“ With a lot of help from my friends…”
飞龙 March 2009
For the daring foreigner who sets himself the task of learning Chinese, the daily challenge of characters, tones and homophones is a test of nerves and patience. I can attest to this personally: I studied Chinese at university and have found it to be, by turns, frustrating and rewarding. In 2008 I enrolled with TLI Dalian with the express purpose of improving my Chinese proficiency in its natural setting and tackling some of the difficulties I was still having with the language. I could not be more pleased with the outcome. Not only was I able to tailor the course specifically to my requirements, but also every teacher – without exception – has been professional, friendly and, perhaps most importantly of all, tireless in their effort to make learning Chinese a thoroughly enjoyable pursuit. In fact, I am happy to report that my Chinese has improved by leaps and bounds since arriving here – and no small credit is due to the quality of teaching I have received. More than that, the teachers quietly surpass what one would regard to be their “ordinary” duties: from organizing fun trips about town to helping with bureaucratic details (of which there can be many!), they are genuinely concerned that you make the most of your time in China. In short, I would recommend (and, indeed, have already recommended) TLI Dalian without reservation to those considering studying in China. William Milne, the 19th-century Protestant missionary, once wrote of his Chinese language travails that it is “a work for men with bodies of brass, lungs of steel, and lives of Methuselah.” That needn’t be the case anymore.
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