I'll be living and studying here for the month of May. Kunming has lots of options for studying Mandarin, including two universities. I tried researching and contacting the universities, but they were extremely hard to get through to and their Web sites were dauntingly spare.
Then I stumbled on Keats School. Sometimes you have to judge a book by its cover because you have nothing else to go on. That's what I did here. It looks comfy and cozy, and the site was full of photos of happy westerners on their China adventure. Just the easy start I was looking for. I was especially encouraged by sentences like this on their site:
If you choose to come here to study, you would be a member of the family. Don't worry about the foreign, strange country and totally different language. We will provide total care for your academic and living conditions. . . You will feel warm in the school. At your birthday day, you will receive the present from the school.When you get sick, the school will send you to hospital.. . .once you enroll with Kuming Keats School you will have no other worries or concerns. Too bad I won't be there on my birthday.
They're also turning out to be very helpful and professional. When I e-mail, I always hear back within 24 hours. They shared contact information with me for two former students so I could do a little background checking, and helped with my visa. They will pick me up at the airport in Kunming, and are also letting me stay a few extra days before my course starts.
I'll be living in a dorm room, with my own (Western) bathroom andin-room internet access. My study will be one-on-one, eight hours a day. After a month, my Chinese should be better than my French.
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