|
 -
November 2006 - January 2007
Inside this edition:
Mahsa's Experience
Back in September 2004 I enrolled in a course called "Business in China", at Dalarna University in Sweden which brought me to China for the first
time. I stayed for one month and after leaving China I felt that there was something drawing me back. I decided to apply for an internship at the
Swedish Trade Council in Beijing and this time I stayed for 5 months. Once again I did not feel ready to leave China and felt that there were too
many possibilities that I just had to grab and be part of. I came back a third time! And worked as an Business Teacher at a Canadian/Chinese
College. The longer I stayed the less I wanted to go home. I have now been in China for nearly a year and a half :-)
 |
 |
 |
| With my teacher (in the middle) and my class mates |
Mahsa at a Beijing restaurant |
The Great Wall |
Working as a teacher was a great experience for me, but I realized after a while that if I was going to stay here and build a career I really needed to learn the language. I looked at different universities and institutes and finally decided to study at the Academy of Chinese Language Studies through WLE. I liked the fact that the Academy was a serious language institute, where learning Chinese was an important part. Learning through WLE has been great because they put a lot of effort into planning activities for students outside of class. There are quiz nights, social nights, monthly trips, excursions and many other activities. Students that are away from their homes, families and dear friends can often feel a bit more vulnerable than usual, which is why these activities are so important. The activities create a great environment for the students to get to know their school mates, both Chinese and foreigners, better. As a foreigner who barely speaks Chinese it is much appreciated to have someone to take you to all the well known and/or beautiful hidden spots in the country.
Another thing that I found very good is the help and assistance that WLE provides students regarding all sorts of questions and problems that might appear in daily life in Beijing. WLE actually has a special Help Desk whose main purpose is to assist the students with different matters, which is much appreciated because believe me, there will be questions! In addition to the Help Desk, WLE also provides program advisors, study advisors and a Teacher Help Desk. The Teacher Help Desk is there to help the student outside of the class, so if you have any questions that you need extra help with you can always turn to the Teacher Help Desk.
 |
 |
 |
| Welcome to Real Life Language Learning! |
Me with the girls at the Help Desk |
Program Advisor Echo working at the Help Desk |
The classes here are very small, which makes my time in class more efficient. I do not have to share the attention of the teacher with a large class of students. I have a teacher who is very caring and gives me guidance, and is involved in the progress I make. All in all, I could not have made a better choice when deciding on where to learn Chinese.
During my four months of Mandarin studies I have seen and done so many things here, and I have met so many interesting people, whom I have built long-lasting relationships with. Beijing is a city that is going through great changes and you can feel this everywhere you go. There is not one day that passes by without me learning or experiencing something new. I mentioned earlier that the longer I stay here, the less I want to go back home, which is very true. In Beijing you have culture, traditions, development, full of life and opportunities. Who would want to leave this place?
|
Beijing Opera
World Link students were recently given an introduction to the intriguing traditional Chinese art of Beijing Opera. Li Laoshi explained the fascinating cultural background of Beijing Opera and the different roles involved. The students found the character of Qing Yi, a well-educated and beautiful young lady, particularly interesting.
 |
 |
 |
| Pechapat (Thailand), Erin (US) and Li Laoshi |
Jesus (Mexico) and his LEP |
Richard (Australia), Christian (Germany) and Li Laoshi |
Li Laoshi had brought along different opera costumes for us foreign and Chinese students to try on. Dressed in a colorful traditional costume, Li Laoshi demonstrated the different hand gestures and movements which convey different messages to the audience. We were then given the opportunity to try performing the hand gestures and movements by themselves. It looks so simple to do when professional Beijing opera performers are performing this 2000 year old art, but in reality it is very difficult to achieve the correct hand gestures and movements. It is very understandable why Chinese people study this skillful art from a young age!
After mastering the hand gestures, we were given the chance to act as the character of Qing Yi at the center, in front of each other. This proved to be a rather tricky role to master, although the students did a fantastic job portraying this well-liked character!
