A Review on LTL’s Chengde Program

Hello,

I am currently doing the LTL Chengde immersion program after successfully completing two months of LTL classes in Beijing. It has has been a month since I joined this course and I have to say that I am completely satisfied with it and here are the reasons why:

Home stay:

I am currently staying with a lovely family of four (parents and two kids). The children love to play and enthusiastically help you practice your speaking skills. Two meals a day are offered. Everything is delicious nourishing and a deep dive into Chinese cuisine. Most of the home stays are located in the very centre of Chengde, so you will be at the popular hangout spots and bustling areas in no time!

Classes:

I currently have four hours of class, five times a week. They alternate between morning and afternoon class and therefore offer a lot of variety regarding time management. Classes are also completely customisable. You will generally follow the book that LTL will provide you with (said book is split into chapters each containing listening speaking and writing parts), but you can always make suggestions to your teacher if you want to make changes. You will have 1-on-1 class, therefore everything is super flexible. You are also not limited to a traditional classroom. As the Chengde program does not have a central school. In theory any place can turn into a study space. Coffee shops are most popularly used, but I have also experienced parks, supermarkets, shopping malls, a roof terrace and strolls around the city. Also at this point a shout out to my lovely teacher Ida, who is so patient with me every day and inspires me to continue to study hard. Thank you!

Immersion:

The program offers a lot of different extracurricular activities. Throughout the week there will be calligraphy and tea classes, badminton, swimming, cat cafe hangouts… the list goes on way too long for me to count all of them. That’s all thanks to Chengde’s School coordinator Zhongwen (中文), who is not only super creative when it comes to planning and organizing an unforgettable experience, but will also help you with and minor and major issue that you might encounter. So you will be in absolutely capable hands here ;) Regarding the weekend you can explore famous places with a language partner all day long!

As for the daily life here you will find that, in fact rarely anybody can speak English. So you will be pushed out of your comfort zone daily. But, I find that my Chinese has improved more rapidly in this past month here in Chengde, than it has in those two months I spent in Beijing. As for the people here I can say that everybody I have met so far is friendly but more so very curious. You can also prepare yourself to have some pictures taken. Food is widely available. From small stalls along the road to full blown restaurants offering all kinds of delicacies.

All in all a one in a lifetime experience, which I can recommend to basically anybody who wants to try something new and exciting. As I am currently doing a gap year in between Highschool and University, I can especially recommend this option for other fellow students. Chengde is a great spot for young people to visit!