Learn a Language. Make Friends. Have Fun.

Preparing to study a language abroad is an exciting yet sometimes daunting feat. From friendly waiters at the cafe around the corner to deciphering labels at the grocery store, everything will seem unique and new. With classes to choose, languages to learn and anticipation coursing through your bones, it’s hard to make sure everything is in order, especially when it comes to your housing.

It’s natural to have tons of questions on your mind. Where to stay? How much is it going to cost? Some schools may offer housing for studya-abroad students, which is often a toss up. On one hand it makes the process a bit easier but at what price? Are you going to be surrounded by other students who are also studying abroad? If so, wouldn’t it be more authentic to immerse yourself in the culture you’re there to learn.

Short-term property rentals are a great way to become apart of the heartbeat of a foreign culture, while having a place to truly call your home. These properties are rented by individual owners and offer the privacy and amenities of home without breaking the bank. FlipKey.com is a great resource with property listings all over the world that are reviewed by past guests to help you find the right place. Book your home and get yourself one step closer to life abroad.

Interested in studying English in Boston, USA? Boston is the intellectual capital of USA and is one of the most popular places in the United States to study English. There are a total of 70 universities and colleges in the Boston area. More importantly, the world’s most famous institutions of higher learning, Harvard University and MIT, are both located around Boston.

MyHappyPlanet’s office is also located in the Boston area, just a few steps away from MIT. Having lived and worked here for a few years, I can say that the vibe here is unique; the environment, conducive to learning. No wonder there are tens of thousands of full-time students in Boston. And no wonder Boston has emerged as a popular destination for international students seeking to improve their English language skills!

For those interested in studying English in Boston, here’s a link to see popular English courses in Boston.

Interested in studying English in USA? So many MyHappyPlanet members have told us that they are practicing English with native speakers online, with the hope of eventually coming to USA to further enhance their English speaking skills and immerse themselves in the American culture.

Although it has become increasingly difficult for international students to obtain visas, USA remains the top place in the world to learn English. The good news is that if you are going to the U.S. primarily for tourism, and want to take a short course of study of less than 18 hours per week, you may be able to do so on a visitor visa. However, if your course of study is more than 18 hours a week, you will need a student visa.

For those of you interested in pursuing an English language course here in the United States, here’s a list of popular English courses in USA. And here’s a resource for more information on student visa regulations.

I was looking online for a list of interesting words and phrases for the Beijing Olympics and found a list that could be useful for you avid Olympics fans out there.

— For speeches:

和平奥运 hépín gàoyùn
Peaceful Olympics
和谐奥运héxié àoyùn
Harmonious Olympics
科技奥运 kējì àoyùn
High-tech Olympics
绿色奥运 lǜsè àoyùn
Green Olympics
人文奥运 rénwén àoyùn
People’s Olympics
安全奥运 ānquán àoyùn
Safe Olympics

— For conversation:

Wish Beijing Olympic Games a great success!
祝北京奥运会圆满成功。
Zhù Běijīng àoyùnhuì yuánmǎn chénggōng.

北京, 加油。Go, Beijing!
Běijīng，jiāyóu.
奥运, 加油。Go, Olympics!
Àoyùn，jiāyóu.

奥运会 àoyùnhuì，Olympic Games
开幕式 kāimùshì，opening ceremony
闭幕式 bìmùshì，closing ceremony
奥运场馆 àoyùn chǎngguǎn，Olympic venues
鸟巢 niǎocháo, Bird’s Nest （China’s National Stadium）
水立方shuǐ lìfāng， Water Cube （National Aquatics Center）
中文时间 Zhōngwén shíjiān，ChineseHour
志愿者 zhìyuànzhě，volunteers
火炬接力 huǒjù jiēlì，Torch Relay
奥运村àoyùn cūn, Olympic Village

— For posters:

同一个世界 同一个梦想
tongyīgè shìjiè, tongyīgè mèngxiǎng
One World One Dream
点燃激情 传递梦想
Diǎnránjīqíng，chuándìmèngxiǎng
Light the passion, share the dream.
更快 更高 更强
gèngkuài gènggāo gèngqiáng
Faster Higher and Stronger

文明北京 和谐奥运
wénmíng běijīng，héxié àoyùn
Sophisticated Beijing for a harmonious Olympic Games
微笑北京 共享奥运
wēixiàoběijīng，gòngxiǎng àoyùn
Smiling Beijing and inclusive Olympic Games
活力北京 超越梦想
huólì běijīng，chāoyuè mèngxiǎng
Robust Beijing to exceed the Dreams

