2004.06.23: June 23, 2004: Headlines: COS - China: Language: Personal Web Site: China Peace Corps Volunteer Chinkfly writes: How much Mandarin can you expect to learn during the
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2004.06.23: June 23, 2004: Headlines: COS - China: Language: Personal Web Site: China Peace Corps Volunteer Chinkfly writes: How much Mandarin can you expect to learn during the
China Peace Corps Volunteer Chinkfly writes: How much Mandarin can you expect to learn during the assignment?
How much Mandarin you learn during your two years is completely up to the individual volunteer's ambition. Of our group of 50, about 10 had good Mandarin and the remaining 40 of us were starting from the very beginning. During PST, we started with the alphabet and learning the tonal sounds, and worked our way thru about 30 sections in the workbook on subjects like introductions, where we're from, what we do, direction, shopping for groceries, taking public transport, etc.. Basically, the how to get around in China stuff. We had a full 12 weeks of language training, and had a tough time (4+ hours a day, plus homework) getting thru it all---so due to your abridged training time, I'm not sure what the staff have planned for you. We learned a little bit of Hanzi (the Chinese characters), but most of that was left for us to learn on our own. Peace Corps does pay a certain amount for you to hire a tutor, up to a max per week(which I can't remember). It's up to you to find your own tutor when you get to site. You'll get guidelines for how much to pay your tutor---but it is really up to you to make your own deal. Some volunteers pay, some trade English lessons for Mandarin...you can be creative. If your tutor wants more than PC is willing to pay, you just have to make up the difference with your own monthly stipend.
China Peace Corps Volunteer Chinkfly writes: How much Mandarin can you expect to learn during the assignment?
Learning the language
C, how much Mandarin can you expect to learn during the assignment? As teachers (at least for TEFL), i suspect that you're just expected to speak in English. For the tutors, does PC pay for that?
T
Hey T and all,
How much Mandarin you learn during your two years is completely up to the individual volunteer's ambition. Of our group of 50, about 10 had good Mandarin and the remaining 40 of us were starting from the very beginning. During PST, we started with the alphabet and learning the tonal sounds, and worked our way thru about 30 sections in the workbook on subjects like introductions, where we're from, what we do, direction, shopping for groceries, taking public transport, etc.. Basically, the how to get around in China stuff. We had a full 12 weeks of language training, and had a tough time (4+ hours a day, plus homework) getting thru it all---so due to your abridged training time, I'm not sure what the staff have planned for you. We learned a little bit of Hanzi (the Chinese characters), but most of that was left for us to learn on our own.
Peace Corps does pay a certain amount for you to hire a tutor, up to a max per week(which I can't remember). It's up to you to find your own tutor when you get to site. You'll get guidelines for how much to pay your tutor---but it is really up to you to make your own deal. Some volunteers pay, some trade English lessons for Mandarin...you can be creative. If your tutor wants more than PC is willing to pay, you just have to make up the difference with your own monthly stipend.
Your comment on how difficult it can be for volunteers to find ways to practice their Mandarin is completely accurate---every student on your campus will search out opportunities to practice their English with you. You really have to be proactive about it--many volunteers try to get into their town often, where the locals will definitely not speak English!
Ok-some language success stories. Again, how much language you learn will totally depend on the individual volunteer's ambition. If learning a language is one of your PC goals, then you can make it a priority for you. For example, my husband was really interested in this, so he spent a good 3 or 4 hours studying Mandarin everyday. For me, it wasn't really a priority, so I spent enough time to handle the basics and be able to get around--but my priority was more focused on project development and the relationships I was creating with people. Some volunteers insist on only speaking Mandarin at site (except while teaching), so they get really good. Many volunteers get profficient enough to return to China post-PC and live and work there. Or they use their Mandarin in the State Dept., or some other U.S. based organization. It's all up to you. It's an extremely challenging language, but if you want to master it then your PC experience will give you a really good start.
Hope this helped. Cheers, C
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: June, 2004; Peace Corps China; Directory of China RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for China RPCVs; Blogs - China; Language
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