Keats School: an amazing experience

From the moment I entered the arrivals hall in Kunming airport, until three weeks later when I said a sad farewell to my incredible teacher Peng Laoshi in Lijiang old town, I felt very well looked after and supported, no matter what the problem! On that first day my flight was a little delayed, so I arrived later than expected on Sunday night (all courses begin on Mondays). I was surprised to find my teacher waiting at the school to greet me and show me the community areas of the school. I instantly liked her a lot and was a little disappointed to think I would be going on to Lijiang after I had finished the first teaching week in Kunming. Therefore I was very happy when Peng Laoshi informed me she would accompany me to Lijiang and teach me for the entire 3 weeks. Daily 4 hours of 1:1 lessons was intense, but always interesting and fun. We laughed a lot together. There was always a structure to each lesson, prepared daily in advance, but my diverse questions and themes were always accommodated and I was happy to have this flexibility. The content of our discussions (grammar, vocab etc) was sent everyday straight after each lesson. Despite my memory problems and struggling to recall new vocabulary Peng Laoshi always remained patient and tried to help me remember. Alongside the lessons it was essential to have functioning digital payment apps. Thankfully there was another superstar always on hand to spend hours sorting we chat/banking card problems. Without Yurina I would have starved to death by now! So a massive thank you to both of these superstars. One thing I wasn't expecting was the program in Lijiang. I didn't read the website properly so it was a huge welcome surprise to have daily afternoon outings with my teacher to all the local sights. That way we could have relaxed conversations and I learned a lot more about chinese culture and people. Overall I had the best time I will never forget it. I intend to return to Keats School next year to continue my learning. I am so proud of my certificate from Keats stating I reached HSK2 level of mandarin. A real achievement thanks to my teacher.