Keats School, Kunming - A Query

[drungood]

Since I haven't seen any feedback for the small classes, I'd like to say that I'm taking them now and think they're excellent, especially for the price. My teacher is skilled at teaching and very friendly, as opposed to what I've heard about some teachers at Yun Da.

[sl234]

thanks so much drungood. who is your teacher there? and can you comment on the method?

[abcdefg]

...any advice on Kunming?

Anything particular you want to know?

In August we will probably have rain (it has been a drought year; but that is still the rainy season.) So take rain gear and a sweater. When it rains here, it gets surprisingly chilly and a sweater will feel good.

I am planning to spend a week at Keats in August

Don't expect miracles in one week, though you will probably still have a good time.

[sl234]

Thanks everyone. I know a week is short but it is nice to peridiocally just do an immersion in Mandarin without other distractions. I have never been to Kunming before so any specific restaurant tips, etc. are appreciated. I will report back on my trip

[abcdefg]

#104 -- Sorry, I only just now saw your question. When you get to Kunming, some of your teachers or classmates can show you around. If you live in the dorm, you will meet other adventurous foreign students with whom to explore.

Meanwhile, you might have a look at GoKunming. They have restaurant reviews, rants and raves. (Some reliable and some less so.)

http://www.gokunming.com/en/

When here for the first time, you must definitely make a point of having 过桥米线 (Cross bridge rice noodles.) It's more or less the signature dish for the city and for the province. A fine example of that dish is available less than a block from Keats school at 建新园. It's on the corner of 东风东路 and 白塔路。

Many other good eats around town as well. Kunming is an easy place to like and not overwhelmingly huge. The number 5 bus stops outside your door and will take you to the CBD (central business district) and other places of interest.

[Guest Almaty]

Hi guys,

I am happy to find this forum, as it pursuaded me that Keats School is no scam. My company wired tuition for me three weeks ago, and there has been no confirmation from the school so far, but now I hope everything will get clear at least after the May Day. There is SWIFT confirmation with all the info being correct on it. Has anyone experienced delays with a payment receipt from them?

[Guest Almaty]

I am relaxed now, got the payment receipt!

[Guest Almaty]

Hi guys,

I have just finished my four-week course in Keats, and I am going to take a two-month course half a year later. My teachers were great - very hard working and very helpful! The materials I brought back are enough for my self-study for half a year. I spoke Chinese to anyone who is able to speak it, including foreigners, but I also practiced my English, which is good too, as it is not my native language. For those who complain about not enough Chinese environment, just go outside the school! I attended the closest massage salon with blind employees, who do very effective Chinese acupressure massage just for 50 yuan for 60 minutes, and give five free extra sessions, if you pay for 15 hours. These 20 hours can be used during a year. I went there everyday and had 8 foot massages and 12 body ones. I usually sit in front of a computer for 8 hours every day, so my back and neck were very stiff at the beginning of the massage course, and I feel dramatically better now. I also chatted to the people in the salon or just listened to their chat, or watched TV - all in Chinese. Whenever I was in my room, I turned on the TV in Chinese. Doing shopping or going to a restaurant on weekends also requires speaking and understanding Chinese, as vendors and waiters speak no English.

I chose Keats as a more competitive school in respect of both tuition and accomodation, compared to Beijing schools. Keats is the only school that offers cheap accomodation and meals within the school. I did not have to wake up early and take crowded buses in the morning, and I could use my bathroom during breaks. I did my morning gymnastics listening to local Kunming news, which was no less efficient than listening to what frustrated people talk about early morning in the buses. Actually, they don't speak much in the buses anyways. The food was always Chinese, about 10-14 different dishes and rice, but the main thing is that it was very fresh and made of reliable ingredients, so I had no stomach problems.

Other students also went to gyms, a swimming pool, or played badminton. I didn't. Now I know much more about Kunming, so next time I will provbably go for a yoga or dance class in a neighboring "health improvement facility" that I read about in one of leaflets given to me in the street. I checked every ad with my teachers, and they were able to comment on the prices and reliability of various things and places. A special story is about my tea purchasing enterprise. My colleagues asked me to buy various kinds of tea, especially the Yunnan famous one - pu'er. In a local tea market I got about ten kilos of tea in the form of leaves, cakes and cups, from the freshest wulong to 8-year old pu'er, all of which are 3-10 times cheaper than in Beijing and even than in local tea shops or supermarkets. My teachers helped me with understanding from which vendors it is better to buy and what prices are reasonable.

I can keep sharing other kinds of my experience of Kunming and Keats, so just let me know what is interesting for you!

[abcdefg]

#104 -- Glad that worked out well. I went back again this year for more one-to-one and was still quite pleased. Am taking a break right now, reviewing and "digesting" the new material. Plan to return for another session later this summer.