Later on, after much persuasion, Li Laoshi treated us to a singing performance of a 'Night in Beijing?font size="1" face="Verdana">'. This interactive evening gave us a better understanding of the rigorous training the opera performers must undertake to develop their skills, and some insight into this traditional art.
|
Christmas at World Link
Holidays are always a special time at World Link. When a holiday rolls around, you can always count on the teachers and staff to be excited about spreading the holiday spirit, and this past Christmas was no exception!
Our Christmas celebration at World Link brought a part of western culture to China, complete with the pre-Christmas frenzy and preparations. A lot of hard work and dedication went into the preparations for our Christmas party by the team, but it all certainly paid off.
 |
 |
 |
| Nishit ( India), Ryan(US), Erin(US), Zhang Laoshi, Yao Laoshi, Wang Laoshi, and George(UK) |
Jay(US), Evan(US) |
Rafael (US) |
The night started off with a visit from Santa Claus, followed by a cookie eating contest. The students were really involved in the challenge, impressing the staff and each other at how many cookies they managed to devour. The teachers were also involved in big way, showing students how to decorate cookies and to make Christmas cards and ornaments. They also told Christmas stories like "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and taught Christmas carols, and at the end of the night group of talented WLE students performed a wonderful rendition of "A Christmas Carol", which was very special.
This Christmas the local Chinese students had a glimpse into a different culture, while the teachers and foreign students felt a little more at home. Holidays are great fun for everyone!
 |
 |
 |
| Luis (Spain), George (UK), Ryan (US) |
Group picture from the Seminar Room |
John (US) won our Great Prize a round trip ticket to Shanghai |
|
Graduation Day
On January 21st 2007, students attended a graduation ceremony and whilst there were tears and feelings of sadness to leave our new found friends, we were all so happy to have had the opportunity to not only learn a new language but to meet lots of new people, have fantastic adventures in China and gain an understanding of a culture and society so different from our own. Below are some thoughts and feelings from some of those who graduated in January.
|
 |
Candice Lee (U.S)
This semester has been really fun and interesting. I have learnt a lot and also met a lot of fun people. It has been a great experience. The teachers that I have had have been really good and helpful. I will be doing an internship next semester, which will be fun.
|
|
Kristen Lum (U.S)
This has been a really good semester and I have had a really good teacher and class. The school has a very relaxed and comfortable setting. It has been easy to meet new people, and interacting has been encouraged. There has definitely been a good environment for discussion here and that has been great. My reading has improved dramatically, because my teacher often gave us articles to read, which enabled us to practice character reading.
|
 |
Seth Westra (Australia)
I have stayed here for three months and I have been staying with a host family that the school set me up with. The stay here has been excellent, my host family has been great, very helpful. I think that Beijing is a fantastic city. I feel that I can definitely get by with my Chinese now. I can communicate anything that I want to communicate, which is great. I definitely feel like I want to come back to Beijing and study more.
All in all, the experience has been good and the teachers are excellent.
|
 |
Brian Fizer (U.S)
I was first here for one semester and then I extended my stay by twelve weeks. The teachers at the school are really well qualified. I have felt that my teachers really know how to teach foreigners Chinese which obviously is important. I also felt that I made a lot of progress outside of the classroom. World Link set me up with a Language Exchange Partner, which helped me make a lot of progress.
|
|
Immersion Program- Learning through Exchange
One of the best ways to learning a new language is immersing in it, to live in the actual country where the language is spoken, where you are surrounded by the language, the culture and the locals.
An interview with two Language Exchange Partners, Andrew and Mike
 How often do you meet?
Usually twice a week
What is a typical meeting like?
Andrew: We usually meet for a couple of hours and sometimes we play pool or chat for the first 15 minutes and after that we sit down and chat. I practice my Chinese and Mike corrects me. Mike then tells me stories in English and I correct whatever mistakes that he may have. Mike helps me if I have a problem in class, vocabulary issues, and conversational issues. I get to practice more conversation Chinese, whereas Mike is more specific with the problems that he needs help with.
