Man “Duh!” Rin with Mandarin Garden – Week 1

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Man “Duh!” Rin with Mandarin Garden – Week 1



Ok, so after a long, painstaking search, I finally decided on a school to study Mandarin with, or maybe I should say that they finally decided to take me! After all, I’m not one of those people who can pick up languages like right away. So I’m happy that Mandarin Garden accepted me and I look forward to learning with them!

I chose Mandarin Garden for a few reasons. First, I had a really nice meeting with their Senior Course Consultant, Winnie Xu, who assured me that they have a large pool of great teachers to choose from. This was important because my schedule can be a little hectic and can change on a moment’s notice, so Winnie assured me that she could find me a class/instructor that could accommodate my schedule.

Another thing was that they put their teachers through a training course and offer certificates to individuals who want to teach Mandarin. This was a HUGE plus for me because I want to make sure and learn from someone who has at least gone through some sort of vetting process for being a teacher. Lastly, Mandarin Garden is, from what I can tell, the only school in Shanghai that offers an HSK Certificate, which is the equivalent to the TOEFL examination. There are a number of jobs in China (or abroad) that require candidates to have an HSK certificate, so that can be a fantastic resume builder. I signed up for three months and will be taking three classes a week, we’ll see how it goes.

I still don’t have a teacher yet, but I think I’m going to meet him/her this week during my first class. I will introduce this brave soul to all of you next week, after I’ve had a couple of classes. I’m not exactly sure what to expect. I’ve taken some classes on Mandarin in the past but have all but forgotten most of it. What I do remember is broken beyond repair. I’ll be attempting to learn how to speak, read and write, the last two are definitely going to be the most difficult for me. I’m up for the challenge, we’ll see how it goes. If this blog stops next week, maybe I’ll learn how to play ping pong.







Origional article:

http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/blogs/blog/man-duh-rin-with-mandarin-garden-week-1/

Coupon information:

http://vip.enjoyshanghai.com/live-learn/languagetraining/mandarin-garden--wwwmandaringardenorg_13389.htm

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