认识你很高兴 – Rèn Shi Nǐ Hěn Gāoxìng| 2 min read

Apprehensive at first to try the very difficult tonal language, the interns soon got stuck in and were able to recite numbers and basic phrases as well as the very challenging phonic sounds Chinese has to offer!

Not only did the interns learn some Mandarin but they also learned another valuable lesson, they saw first hand how you can teach a foreign language without having to speak the students native language. A skill they will find vital when they get to their placement schools. The interns got to see first hand how the use of body language and gestures can communicate efficiently what you want the students to learn.

For those in the group who thought their Mandarin was above beginner we also set up a number of other classes from elementary to advanced! The interns were learning all sorts of new words for their Chinese vocabulary. The classes were of small groups and informal, the interns were encouraged to ask what they wanted to learn, what would be most useful to them. This has proven to be a great success and now all the interns are improving their Mandarin with some students even braving some Chinese tongue twisters!

After the classes were over the interns then went to our new Mandarin corner where everyone gathered outside and practiced their newly learnt Chinese with one another and our Chinese assistants. The Chinese assistants split the interns into small groups of 10, mixing people with all levels of Mandarin together they then had some fun, chatted and played some games.

After a long day in the classroom the interns were happy to spend some time learning outside in the sun. After a little over an hour it was time to wrap up. The interns had turned out in great numbers to practice what they had learned but as the sun began to set it was time rest for the day.

Tomorrow will be the day to put what they have learned into good use and practice with the locals, although watch out for the notorious Beijing “R” which has seen many an intern come unstuck!