Mike: Andrew helps me with the pronunciation. I can ask him about slang or colloquialisms that I want to learn or do not understand. He has, for example, just taught me "I have bigger fish to fry" which means I have bigger problems. Or "Thanks a million"
Andrew: I believe that exchanging colloquialisms of different languages can be important. They make communicating more natural and fluent. Sometimes I run into a situation where a colloquialism would be useful and then I usually ask Mike if there is a good colloquialism to use in such a situation.
Do you feel that the World Link LEP has helped you develop your language skills faster than you would without having a partner?
Andrew and Mike: Absolutely!!
Mike: When I decided to study English the Language Exchange Partner Program was a deciding factor for which I chose to study at this academy. I have been very pleased with such a good Language Exchange Partner.
Andrew: It has been a great thing for me and I have had such a great opportunity to practice my Mandarin. I also feel that Mike and I being partnered together as LEP partners has been a good match.
Why is the World Link LEP an effective way of learning the language, in your opinion?
Mike: Because if you have a good language partner it is like having a one-to-one tutor. Sometimes when I am watching a movie or the TV there might be something that I do not understand, and then I always remember what the problem was and then when we meet, I ask Andrew to explain it to me.
 Andrew: As a one-on-one exchange you do not have to move at a certain tempo, which you have to in class. Mike and I can talk about a problem for 30 minutes if we need to, which I can not do in class and this has been immensely helpful to me. Also, the conversations that Mike and I have are not exercises out of a textbook. They are real conversations about real things.
Besides from all this, Mike has become a great friend. When I go to see Mike it is not like going to class, it is fun because I am meeting with a good friend and learning Chinese at the same time.
What is the most positive aspect of the World Link LEP?
Andrew: It creates an environment for learning that is not a classroom. It is literally a social and fun time, but it is also learning at the same time.
Mike: For me it is most important that Andrew can help me correct my pronunciation. A lot of Chinese people study English for many years and we have good grammar and reading. After 4 months of studying English here my listening has progressed quickly and Andrew is helping me progress with my pronunciation.
|
Insight into a Classroom
 An insight into one of the WLE class rooms shows that learning Chinese is anything but boring. WLE students have all kinds of backgrounds; we are of varying ages and come from all over the world. The one thing we all have in common is our desire to learn the Chinese language. With strong will, motivation and the assistance of a native Chinese teacher who has a solid teaching background, students here always manage to learn the language and have a great time while doing so.
Our class has seven students who come from Italy, Sweden, USA, Canada, and England. Li Laoshi is our teacher and has had years of experience teaching Chinese to foreigners. Li Laoshi chose to become a teacher, she says, because it was her calling - the teaching job chose her. She loves her job, and we can tell.
A typical day in class will start with Li Laoshi asking students questions about the latest that has been going on in our daily lives in Beijing. Questions are of course all asked in Chinese, and answers are expected to be as well.
Every day the class will go through one conversation from the book, and Li Laoshi will start by going through each of the new vocabulary words and asking us to use them in sentences. This enables us to learn in which context words can be used, and it makes the learning and remembering of words a lot easier. The class then reads through the whole text, and through dialogues and discussion, we work through the text together with our teacher and each other.
 A portion of our class is also focused on Hanzi, which are Chinese characters. Li Laoshi will go through each of the words, explaining the story behind the character, why it looks the way it does today and she will finally explain the stroke order. Writing a Chinese character is not a simple matter of copying. Each character has a specific order in which it has to be written and Li Laoshi explains the order thoroughly and writes it on the white board. Practicing and learning these characters will be homework due the next day. Li Laoshi always looks through homework and gives individual guidance to the students on how to improve their character writing skills.
