Well worth it
I spent six weeks with two wonderful Mandarin teachers at Keats in Kunming. 6 hours a day for 5 weeks, then 4 hours a day for my last week. By far the most valuable resource at Keats is their excellent staff. The teachers have multiple students and even teach online classes, they prepare and personalise lessons based on each individual student’s needs. My morning teacher, Pi lao shi, asked me directly what my goals were from the beginning and continually adjusted classes to suit my needs. She also went above and beyond by keeping me company during the Spring Festival (there was a week long break from school) and introducing me to her friends. In this way, I was able to integrate the learning from class and apply it in the real world by talking to her and her friends in a casual setting. She also sent me the best recommendations for places to eat, cool streets, local bars, and I had the most enriching experiences. Pi lao shi is also a super cool and funny person, so lessons were full of laughter and light. I had longer classes with my afternoon teacher, Peng lao shi, who is a truly impressive and patient person! She already speaks three languages fluently and is learning another, I admire her a lot. Peng lao shi also catered lessons to my goals, and we had many conversations along the way to fine tune the learning experience. Every night she would prepare the next day’s class according to what we talked about that day, and every day she paid attention to my mood, attention level and comments so she could pivot again if necessary. The days when I was confronted with my own insecurity she bolstered my confidence, and the days when I thought I had no energy she stayed patient and reminded me of my goals. We also laughed a lot even while working through her well structured lessons. A few notes about the facilities. Super convenient living at the school with weekday meals provided. The dishes were good for me as I like spice, but many students mentioned that they struggle with the spiciness. The rooms are a lottery, varying in quality. My first room was decent but late one rainy night it sprung a leak. Thankfully, even though it was 11pm the night before Spring Festival, Eddie the student liaison extraordinaire immediately arranged for me to switch rooms. My next room was actually bigger than the first one, so in a way I got lucky! Keats has a truly impressive staff and I hope they are never taken for granted. Overall I had an unforgettable time and will miss everyone I met there.