Taiwanese or chinese?

[FeiFen]

Thanks OneEye, it was really helpful. but as I search about NTNU I also find about NTU. do you know what is the difference between them?? and what the difference between MTC in NTNU and ICLP in NTU?? (sorry I can't really understand about the difference in your story)

If I am planning about take the intensive class which one should I take??MTC or ICLP??yahh, because my really poor mandarin (I never study about mandarin in here, Indonesia). and which one that the teachers will teach step by step from the very beginning?? and what language the teacher speak?? if they speak Chinese it's mean that I will not understand them AT ALL

for the class, is it divide by your country??and how about the dorm??

reading your experience make me excited to study there thank you so much

[OneEye]

I wouldn't recommend ICLP for you. It's very expensive, and if you're a beginner it won't be worth it. If you really want to go to ICLP, I'd recommend working hard for a year at the MTC first. The intermediate and advanced levels are where ICLP really shines.

NTU has another program called CLD (Chinese Language Division). That program is similar to the MTC, but I'd still recommend MTC because they have more students and hence can offer a better variety of classes.

You'll find that teachers will only speak to you in Chinese at any school in Taiwan. It's not as bad as you might think, because you'll pick up basic phrases quickly this way.

Classes are divided by level, not country. You'll be in class with people from all over the world. This is good because it will force you to speak Chinese with your classmates, as it will probably be the only common language between you.

I have no idea about the dorm situation. I live in an apartment with my wife.

[Lu]

If I am planning about take the intensive class which one should I take??MTC or ICLP??

Both offer intensive classes, but iirc ICLP is quite a bit more expensive than MTC.

and which one that the teachers will teach step by step from the very beginning??

At MTC, there are classes at many different levels, and the beginners class teaches you from the very beginning (pronunciation, transcription). Those classes assume you know absolutely zero Chinese. If ICLP offers beginners classes, I assume it's the same. There are many people like you, who come to Taiwan (or China) with no knowledge of Chinese, so there are plenty of classes for your level.

and what language the teacher speak??

At MTC, when I was there (2004-2005) the teachers in the beginners classes started out speaking English (which was rather inconvenient for the non-English-speakers in those classes). Teachers in such programs are usually really good, they'll understand what it means to not speak a word of Chinese, so they'll either speak English or really simple Chinese that you can understand.

for the class, is it divide by your country??

No, as OneEye mentioned, it's divided by level. However, there are many Indonesian Chinese who come to Taiwan to study Mandarin, so you can easily meet people from your country if you want.

and how about the dorm??

When I was at MTC, most people lived in apartments (or a room in a shared apartment). There is a thread somewhere on finding a place to stay in Taiwan, you can look for it. In my experience, it's not difficult to find a place to stay in Taipei and rents are reasonable.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Education gives out (or used to give out) scholarships for people learning Chinese, you can look into applying for that.

Lastly, you sound a bit panicked. No need for that! There are many people like you who come to China or Taiwan to learn Chinese, starting from nothing. Most of them learn Chinese and have a great time.

[FeiFen]

hahahahaha, is it already known from what I ask??I am afraid, but I want. afraid because I don't know AT ALL about Chinese. I am afraid that I will not be able to understand anything there.

and sometimes I also afraid if I meet so many people form my country, because it will make me speak my mother language with them. and if it happen often it will ruin my Chinese.

Thanks all for your answer , and what I heard Taiwan will hold an expo here at my country. I will ask more with them to get more information (even thought I already get so many information from all of you here) and if I need more information about living there may I ask all of you again?? thanks

[Lu]

hahahahaha, is it already known from what I ask??I am afraid, but I want. afraid because I don't know AT ALL about Chinese. I am afraid that I will not be able to understand anything there.

You don't know anything now, that means you'll learn a lot. Taiwanese people are as a rule very friendly and willing to help. You'll be fine!

and sometimes I also afraid if I meet so many people form my country, because it will make me speak my mother language with them. and if it happen often it will ruin my Chinese.

There's a thread going on at the moment about that, with some advice on how to avoid speaking too much of your own mother tongue and too little Chinese, you can look into that.