There's the bell!

University classes officially started on Monday, 8 March following a week of placement tests and introduction sessions. I've been assigned to the level 3 class, which is still a beginner's level, but as the '3' indicates, I am not starting from scratch. In terms of grammar and vocabulary knowledge I'm probably already further ahead, but my knowledge of the Chinese characters has deteriorated significantly since I had my last VHS classes in Frankfurt two years ago. And here in Dalian you're lost without the characters. So, that's what I will be reviewing most during these initial weeks.

Classes are taught for 99% in Mandarin, also because English wouldn't help most of the 13 students in my class. There's one Englishman from near London, who quit his job working in pensions -cannot blame him;-)- to start a life in China. Then there's a Francaise from the University in Clermont-Ferrand who speaks some English, too. But for the others: four Japanese, a Korean, three Thailanders and three... Belarussians you might just as well speak Chinese indeed..

Whereas the Europeans all struggle with the characters, most Asians seem to have issues with pronounciation and comprehension.

In total there must be around 100 foreign students at the University of Technology, spread out over several classes at beginner and intermediate levels. A group of exchange students from a university in Clermont-Ferrand landed here, as well as a considerable delegation from Belarus, which is kind of, well, odd..