Carlotta Italy

My name is Carlotta, I am 24 years old and I come from Italy.

I just graduated in Law and I decided to dedicate a few months studying Chinese with LTL.

Looking for a language school, I found LTL and chose a 12 week program.

I have been here for more than three weeks now and I can say that I have learned so many things. This is thanks to my teachers who are very prepared and encourage me to give my best and also thanks to the school that has allowed me to fit into an environment where I can practice speaking and listening.

The school, in fact, offers the possibility of living with a Chinese family in order to learn more about the culture and the language.

Many worries could arise from the idea of ​​living with a new family, but, based on my personal experience, I can say that I felt really good from day one. My host family makes me feel at home and involves me in different activities, but at the same time leaves me time and space to be able to do other things as well.

Especially when you decide to live in a new country it can be very reassuring to live with a local family. When I need something, I can always ask them things.

I can assure you that getting around Singapore is very simple and that you can find your way around in a short time.

The school is committed to organizing meetings and dinners so that students can get to know each other. Within a week, I met the other students and was able to build relationships.

For these reasons I recommend anyone interested in studying Chinese to come to Singapore and take advantage of the combination of lessons and homestay.

Any worries I might have were gone within two days. The longer I stay here the more I am convinced that I want to extend my stay.

Linea Denmark

I have one-to-one courses, to make my course more intensive.

The teacher I have is very competent, and flexible and suits the course to your need. I wanted to focus on speaking and daily talk (mainly), so that’s what we are working on.

I have made progress and have tried to speak as much Chinese as possible.

I have participated in some of the Friday evening dinners and quiz nights, which I thought were very funny. These events are a good way to meet people, especially in the beginning when you don’t know any.

The quiz night here in Singapore is at a local bar, and they host a pop quiz every Monday. I have only been to a couple of Friday evening dinners, but it was very nice and a good way to meet the other students.

John UK

I had been studying for about 18 months and was between HSK level 3 and 4 in terms of speaking and vocabulary.

My reading level was around the HSK 2 level.

Over the 4 months I have been at LTL I have been focused on speaking and listening and improving my thinking and reflexes to communicate more naturally.

I am thrilled with the progress I am making. My teacher Timothy is great.

He is a master of Mandarin and someone who appears to know something about nearly every topic I want to discuss.

Being able to discuss my professional work, hobbies and interests alongside the formal course work, vocabulary and grammar we go through makes the classes and learning experience much more engaging.

His patience and precision are exceptional.

BONUS | You can read more about John’s experience in his blog post here.

Amit Israel

My name is Amit and I’m Israeli.

I’ve been studying mandarin for about a year now.

I’ve started studying on my own at home with an online teacher for a few months, and then decided I want to take it a step forward. I found LTL Mandarin School online and made my way to Singapore.

I love it so far.

My first two weeks in Singapore were better than I expected.

I was “forced” to jump into the deep-end of the Chinese speaking pool and found myself getting headaches from speaking Chinese all day.

I absolutely loved it.

For someone who is very passionate about studying Chinese like me, these two weeks couldn’t have been better.

From talking to my host mom from day till night, ordering food in Chinese, or just strolling around the market talking to the store clarks, my brain has changed his language settings into Chinese.

Michael USA

I’m a psychology student based in Houston, Texas.

I’ve only been here for three weeks at the time of writing, but it’s been a once in a lifetime experience.

Both my teachers though are extremely experienced and very patient. I opted for the in person and offline option.

The in-person classes are my favorite. The classes are great and she even gives me snacks. Online is still very good and also worth it.

Overall, I’m glad I decided to come to Singapore.

Every new place I go to is an adventure and the progress with my Mandarin has given me enthusiasm and accomplishment.

My Homestay

On the first day, I was welcomed warmly by my homestay family. They gave me my own room and thankfully my own air conditioner.

Rayna, her son Casper and Nancy, their helper, have been amazing in my settling me into Singapore.

Nancy knows how to cook just about anything, and Rayna made sure that I had everything I needed: driving me to the phone store when my SIM card wasn’t working, showing me good restaurants, and inviting me to activities with her friends.

BONUS | You can read more about Michael’s experience in his blog post here.