Konall Culture Exchange: Language Learning in China

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!

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.

My most proud memory involves a female student who came from Singapore. When she first arrived she could only speak very basic Chinese. After several months study at KCE, she said she had to go back to her own country and told us that she would be taking the HSK exam in Singapore.

After a few months, I got an email from her expressing thanks to KCE. What's more, she had attached her scores from HSK exams 4-6. She appreciated KCE team’s encouragement and help, which helped her pass all the exams smoothly, and also appreciated that the KCE team made her feel at home.

That moment made me feel honored to be a teacher at KCE. Students and the KCE team trust each other and are friends with one other. Our students are amazing, we are proud of them, and at the same time I am very proud to be part of the Konall Culture Exchange team.

My favorite trip was in the winter of 2011, all of the teachers and students of KCE went to Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province. Harbin is known as “The Ice City” in winter and is covered with white snow. The temperatures can reach -20 to -30 degrees celcius. It's a good place to see the snow and the ice lanterns.

The students and the teachers played “hide and seek” in the ice castle, threw snowballs in the white world, slid down from the high hill, drank beer around the stove, and sat together for warmth in the temperatures as low as -30 celcius. Every scene and every moment is still so fresh in my mind that it seems like it happened yesterday. Most importantly, all of the teachers and the students had a lot of fun. The white snow witnessed our friendship, but also witnessed our youth and dreams, so this trip to the “The Ice City” is a good memory in my life.