Susan C

Review of Chinese Language Academy of Lo...

I took the intensive 16 hour Mandarin Class and re...

I took the intensive 16 hour Mandarin Class and really enjoyed it. Mandarin is a difficult language to self learn, and this provided the much needed structure and basics of the language. We went over basic grammar and common phrases, but also Chinese culture at large, so it wasn't boring at all. In addition to the class room time, the instructors had "office hours" twice a week on Skype. My class consisted of about 10 people, all learning for a different reason. Some were for travel, others for business, and my reason was to support my child taking a Mandarin class at school.

We used a pretty basic book (so it wasn't intimidating), and it was supplemented with extra material provided by the instructor. Before taking the class, I was really wondering how much I would be able to pick up in 16 hours, the answer is a lot! It certainly provided enough understanding and basics to continue successfully learning on my own. I would say the class covers the equivalent of one semester of college Mandarin.
I went into the class feeling very intimidated by the language, but came out knowing that, with more practice, I could actually master it. Ysabella was a really wonderful teacher. Highly recommend this class.