Each day of class is filled with activities, challenges and all sorts of questions. Four hours pass by very quickly and before you know it, it is 12 o'clock, Xia ke xiu xi. Ming tian Jian!
|
Teacher Interview: Chen Gui Yan
|
Chen Gui Yan is one of our teachers at World Link Education. Chen Gui Yan holds a Bachelor degree in Chinese Literature and Chinese Language, and also has a Masters degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. While studying, Chen Gui Yan also worked at BLCU. After completing her studies she worked for one of her former professors who was in charge of a project that designed and developed a test for Chinese Professionals. This test is a tool used by employers to determine problem solving ability and levels of knowledge of their employees within different fields. Another job that Chen Gui Yan has had is being part of the team that writes the HSK-test, which is a Chinese proficiency test for foreigners. Today Chen Gui Yan is working as a teacher at WLE.
Why did you become a teacher?
Since my major is related to this field I am familiar with it and I therefore feel that I can teach my students in a sufficient way. I can make sure that my students learn what they want to learn and what they need to learn. My aim is to make sure that my students have a long term ability when it comes to learning Chinese.
Why is it that you like to teach foreigners Chinese?
As I met more and more foreigners I realized that I really wanted them to learn more about Chinese language and the Chinese culture, mainly because I felt that the communication would be better, but also to have them understand the Chinese way of living and Chinese traditions. At this point I had my Bachelors degree, but this interest motivated me to continue my studies, which is why I went back to studying and eventually got my Masters degree.
Why do you think foreigners should learn Chinese?
There are many reasons; one is that the economy is growing rapidly in China which provides many business opportunities. Doing business here becomes so much easier if you know the language and can communicate with Chinese business people in their own language.
Another reason why I think that foreigners should learn Chinese is that the Chinese language is a very interesting language to learn. To learn Chinese also involves learning about Chinese traditions and the Chinese culture. Learning Chinese broadens your vision.
Do you feel that Chinese is a difficult language to teach?
No. Many say that it is a difficult language to learn, but every student situation is different. It is my job as a teacher to provide students with good guidance and good methods. I have to make sure that they have a good and solid basis, which will hopefully give them a good confidence, and therefore in turn make them want to continue to learn.
What do you think makes a good teacher?
I think that it is important that a good teacher has a good language basis. You need to have effective teaching methods. I feel that it is of great importance that the classes are student focused, rather than teacher centered. The students should speak more than the teacher. Another thing that I think is important is to be able to let students have a fun time while they are learning. Learning does not necessarily have to be boring. If the teacher can be creative and make the classroom a fun place to be, the learning will become easier.
|
Teacher Interview: Li Ting Ting
|
One of our teachers here at ACLS is Li Ting Ting who loves being a teacher and is very dedicated to her job and students.
Why did you become a teacher?
I actually believe that this career chose me. When I was studying, my teacher introduced me to a Korean student and I became her private teacher. After this, I continued doing private tutoring for about a year. When I was in my second year of my degree, I was given a great opportunity to work as a part time teacher at BLCU's Intensive College, where my first class was to teach listening comprehension. Before this I had never officially been a teacher. When I held my first lesson I did not feel nervous at all, even though I am a very shy person.
What do you think is interesting about teaching Chinese to foreigners?
The first thing is that when I am teaching Chinese to foreigners I get another angle of all words, English and Chinese. Words that I earlier thought were very common have now become different, because I have to think about them in a different way when I am teaching. In order to be able to give good explanations, I have to think about the meanings of the words in a completely different way.
Another thing is when it is more fun to teach Chinese to foreigners than to teach Chinese to Chinese people. Each class is made up of people with different cultural backgrounds and languages. It is a great mix which makes the job very interesting.
Why do you think foreigners should learn Chinese?
I think there are many reasons; it can be good career wise, if you have Chinese heritage, if you have a Chinese wife or husband, or if you just have a great interest. These are all good reasons for why you should learn Chinese.
Do you feel that Chinese is a difficult language to teach?
No, I don't think it is more difficult than any other language. Every language has its own difficulties. I think that most students learn pretty quickly.
Are there any typical problems that foreigners have when learning Chinese?
It is usually the characters that foreigners have problems with. But it is usually right in the beginning that they have this problem, and that is mainly because they think that it is such an impossible thing to learn. I think that it is my job to convince my students that it is not an impossible task.
If, for example, you compare the English grammar with the Chinese characters I don't think that learning Chinese characters is much harder than learning English grammar.