The list above is courtesy of ChineseHour.com. Another site that has an interesting list of must-know words for the Olympics is BBC. And of course, there’s no better way to learn Olympic words than from native Chinese speakers at MyHappyPlanet.com

In preparation for the upcoming Beijing Olympics, I’ve listed some of the most common Chinese words and phrases that you must learn before flying to Beijing. But before you begin learning these words, I would suggest learning about Chinese pronunciations and tones first – this is the most difficult part about learning Chinese. The same word can mean many different things when pronounced in different ways! A good video that teaches Chinese “pinyin” tones can be found on MyHappyPlanet.com.

And here’s the list of Chinese words and phrases that you can start learning. A good way to start would be to find a learning partner on MyHappyPlanet.com and to try using one of these phrases in the conversation. Good luck!

Hello
Chinese : 你好
Pinyin : nǐhǎo
Literal Meaning : You good

I am sorry
Chinese : 对不起
Pinyin : duìbuqǐ
Literal Meaning : Sorry

My Name Is …
Chinese : 我叫 …
Pinyin : wǒ jiào …
Literal Meaning : I (am) called …

How Are You?
Chinese : 你好吗
Pinyin : nǐhǎo ma?
Literal Meaning : You Good ?(yes/no)

I am fine
Chinese : 我很好
Pinyin : wǒ hěnhǎo
Literal Meaning : I very good

And you?
Chinese : 你呢
Pinyin : nǐ ne
Literal Meaning : You ?(huh)

Thank you
Chinese : 谢谢
Pinyin : xièxiè
Literal Meaning : Thank thank

You are welcome
Chinese : 不用谢
Pinyin : búyòngxiè
Literal Meaning : (You) Don’t need thank

Welcome
Chinese : 欢迎
Pinyin : huānyíng
Literal Meaning : Welcome(, to)

Beijing
Chinese : 北京
Pinyin : bei3jing1
Literal Meaning : northern capital

Shanghai
Chinese : 上海
Pinyin : shang4hai3
Literal Meaning : On Sea

Nanjing
Chinese : 南京
Pinyin : Nan2jing1
Literal Meaning : southern capital

Beautiful
Chinese : 漂亮
Pinyin : piao4liang4
Literal Meaning : beautiful

chopsticks
Chinese : 筷子
Pinyin : kuai4zi
Literal Meaning : chopsticks

Why
Chinese : 为什么
Pinyin : wei4shen2me
Literal Meaning : for what?

1 to 10
Chinese : 1 - 10
Pinyin : yi1 er4 san1 si4 wu3 liu4 qi1 ba1 jiu3 shi2
Literal Meaning : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

I am [noun]
Chinese : 我是
Pinyin : wo3 shi4
Literal Meaning : I am (followed by a noun, i.e. teacher or doctor)

I am [adjective]
Chinese : 我很
Pinyin : wo3 hen3
Literal Meaning : I very (followed by an adjective, i.e. tired or busy)

USA
Chinese : 美国
Pinyin : Mei3guo2
Literal Meaning : Beautiful land

Singapore
Chinese : 新加坡
Pinyin : xin1jia1po1
Literal Meaning : Singapore

Please
Chinese : 请你
Pinyin : qing3 ni3
Literal Meaning : Please you

You
Chinese : 你
Pinyin : ni3
Literal Meaning : you

You are beautiful
Chinese : 你很漂ߞ
Pinyin : Ni3 hen3 piao4liang
Literal Meaning : You very beautiful

Yes
Chinese : 是的
Pinyin : shi4de
Literal Meaning : be, to / is

No
Chinese : 不是
Pinyin : bu2shi4
Literal Meaning : not be / not is

Correct
Chinese : 对
Pinyin : dui4
Literal Meaning : correct

China
Chinese : 中国
Pinyin : zhong1guo2
Literal Meaning : Middle Kingdom

Friend
Chinese : 朋友
Pinyin : peng2you3
Literal Meaning : friend

Wanna learn more basic Chinese words? We have hundreds of free basic Chinese lessons on MyHappyPlanet.com!

