My Trip to Beijing - 我的北京旅行

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Photo by Vincent Guth on Unsplash

大家好！

This summer I was incredibly lucky to be able to go to Beijing to study Chinese for two weeks at a language school. I will try to explain my experience a little, and finish by talking about why I think it is such a good idea if you have the opportunity.

Everyone knows that the best way to learn a language is to visit the target language’s country yourself. Being 16, I didn’t have the option to just pack my bags and move, but I was still able to receive a huge boost in my Mandarin by spending two weeks of my summer in Beijing. I attended a That’s Mandarin summer camp, and had one of the best times of my life. It was so great to connect with other people my age learning Chinese. Our teachers pushed us to learn loads, and spoke to us most of the time in Chinese. I chose the intensive course, meaning that I had 6 hours of lessons a day. I actually really recommend this course as it allowed me to really practice all the new grammar structures I learnt. They used a really innovative system called Mandarin Cafe to teach us, which meant that I learnt more in that time than I learnt in 6 months back home. We spent loads of time with our teachers, by the end of the camp our 老师 was just like one of our friends. 

I also cannot stress how great it was to experience the culture there. Having watched a lot of Chinese TV, it was amazing to be able to recognise the celebrities on posters in Beijing. Also we visited a lot of cultural sites (including the Great Wall!) which made me fall in love again with Chinese history. It also helped me to truly decide that learning Chinese was right for me, and that I loved the country as much as the language.

Overall, the advantages for studying Chinese in a short course are:
  • The residential experience helps you to improve your Chinese so much faster.
  • Experience Chinese culture, food, and society, helping you decide whether China really is something that you are interested in.
  • Make amazing friends from all around the world.
  • Choose an option that it suitable as a student, eg. Cannot just move to China.
  • Become more confident travelling! It was my first time travelling on a plane on my own.  :)
Travel Vocabulary
行李 - luggage
旅行 - trip
旅游团 - tour group
自助游 - travelling on your own
导游 - tour guide
现金 - cash
历史古迹 - site of historical importance (古迹）
名胜古迹 - scenic spot, often famous for historical relics (MW 处)
护照 - passport
飞机场 - airport
外国人 （老外） - foreigner

I will explain a lot more about specific experiences I had in China in later posts, so stay tuned!

Best of luck in your learning!


Rebecca 

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