Learn Mandarin with eChineseLearning is wonderful

I got a Chinese friend when I took part in a language-exchange corner last year. My new friend made it clear that before went to China to meet her family it would be a huge honor to know the culture and speak a bit of Mandarin. They are from Beijing and fortunately they speak standard Mandarin and not a dialect. I was terrified at first. Chinese is a very "scary" language. I was first apprehensive to learn a totally new language.

However, eChineseLearning made it easy! The teachers introduced cultural lessons in addition to the basic language lessons. The teachers taught me about which gifts would be appropriate and even introduced me to the specific Beijing dialect when I asked. The teachers also related to my cultural differences. It was like having a language teacher, but also like having a life coach. Great!

In America when we finish college it's a bit confusing. We often have some free time to explore or take on a new challenge. The process of learning Chinese was a good exercise to keep my brain busy. In Boston we have quite a few Chinese speakers, so I took the opportunity to go to Chinatown and practice the Mandarin Chinese that I had learned in my classes. Even though many of the people there spoke different dialects, they could understand my basic Mandarin. They even cooked me special dishes that were not on the menu, but only for true local Chinese. It was a great cultural experience!

After the first six months of lessons I went to Beijing. It was the greatest trip of my life because I didn't have to rely on English. I could talk to taxi drivers, waiters and even immigration officers. Everyone in China seemed to appreciate my effort. When I met my wife's family, they really appreciated my efforts to speak in Mandarin, especially with the "Beijing accent". Even my friend was surprised!

We have since returned to Boston but I continue the language lessons with eChineseLearning. I can even do the lessons in my boxer shorts. It's convenient, effective and cheaper than a local class in USD. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in Chinese people and culture.