Did you know that the date and time for the opening of this year’s Olympics was picked for a reason? This year’s Summer Olympics in Beijing is scheduled to open on 8/8/08 at 8:08:08 pm. That’s because the Chinese believe that the number 8 has auspicious meanings.

The word for “eight” (八) in Chinese (pronounced as “bā”) sounds very similar to the Chinese word which means “wealth” (发 - short for “发财”, read as “fā”). In regional Chinese dialects, the words for “eight” and “fortune” are also similar. For example, in Cantonese, the words “baat” and “faat” sound almost the same.

There is also a resemblance between two digits, “88″, and the “囍” (called “shuang xi”, which means “double happiness“), a popular decorative design composed of two stylized characters 喜 (read as “xi”, which means “joy” or “happiness”).

The public infatuation with the number 8 is growing. A Herald Tribune article offered a few more fun facts about the Chinese people’s infatuation with the lucky number 8:

1. A man in the city of Hangzhou placed an Internet ad offering to sell his plate of A88888 for 1.12 million yuan
2. A regional Chinese airline reportedly paid about 2.4 million yuan, or $300,000, to have 8888 8888 for a telephone number

Wanna learn more about the Chinese culture, the Beijing Olympics, or other Chinese superstitions? Come and visit MyHappyPlanet.com and speak to our native Chinese speakers!

Some MyHappyPlanet members write to us soon after joining, and ask, “so how do I start learning my new language?” If you are unsure how to get started, here are some tips:

• If you haven’t already, fill out the rest of your profile. Other members will find you more interesting if you add a photo and your interests, so be sure to complete those areas at least.  You’re much more likely to receive help from other members if you complete your profile.
• Find a friend.  On the Friends tab, you will see other MyHappyPlanet members who can help you with your new language.  Read some of their profiles, and find some that you would like to practice with.  We’ve sorted them so the best matches are near the top, but you can browse as many profiles as you like.
• Once you’ve found some interesting members, send them a message by clicking on the appropriate link next to their profile.  When sending a message, be sure to talk a little about yourself, and ask questions — in your chosen language if you can, but if not your partner should be able to speak your native language at least a little.  You can even teach them a thing or two! If you’re unsure of what to write, ask them to teach you some basic words and what they mean.
• Once you’ve sent a few messages, check out the Lessons and Videos areas while you wait for responses to your messages.  MyHappyPlanet will notify you by email whenever someone replies to your message, so you can write back and continue practicing your new foreign language.
• Teach someone else.  You can help other members learn your native language, too.  After all, someone helped you get started, so it would be very nice of you to return the favor.  When members contact you for help, respond to their messages and teach them about where you are from and some phrases in your language.

These simple steps will help you get started learning on MyHappyPlanet, and before you know it you will be helping others.

We have received a growing number of reports on spammers lurking around MyHappyPlanet. Thank you so much for helping us police the community. It’s unfortunate that we have people abusing the site and sending unsolicited and sometimes inappropriate messages to our users. We are currently working on a solution to address this problem. If you have ideas or suggestions to solve this issue, we would love to hear them.

In the meantime, if you receive unsolicited or inappropriate messages, you can do two things to report them to us. First, you may go to the profile of the sender and click on the “Report User” link at the bottom of the page. Second, you may write to us at admin@myhappyplanet.com and send us a copy of the spam message and the name of the sender.

When I built the first version of MyHappyPlanet last year, my goal was to make the world a smaller place – by connecting people from different cultures and by helping them learn languages in a fun way.

If you’ve been on MyHappyPlanet for more than nine months, you might remember that we didn’t have language lessons or video tutorials back then. Before that, we didn’t have a way for people to correct each other’s messages. And even before that, we didn’t have a phrase translator built into the site. Maybe if you were here really early on, you might even remember a time before we had live chatting through Skype, MSN, and Yahoo.

A lot has changed, and we’re not done improving the site yet. We have a bunch of good things coming out soon, to help make MyHappyPlanet a fun place for language learners. Our goal is to provide a tool that makes language learning fun – all of our existing and new features contribute towards this goal.

Today, we’re launching our corporate blog so everyone can get a close-up view of what we’re doing every day to make MyHappyPlanet a fun place for language learners. We’ll update our blog regularly, with different people posting about new features or sharing what’s been happening with us.

Your feedback is important to us, so feel free to share your two cents on how we can make our site and this blog more useful to you. We’re excited to hear from you and to make MyHappyPlanet better and better and better for you.