This picture is of my classmates and I from our class trip last month. We went to a restaurant and learned how to make dumplings. I have already made dumplings on a few occasions, and my pleasure purely resides in the eating of them, but it was fun all the same. It wasn't just about making dumplings either, we actually had a full out banquet lunch, with lots of Qingdao beer, which was a nice surprise and I ate better than I have since arriving in Qingdao more than 2 months ago. Our Chinese teacher ordered all the food and she knows what foreign students like to eat. For fun she even put a 1yuan coin in two dumplings and whoever bit into it got 10 yuan. I was one of the lucky winners. ;)
So, I’m currently studying Chinese at Qingdao University. If you’re serious about learning Chinese, I highly recommend a full time program. Before I started at Qingdao, I was an English teacher in Jiangsu province and I took private Chinese lessons 3 times a week. Although I learned a lot with my tutor, my progress was slow, always giving back more than I was retaining.
The Chinese language program at Qingdao University is excellent, not to mention Qingdao is a gorgeous little costal city with a lot of charm. Qingdao has degree and non-degree programs for Chinese. I've opted for the non-degree program, but I do plan on taking an exam called the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi or HSK, when I'm done with my studies. It's mostly for resume purposes, so employers know what your Chinese level is. There are 6 levels, 6 being the best, and I'm beginning to study for level 5!
I have four hours of classes a day, Monday through Friday. We have 4 different types of classes: comprehensive, listening and speaking, reading, and culture. I’m at the intermediate level now so there’s no English spoken in class. I have an excellent comprehensive teacher, which happens to be the most important class. She is able to explain new words and grammar patterns using words we already know in Chinese. Furthermore, she understands our level so well, she knows exactly which words we've already learned and which ones she must explain.
There is a good amount of work expected of students outside of class. We have a dictation every week, which really forces you to learn the new words. It's truly the only way to remember Chinese characters. I used to always forget how to write simple characters from memory but after a few weeks of classes I've got all the basic ones down. Daily exposure and usage of the language, I think, is the most important aspect of language acquisition.
My friend who studied at Tsinghua University last year gave me some advice on choosing a university to study at, and that was to look at the diversity of the students in the program. It's great advice, and here's why: If all your classmates speak English, during break and after class you'll speak English together. But if there is diversity in your program, then the common language is Chinese and you'll practice so much more. Although I'm guilty of chatting with some of my classmates in English, I think we all make a pretty good effort of speaking Chinese together.
My classmates come from all over the world. My class of 18 students alone represents the USA (me), UK, France, Spain, Italy, Estonia, Belarus, Japan, and Korean. Most students are Korean. Seoul is only an hour and a half flight from Qingdao, so it's really convenient, not to mention many Korean companies have factories over here in China so Korean-Chinese translators continue to be in demand. Many students are here as part of an exchange program, meaning most students are about 8 years younger than me, but anyone can apply and study. I'm happy to say I'm not the oldest person in class, I think I'm the 3rd oldest.
Really though, coming to Qingdao University was one of the best decisions I've made. I love it here and my Chinese is really coming along. If you're looking to seriously improve your Chinese, and quickly, then I highly recommend enrolling at a Chinese University. Lastly, it's super affordable. Tuition for one semester is only 7,000 yuan or (US) $ 1,112. For 20 hours of classes a week, you really can't beat it.