advice needed: 40yo wants to study. many ?'s

[mr.stinky]

i've wanted to do this for ages, finally decided now is the time. i had 2 semesters

chinese in college (forgotten it all), and now want to take a long-term (2-year)

course in china. i plan to start in feb '06. this is for my own education, not for

business reasons or to earn another degree.

i've read many of the threads for information, but still have questions:

where to study? noone can answer that for me, but any ideas? i live in small-town

texas, pop 700, drive 150 miles for groceries. i understand isolation, and am able

to wait for things. no 7-11 on the corner!! i like open spaces, mountains, rural

scenery. beaches do nothing for me. i'd rather stay away from the larger cities

with congestion and pollution and massive manufacturing zones. i love hot

weather, dislike cold. i'm comfortable with temps up to 40C, assuming the humidity

is not at 105%. a town of 100k population would be fine, assuming there are 'some'

conveniences, and the language instruction is solid mandarin. preferably where the

local dialect is suitable for out of class practice. i'm leaning towards kunming!!

i'd rather cycle/jog/hike than hit the clubs. i do not 'party.'

cost? i'm overloaded with possible institutions. university or college or center or

private school? prices range from $1,400-10,000 USD per academic year. i can't

see where the price differential is related completely to quality of instruction.

maybe more for the 'label' - mercedes vs. lexus vs. honda. i don't intend to shell

out massive sums of money to live in luxury, and miss the entire cultural experience.

i do not intend to teach, at least not at first in order to concentrate on learning the

language. perhaps later some private tutoring...

accomodations? university dorms are a non-starter. i'm 40 and quiet - never could

do the animal house/fratboy lifestyle. i expect to stay in a single/private bath dorm

or university hotel for the first month or so, maybe entire first semester. thereafter

will be looking for a small flat. any suggestions here? i don't require much - just

a clean place to live. oh, and i'd REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, want to have a

genuine porcelain toilet. i don't cook, at least not by choice, so a fully-stocked

kitchen would be wasted space. a breakfast nook with a tiny fridge would be sufficient

transport? walking or cycling to class, getting around town is fine. public

transport is good and inexpensive. rail system is extensive. how about private

transportation? i read somewhere that china does not recognize international

driver's licenses. is it possible to buy/rent a car or motorcycle?

schools? any institutions to avoid at all costs? which schools have poor reputations?

any known scams? i probably won't be in country before starting, so won't have

the opportunity to visit the city or campus.

[woliveri]

Hi Stinky,

First, I think if you're looking for a place with few people in China you may have a problem.

While I haven't been to China to learn I have been studying now for over 3 years in the states. My suggestion would be to suck it up and go to Beijing or a city nearby with Beijing dialect. Take the courses and then come on back. Who knows, you might like it so much you'd like to stay.

BTW, what town are you in Texas? I also like remote locations.

[mr.stinky]

no, i don't expect isolation in terms of population, but rather in not

always having what i want when i want it. (sanderson, texas; 65

miles to the nearest signal light, 150 miles to odessa for shopping

malls, major groceries, movie theater.)

after reading in places that unless you're in beijing, you'll never find

waffles, i meant to convey that i'm willing to sacrifice convenience

and 'luxury' for a more conducive learning atmosphere. i would

trade pop-tarts for cleaner air.

for smaller population, there's always univ of inner mongolia in

hohhot. i hear it gets a little nippy in the winter, though. i've done

survey work in -30F, and cycled through death valley at 115F. i'll

do death valley again.

so far, kunming seems to be the best alternative for me. now have

to narrow down the half dozen or so possible venues.

[tradinup]

Beijing isn't the only place to get a pure mandarin dialect, there's lots of places in the north like Jilin, Heilongjiang, Yunnan with smaller populations and mandarin schools... Beijing is more expensive because you are paying for all the converniences and entertainment he doesn't even want.

If you think Kunming is good, go for it! I bet there is even smaller, lesser-known schools in smaller cities. Another alternative is private tutoring is a city you like. In places like Yanji, Jilin there are students that have graduated and know Mandarin and English and they are working Jobs there for 1000rmb a month. I'm sure they would love to be your private tutor for a modest increase. I'm paying a private tutor 4000 a month here in Shenzhen only because I think she is really good

[wenjing*girl]

i'd REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, want to have a

genuine porcelain toilet.

It's not as hard to find a place with a toilet as you'd think. If the apt you get doesn't have one, you can probably get one put in for ¥300。