SLV | Episode 43 | AI Agents, Beijing Dust Covers, Visa Renewals, and The Dragon Boat Festival

Author: Steven's Language Vlog
Published: Thu 05 Jun 2025
Episode Link: http://stevenslanguagevlogpodcast.libsyn.com/slv-episode-43-ai-agents-beijing-dust-covers-visa-renewals-and-the-dragon-boat-festival

In Episode 43 of the Language Vlog Podcast we take a look at the development AI agents and what it means for language learning AND teaching. Should it be allowed? Is the technology there yet? Can we make these things on our own or should we continue to pay a teacher?

Next up, if you ever land in Beijing, especially during the winter months, you might be greeted by an unfamiliar scene: a land covered by green... fabric. Are they faking it? Are they covering something up? No, all they're doing is protecting the top soil from blowing away from the winds that sweep the lands. The protective green mesh will stay in place until the grass or crops start to flourish (usually in April some time). Are these things recyclable? No idea.

And if there's one thing you get to experience as a foreigner in a far off land: it's visa renewals! Yey! If you have never worked overseas before you might never have experienced such a process but, almost guaranteed, if you asked anyone who has come from abroad to your country, they'll no doubt have a little sticker in their passport that gives them the right to work there. So too with China. And with ESL contracts, which are usually one year long, this gets to be done every year! Yey! In this episode we take you through part of the process as a bit of foreshadowing of an upcoming video.

Finally, it was the Dragon Boat Festival this past weekend. Unlike other "festivals" in China (just about all public holidays are called "festivals"), this one you're not supposed to say "Happy Dragon Boat Festival". Instead, opt for a more conservative and well-wishing greeting such as "Have a Safe Dragon Boat Festival!" This is because the Dragon Boat Festival (which only partially includes boat races) commemorates the Warring States poet Qu Yuan, who was exiled from his homeland and then threw himself into a lake. In an effort to ward of fish and evil spirits, the locals threw zongzi (粽子), sticky rice dumplings, into the lake.

Transcripts here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-sDW4HyeAH9PssJp8kE6XWQduAHOXj7n?usp=sharing

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Time stamps:

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview

00:44 Recording Location and Background

01:43 Airplane Distractions at the University

06:37 Semester Wrap-Up and Future Plans