Learning Chinese in Beijing with GAC
I was in Beijing from June 1st until June 27th. I was living with a Chinese family just outside of Central Beijing and had a private tutor for four hours a day. The home and family were very nice. The apartment was spacious, air conditioned, and I was given my own room and bathroom. Whenever I was at home, I would eat my three meals with the family. The neighborhood was very very safe. I had no issues or worries at all. I asked to be in a neighborhood where not much English was spoken, so I would be able to practice my Chinese. I was living in a community of 30,000 Chinese, where I made many friends during my stay. GAC provided me with exactly what I asked for. I had 20 hours of Chinese language course and I think 20 hours is plenty because that’s 4 hours each weekday. After 3, I started to lose focus because they are private classes are kind of intense. I would not suggest taking more. After class, I suggest you go practice Chinese on the street with random people, who are all super friendly. That really helps too, because you aren't prepared for the conversation or the accent. Random people used to come up tome and make conversation all the time.