that means you have a bigger chance to get trouble than western. And that also means it's harder to find out who did it. besides, If you find out, lots of people did that, you can't punish all the people. So these three reason make do some bad things behind people  become a  normal thing. that's why I just say I'm ok.
  Another big different is Chinese people often silence at class if teacher ask them to answer or they are very familiar with that teacher. The familiar I just mentioned is like that you can just walk in the office and do some chat without appointments. But people from Saudi Arabia always very activity in the class. Maybe some time their answers are not right. By the way, you may think I'm activity at class. Because I have thought these difference and find a good way to deal with it. Why Chinese people always silence at class, I think there are reasons. Firstly, we are afraid to say something wrong. This is also because of our ancient. In the past, if students say something wrong at class they are  laugh at by classmates. Because they think you want to show you good than us by answer one question that we don't know. And lucky for them that you failed to answer that question. So they will laugh at you to embarrass. Second,the teacher will hit your hand to punish you because you answer is wrong. So Chinese people are afraid to speak their opinion in public.
  And there are a lot of difference I have experienced. But I don't want to write too long to make you fell tired. So thats all. No concluding sentences. Chinese people always like to end up with no concluding sentences thats make you have some space to think. :)

Different Vocabulary Understanding About Chinese And Canadian

  Now I still remember the class about vocabulary, Dr.Douglas gave us the meaning of those vocabulary, and we guess what's the vocabulary. I just work out about 20%. It's not because I don't know these words. Because this words in my mind is not that meaning. 
  We learned these vocabularies on the class by English. But I can't really understand it in English way. I still need to check Chinese-English dictionary to figure out what is the meaning. So that cause the I almost can't get words on that class. But I really know these words. And even putting these words in a sentence and cross them then let me choose one from a lot of vocabularies(include the one have crossed) and put it in sentence. I can pick the one which you just crossed. It's just like workbook. I still can do much better. So in my opinion, it's not about if I remember it or not, it's about the way I understanding the words. I means we-Chinese. Because I show this ppt to a lot of Chinese people. Almost of them have the same problem. Let me show some example to make this more easy to understand. For example. on that ppt, Dr.Douglas define challenge like this:•a new or difficult task that tests sb’s ability and skill •an invitation or a suggestion to sb that they should enter a competition, fight, etc.  As i said, I learn it from Chinese-English dictionary. To make it easy to understand, let's do it like this. In the Chinese- English dictionary: challenge means XXX( some Chinese translations)  Then i put the XXX in Chinese dictionary, it says XXX means (i) enrage Sb to fight with you . (ii) defiance (iii) incite Sb in competitions. It's totally different from English meaning. But we still say " I challenge to swim across some river." It still make sence in my mind. And also make sence in Chinese. I don't know how to explain this.And i do another things. I put the challenge in Chinese-English dictionary then i have the XXX(Chinese translations) then i put the XXX in a Chinese-English dictionary. It says:"to challenge to a fight or contest"  
  Then I know why this happen. I can do the quiz on book because the sentences are English and the vocabularies are English. So at first I only think in English. Then i understand the meaning of the sentence in Chinese way.  It's not about i translate every words in Chinese and understand.  I just read and think in English  but I still understand in Chinese mind. Because the all things in know it in Chinese way. Even I read in English. Because I knew these thing when I am a child and in Chinese way. (It's very hard to describe, But if you have learned a second, try to do a quiz like i said, you will understand). Then i start to pick one words can put in. I translate these words in Chinese. And I have known the meaning in Chinese. So it's very easy to do.  But if you do it like class. I still reading and thinking in English. And I still understand in Chinese. Then you want me to find one English word. I just can think in English. That become Chinese sentence that never a Chinese words fit  that meaning. So I can't translate in English again. Then I can't do it.
  So it's not about only think in English. Of course, you can only think in English. But the all thing you think you know it in Chinese way. It's just like you know rice in Chinese. You eat it everyday. When you talk about rice. The rice means the days you eat in China. How it feel , how it taste. Thses feels are in Chinese way. When a Canadian talk about rice. You know the things But when you think it, It still the things you know in Chinese.
  Until now, I think I finally figure out why that happened. English just like a cover on the all the things I know, Then I can recognized them in English way. But I still know the things in Chinese way. So it's not because I don't know these words. Because this words in my mind is not that meaning in Canadian minds.