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Michela Italy

Fun at LTL and Beijing

You really have a lot of fun with the LTL team and students. You can really enjoy yourself together and feel relaxed. We have done many things together such as sing karaoke, dance in different places, celebrated birthdays, drinking Bai Jiu (白酒) and so much more.

Thanks to both LTL School and my “travelling spirit” I had the chance to discover Chinese culture and the habits of this nation. Different foods, flavours, places and lots of new people and friends. It was a month full of everything. At the beginning you can find Beijing (and China in general) so different from the West. You will be fascinated by the culture shock here. I’m really satisfied with my experience and I have to say many thanks to LTL for being my family for one month.

There are so many things to do in Beijing but tasting the food here is an absolute must (中国采 – Chinese dish). The food is different throughout China. The colder northern flavours include wheat food so you can always see “Beijingers” eating wheat noodles, steamed buns, dumplings and stuffed buns with various treats inside! Strong flavours are also more important for northerners I found. Chilli peppers (辣椒), Soy Sauce (酱油), Sesame Oil (麻油)… trust me they really know how to use seasoning in China to add to the richness of a dish! Even if Beijing has a variety of meats, Roast Duck the most famous (北京烤鸭), there are still plenty of options even for a vegetarian like me. There is generally a misconception to be a vegetarian (or Vegan) in China is impossible. That’s not true.

One of the LTL events actually takes place at Hai Di Lao Hot Pot. You will become addicted to it. The LTL lunch club everyday gives you the opportunity to eat different dishes and share your lunch with students and all the school team.

Beijing Scenery – 北京的风景

In Beijing you will find a million reasons to get excited and have fun after hours of studying during your weekends. I went for long walks around the city, there is so much to see that it would take months and months! You cannot miss a visit to the Temple of Heaven and enjoy it’s wonderful park. Watching the older people playing cards or practicing Tai Ji Quan (太极拳). You can arrive in Tian’anmen Square and visit the Forbidden City, also the National Museum I’d highly recommend. Jingshan Park (景山公园) gives you a wonderful view of the city. From this point you can easily reach Nan Luo Gu Xiang (南锣鼓巷) which I consider the heart of Beijing. This is China at it’s best and you can experience this with fellow friends and students.

Walking through Hutongs and taking lots of pictures, eating street food and going for a visit to the Lama Temple. This is also something you can do alone or with fellow LTL students as I’d do a lot. On a personal level I love this area of the city. If you are in love with Chinese culture and history I think you should go for a day far from the city and combine the Simatai Great Walk with the water town of Gubei which we dd together as a group on a Saturday. This Chinese style town can offer such a beautiful sunset.

Learning Chinese at LTL – 学习汉语

Studying at LTL helped me improve my Chinese, especially my conversational skills. Thanks to my teachers, I started to feel very comfortable in speaking Chinese. In the small group lessons I always had the chance to talk a lot. Both Felix and Lucy (my teachers) let us understand every concept in trying to not shift into English. We just used Chinese words and I think this is a better way to get to know the language. They were also very patient and kind with us all. I will miss them and my class! We had a lot of fun during lessons!

So I want to wrap up and say thanks the staff at LTL. My teachers, Gloria who helped me organise my HSK exam and Alice my student advisor who was there for all my requests from the very beginning. Andreas, Angelina and Maxi were also very special and welcoming to me upon arrival and throughout my stay.

I will definitely miss all of them and I will definitely come back as soon as I can.

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Georgia Australia

When I reflect on my time at Live the Language (LTL) Mandarin School, Beijing, I immediately think of the quote “knowledge comes from learning, wisdom comes from living,” Anthony Douglas.

The time taken to organise group activities in and around Beijing allowed me to establish a brilliant friendship group in Beijing. I know in many ways, that the people I have meet at LTL will be lifelong friends.

The welcoming environment and incredible support that I received from the LTL staff allowed me to truly embrace living in China. In my case, the LTL staff always went above and beyond to help me with any questions I had, no matter how big or small it may have been. I really appreciated the ability to talk to staff members at all times of the day and night, especially when unexpected problems arose.

One of the most valuable outcomes of the LTL experience is learning to look through the language, to see mandarin as more than a way of commutation; to see it as beautiful tool in understanding the world around you. I can say with great certainty that my experience at LTL far surpassed my wildest expectations.

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Francesca Italy

Beijing is an international city that offers ample opportunity to integrate easily into Chinese culture. The first impression when I came was this “too chaotic for me”. However, shortly after arriving, I got used to living in Beijing without a problem. In addition to studying at LTL Mandarin School, I also had the opportunity to experience the Beijing social life outside the school walls, enriching my Chinese experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed discovering Beijing at night. The nightlife was wonderful. In my three months stay in Beijing I found many excellent bars, restaurants and clubs, each with different characteristics, in which I’ve also had the opportunity to meet groups of Chinese people with whom helped improve my Chinese skills.

In addition the school allows free entry to a Language Mix Social event which was run by LTL. This gave me a unique opportunity to practice Chinese language speaking with Chinese people who want to learn Italian or another language in return.

It is a city that is continuously moving, and despite the size of the city it is generally pretty comfortable to travel around. Using the metro is incredibly cheap and the bus likewise. You also have the option to take a taxi at convenience. Regarding the standard of food, I found it is rich and varied and it costs very little. The food is very affordable as is transportation and visits to the various tourist places of cultural interest.

Whether it be studying Chinese, work or pleasure, I would highly recommend anyone to visit Beijing at least once in their life!

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Pedro Brazil

Pedro is studying Chinese at our school in Beijing and taking every opportunity to practise Mandarin outside of the classroom too. Watch this to hear him discuss his Chinese progress, as well as his tips on how to make friends in China…