My KEATS Kunming Experience

I studied at KEATS school in Kunming for 5 weeks, doing one-on-one lessons with Pi Laoshi (皮老师), 20 hours per week.

Being my first time in China, I found it highly convenient that I could live onsite, in the same place as my classes, and so central in the city; the school is surrounded by amazing food places, markets, activities and shopping. All of these are, of course, diverse and interesting language practise opportunities.

As part of the one-on-one classes, my teacher regularly took me on excursions to explore Kunming, each with an accompanying language lesson to link learning to hands-on experience. I had so much fun!

皮老师 also always ensured I had daily class notes and vocabulary lists, immortalising the learning and teachings we were doing, and providing fantastic references for study. She truly is the best- she was always kind, patient, fun- certainly multitalented, teaching me Chinese songs as she played on guitar! Lessons with her were always dynamic, engaging, informative and enriching, and I am beyond grateful she was my teacher. Furthermore, we've stayed in touch and become good friends, showing how genuinely she cares about her students.

The school held weekly excursions to cultural sites around Kunming, providing opportunities to bond and practice with other students, as well as get local insight into the area.

The immersive linguistic and cultural environment, paired with an incredible teacher and a small community of enthusiastic language learners, meant that my Chinese improved incredibly quickly.

My teacher, in particular, was amazing at making learning fun and tailored to my needs, providing cultural context, and helping me improve quickly.

I highly recommend KEATS, but especially 皮老师！