Good school to learn Chinese and enjoy China!

My final year of college in Auckland I had a roommate from China. It was my introduction to Chinese culture, food and people! The food we tried and the stories she told made me feel like China might be some kind of exciting new world for me.

After graduating, I decided that before going to do my masters' degree, I would travel a bit through Asia- the "gap year" that Kiwis and Australians love to do! I thought about teaching English somewhere but I didn't want to spend my time working. I wanted to explore, and possibly learn a new language. Chinese was that language to learn! While preparing for my trip, I started learning (or TRYING to learn!) Chinese on my own through apps and websites. It wasn't working. The speaking tones and rhythm of speaking were so different from English and I was pronouncing words in unnatural ways. My Chinese friend, who was now back in China, recommend I hire a private tutor. Unfortunately, private tutors here in Auckland are really expensive.

I decided to try out some online options after watching countless hours of YouTube videos and coming across some companies that teach Chinese at more affordable rates than I'd find in New Zealand. After enjoying my Free Trial with eChineseLearning and explaining that I'd soon be leaving for China and Asia on a long trip, they recommended I take online lessons from the comfort of my hotel room (or even a cafe!) while I'm moving around. I signed up for the Chinese Immersion Program and learned Chinese as I traveled up through Thailand and Laos. When I crossed into China, I was able to use some basic Chinese as I was ordering food and buying things. I was even able to ask for a discount and bargain using numbers in Mandarin Chinese. In China, many cities have different speaking dialects, but everyone doing business speaks Mandarin, so I was able to learn online with eChineseLearning during the day, then use my Mandarin Chinese at night while eating and getting the bus or train. It was so cool!

I'd highly recommend eChineseLearning for the flexibility and fun. My teachers were always entertaining- bringing games to the classroom and making sure that all the lessons were fun, not only educational. Needless to say, when I left China after three months, I was really able to have some basic conversations. If you want to learn Chinese, you need a tutor. You can't do it by yourself. eChineseLearning is the one I'd recommend!