Three Full Months Down

Quick Language Note: 加油 (Jia You) is a phrase used among many Chinese people. In English it translates as "Keep going" or "Go, go go!!" :)))

With exactly three months down and less than one month to go, I can honestly say I am happy with how far I’ve come. Not only because I’ve managed to make it this far being abroad, but because I feel that my Mandarin speaking and listening skills really improved. Before coming to China, I had only taken two semesters of Chinese at college and had been tutored in the language over the summer, but obviously this one year of study was not enough for me to understand the language when hearing it, or even speak a somewhat complicated sentence. But after being in China for some time, I can now understand so much. They say that the best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in the culture of the language you are trying to learn. I completely agree. Hearing Mandarin being spoken by native speakers every day definitely forced the language into my brain and out of my mouth:)

At this point now, I am ready to return to the U.S! I am so grateful to God for giving me great teachers and friends who have helped me get this far in the language. I still have a long way to go (it’s only been a year), but I know that with a lot of hard work and practice I will most definitely continue to improve:)))) 加油!!