We had a great time at LTL Beijing!
We have just returned home from a six week stay in Beijing where we attended language classes at LTL Beijing. This was our first visit to China and we decided that we would base ourselves in the city and get to know it as well as learn Chinese. My husband is also Chinese and though not born in China, his late parents came from north China and Hong Kong. For him, our trip to China was very much one of heritage and our time in Beijing did not disappoint us. We chose LTL Beijing based on the good reviews the School had received from satisfied students. However, as an older couple, we also had some initial reservations that the student community at the School would be much younger and may not want to mix. The School assured us that our ages would not be a problem and they were right. The international student community at the School could not have been more friendly and welcoming to us. We soon felt very much at home in their company and have made some good friends. It was such a positive experience to meet and get on with people from different countries. The language lessons themselves were well-structured and informative. Our teachers, Lilia and Alice, were very friendly, approachable and very patient particularly when answering our queries about grammar and Chinese culture. Both are very committed and dedicated teachers. In the lessons, they would encourage us to create our own sentences in Chinese; correct our pronunciation and use of tones when we spoke; and explain particular aspects of grammar. For my husband who has some knowledge of Cantonese but not Mandarin, his progress was impressive. By the end of our six week stay, he could manage a basic conversation in Mandarin which gave him the confidence to even make jokes! His teacher was Lilia and my husband felt he gained much from her insightful and supportive teaching. My teacher was Alice. Her lessons were very engaging and as the days passed, I found that I could understand more when she spoke to the class in Mandarin. Alice was very encouraging about our use of tones and would ask us to repeat words and phrases until she was satisfied that we were getting a feel for the spoken words. The staff at LTL Beijing were just great! They were very friendly and helpful if we had any queries. The staff were happy to answer our questions and were very cheerful. They made us feel very welcome. Both Ilaria, the School’s Student Advisor, and Masako taught us mahjong which we would play in the breaks between our lessons. My husband became pretty good at it and won several games but I have yet to experience that! The School’s events programme for the students was varied but not mandatory. The choice was left up to the individual if they wished to participate or not. Getting involved in the events was a great way to socialise more with our fellow students and to find out more about Beijing. The School’s Director, Linda, had put a lot of thought and planning into the variety of activities and events for the students. We attended a tea ceremony, pottery sessions, had a chance to dress in period costumes from the Qing Dynasty, visited the Drum Tower and a highlight for my husband was a visit to the Great Wall. Ilaria was responsible for the evening events and these were well planned and very sociable occasions. We did some karaoke at KTV which was great fun and also attended a Beijing Opera event which was interesting but not to everyone’s taste. For our accommodation, we opted for a home-stay as we were keen to live with a Chinese family so we could speak more Mandarin and as this was our first time to Beijing, the family could help us to get to know the city more. We stayed with a lovely couple – Shi Zhong and Fang Fang – and had a great time with them. They were so helpful particularly at the beginning when we were experiencing issues with Alipay and WeChat. In all, we had a fantastic time in Beijing. It is a challenging yet vibrant city with a fascinating history. Our time at LTL Beijing was very enjoyable and both of us feel we have gained a lot in our language learning. We felt very welcomed at the School and have made some lovely friends. Thanks LTL Beijing for all your support and we plan to return one day.