Do you enjoy teaching?
Yes, very much.
What do you like most about teaching?
There are many things that I love about teaching - one thing is to see the progress that the students make. At first they know nothing and then after a couple of months they can read and write the characters and they are having conversations. This makes it feel very rewarding.
What would you say are your strengths as a teacher?
My strengths are that I am good at having creative dialogues. I have dialogues according to the situation and level that the student is in. We have dialogues that can be useful in daily life. Another strength is that when it comes to Chinese characters I pay attention to difficulties that the students have and learn from this, so that I can teach better further on.
What do you think makes a good teacher?
A good teacher should have patience and a sense of responsibility. It is important to be open minded, especially when teaching foreigners, since they don't have the same background as I have. A good teacher should treat all students fairly, and of course have the right skills.
Do you have any special tricks that you might want to reveal?
I try to combine teaching language with teaching about the culture, to give variation.
|
Student Interview: Christine Urbanski
Name: Christine Urbanski
Country of Residence: United States
Citizenship: United States
Profession: Television Producer
Educational Background: Bachelor of Science BS Telecommunications, ongoing effort to complete MBA
Brief Work History: Advertising, Commercial Production, Filming Video, Live Sports Programming
Languages Spoken: English, now studying Mandarin
Hobbies/interests: Meeting people, experiencing new cultures
Is this your first time in China?
Yes
Why did you decide to study Chinese Language?
With the 2008 Olympics pending in Beijing I have a goal to work in my field for the upcoming Olympics. I want to have a basic knowledge in terms of the language so that I will be able to communicate better. From an advertising point, there are a lot of opportunities to help China in its efforts to grow and become a little more contemporary, as this economy begins to expand.
How are you finding your studies in China?
I believe that I am getting a lot more out of the education by being in China, where I am forced to use the language. I really believe that immersion is essential when it comes to learning Mandarin.
Have they been what you expected them to be?
Much to my surprise, Beijing is a much more cosmopolitan city than what my research prior to coming to China showed. The restaurants here are good, and I have a lot of variety to choose from. Also, I have made some lifelong friends here in China. I have a great Language Exchange Partner, who has become a great friend. Both of us are here because we want to be.
Another thing that has surprised me is the fact that I never felt unsafe here in Beijing. Not once, even when walking by myself at night, have I ever felt unsafe. Beijing feels like a very safe city.
How do you like Beijing?
Beijing is a very user friendly and nice, cosmopolitan city. People here are charming, kind, helpful, fun and curious about the west. I think that the people here are very honest and that they have nothing but good intentions and they want to show you the best of their world.
What do you find most interesting in Beijing?
The shopping experience! The interaction with shop assistants is very different from home- they are more assertive here. Thanks to the shop assistants at the markets here I have been able to develop my negotiation skills.
Tell us about a few memorable experiences in Beijing/China.
Climbing the Great Wall is one of my strongest experiences here. It is so magnificent and rich in history. You can study it online, read books and articles, but you have to be physically there to really comprehend the scale, the marvel that it is. Luckily the school had scheduled the trip a couple of weeks into the term, so we have had the chance to get to know each other and make some friends, which made the whole experience even better. We had a fabulous time.
I also went to Temple of Heaven last week, which was another great experience.
How has your experience in China changed you?
I have a new appreciation for the Chinese culture and the people. I have a new appreciation for western things that you miss while you are here. You miss the little things that you never think about when you are home.
I have a brand new appreciation for people and the stereotypes that you have about people before going to any country.
What is the thing that you like best about Beijing/China?
Pride. The people here have a lot of pride, in their city, community, homes and family.
The city is surprisingly clean despite a lot of construction going on.
Will you come back to Beijing/China again?
If all goes well, absolutely. I will try my best to continue my studies when I get back home.
What advice would you give to others who plan to come and study in China?
One semester minimum - you should study for at least one semester. I was originally scheduled to study for four weeks, but I have ended up extending my stay here twice and I am now studying for one semester.
|
« BACK
|
|
|
Print Page
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)