Alumni Spotlight: Lawrence Jayatilaka

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I'm a student studying Arabic and Mandarin in the UK. I love travelling and exploring new cultures and places, and genuinely really enjoy learning Chinese.

Why did you pick this program?

I had a look around online to see what kind of programs were available, and KCE stood out as the best option for me. Others were far more expensive, less flexible and involved far larger class sizes.

KCE is great because you can come and stay for as long as you like, and because the classes are all 1-to-1, you can be flexible with the time and topics of your classes. For instance, if you need to take a day off for whatever reason, you can talk to your teacher and reschedule, and they are very understanding and helpful with such requests. I remember doing this on a few occasions so that I could watch the football world cup!

What made this trip meaningful to you, or how did this trip change your perceptions or future path?

Shijiazhuang, where KCE is based, is a truly Chinese city, with very little Western influence. This means that very few people speak English to a high standard, which forces you to use the Chinese you learn in class in everyday life.

This really helps accelerate your learning. I have studied abroad elsewhere and one of the main problems is stepping outside your comfort zone and not relying on your native language too much. KCE is perfect in this respect.