Yay! Im going to China this summer!

[Strawberries513]

I am a highschool student, and this summer I will be a foriegn exchange student to China! im so exited. I am going for a five week intensive mandarin study program. And, even though there are about 8 months until I go, I have some questions for you all. --

1. I am currently at a low-intermediate level. Assuming that while in china I study as hard as I can, how much should I expect to improve?

2. What kind of preparations should I make to my chinese for this?

Thanks!!

[heifeng]

1. You can probably expect to learn more everyday practical stuff that you take for granted now and learn more vocab regarding food, clothes, transportation, banking...etc. and express yourself better in Chinese. If you are going with your school don't get stuck just hanging out with your classmates and speaking English. Try to talk to locals, school staff, sales people, security guards, taxi drivers as much as possible...Long ago, the first time I went to China was for about 7 weeks and as a scholarship requirement I had to take the ACTFL oral exam before and after my program. I was able to advance one level, from Advanced Low to Advanced Mid. I would assume you would be able to advance one or two levels because it's always easier at to make big strides in the beginning...http://www.actfl.org/files/public/Guidelinesspeak.pdf .Sorry, I can only give you an example based on my summer experience in China, which primarily resulted in helping me with my listening and speaking skills (probably because my classmates and I ditched too many classes since we felt we could learn more outside the classroom on our own hehe).

2. Maybe before you go to China you can also really focus in on your reading and writing so that you don't bump into lack of Chinese literacy problems when you go out there and save yourself some hassles. I know I actually do a better job making progress reading and writing when I am not in China b/c I am compensate for the fact I am not speaking and listening to Chinese everyday.

Hope this helps. You definitely seem enthusiastic about the language....

[Diego]

Focus on new words... and listening.... Now !

Use your time here in China only to speak... forget about books here and try to understand wht is going on around you.

Stay outside and speak with chinese people.... and do not worry about being ashemed speaking chinese or whatever.

:mrgreen:

[Ascendancy9]

I travelled to China for three months when I was in high school, and I was in the same position as you in that I was at a lower-intermediate level of Chinese.

1. The benefits of spending that short amount of time in China will not immediately be obvious. But over time you will come to release the benefits, ie: when do use 好吧,好的,好得,好了 was one of the major things I almost subconsciously learnt over there. Your vocabulary will certainly improve and hopefully your pronunciation as well. The greatest improvements will undoubtedly come in your listening ability.

2. Even if you don't know how to say something, try to explain what you mean using Chinese and body language. Avoid English at all costs, and try to hang out with the local mandarin speakers rather than your English speaking classmates (assuming you are not travelling alone). Buy a radio over there and tune it in to Chinese all the time - great for listening help.

Before you leave, I recommend checking over a phrase book and memorising everyday phrases, both for the Chinese benefit and your personal safety over there! Check out tourism information about the city you are visiting. One mistake I made was knowing almost nothing about the city I visited on my first trip to China, and when my 当地 friends asked me about local famous places, I didn't have a clue!

Sorry, it's a bit late here and I'm really tired, so I'm sure my post is full of mistakes, but I hope this helps you out a little!