[Guest sparqy]

I'm learning Chinese in Keats school since February up to now for 4 month. Firstly I have booked one-to -one classes for 5 weeks. Just after some weeks of studying i found myself able to produce some simple but very useful sentences, while communicating with local people.The feeling of fast progress inspired me a lot and I've decided to extend my stay here. I have started from absolute beginner， now I'm preparing for the HSK test level 4, which I'm planning to take in July.Even though I was studying Chinese only for 4 month, I'm pretty sure I will manage this exam (this level is required to be able to work for chinese company or to do exchange semester in chinese university).I think this is the vivid indicator, that the quality of teaching is really hight. During my stay I had 2 teachers. They are very professional, experienced and enthusiastic about their jobs. What i like the most, they adapt the teaching plan to my special requirements. They don't have this standart programm, that most of the language classes have. I find it extremely beneficial. I'm being impressed how hardworking chinese teachers are. For example my teacher every day prepares 7-8!! pages of handwriting lesson materials. Moreover my teacher became my good friend, and on weekends we always go out for lunch.

I also like the environment of the school: The stuff is very friendly and helpful, dormitories are clean and safe. Three times a day all students are gathering together to eat delicious chinese food in school. This exposure to diverse international environment is really a lot of fun. Even though the prices are comparatively high I still would recommend this school， especially if you are really dedicated to learn very fast.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. I'm in school till August. Maybe we will meet)

Best wishes, Kajia

[abcdefg]

I have started from absolute beginner, now I'm preparing for the HSK test level 4, which I'm planning to take in July. Even though I was studying Chinese only for 4 month, I'm pretty sure I will manage this exam...

If you pass HSK 4 after a total of only 4 months study, that will be an outstanding accomplishment. It takes most people longer. You must be a gifted language learner. Please come back afterwards to let us know how it goes. Good luck!

[MCKranenborg]

Dear readers,

After studying mandarin in the Netherlands for a year, I went to Hong Kong to practice my mandarin. Hong Kong? Indeed, bad decision, they speak cantonese or english, the signs are in traditional script and there are therefore not that much opportunities to practice your speaking on a daily basis. However, I managed to write characters for 20-30 hours a week and improved my vocabulairy a lot there. Afterwards, the big plan was to get all this vocabulary to ‘the tip of the tongue’ by studying in Keats for 6 weeks. 5 weeks are past now and I can tell that this worked out really well.

Some people argue that the school is a bit expensive, but as the dutch saying goes: ‘goedkoop is duurkoop’ (cheap is, in the end, expensive). I think it is very good value for your money, and for me this is/was really a good way to improve my mandarin. As foregoing posts also show; the teachers are highly dedicated, working up to >10 hours a day just to get you ready for the thing you want. Yes, that is right, there is nothing you should do, the more you can do at Keats. Want to learn Chinese dishes? My teacher prepared it for the next day and foregoing weeks. Want to learn Chinese’ sayings and idioms as a way to improve your culture understanding and as a way to impress locals with some typical sayings? They have loads of material you can use. As with most things, a pro-active attitude helps you with this ofcourse. Just ask them the things that you want and they do their best to make your stay as convenient (although the self-chosen homework can be a bit frustrating ;)) as possible. That is, the more you work besides classes, the more you gain from the classes, so for people who have (just as I do) some weeks off and really want to ‘power up’ their Chinese, this is a really good option because you will not be slowed down by class mates, etc. Although I don’t have firsthand experience in this, for people who are intending to stay longer, I’d suggest to first go somewhere else. You’d better go to Keats when you already now some basic things that you can learn yourself (such as the writing of characters), and focus more on speaking there. This will probably save you a lot of money.

That are my experiences here with the study. Besides this, the school is located on a good location. As a fanatic sporter, I went everyday out to go to the gym, the swimming pool or played badminton with other students from the school. Besides this, Kunming is located in central Yunnan, so weekend trips are really easy to do from there. I went on my own to Dali and Jianshui for a weekend where I tried to speak as much as possible with the locals. And, all the things I couldn’t express there, I just asked my teacher to teach me when I returned. So the next week I was able to ask for a ‘airconditioned room’ and that

Hence, in short, I can highly recommend Keats for people who are really dedicated and have some time off and are willing to work hard for a short time to give their Chinese a boost...

[laoxiang]

I just completed my first semester in a small group class at Keats and I have nothing but good things to say about them. My teacher was fantastic and I really enjoyed her classes. She always found ways to keep class fun and interesting and was quite skilled at deciphering my meaning, despite my complete lack to proper tone usage. The school itself has a comfortable, cozy feel to it, unlike the cold, prison like vibe I got from the university I attended for a semester. The location is easy to get to by public transit and the school is very acommodating and helpful with any problems you may have getting settled into Kunming. Whatever level you may be at, i'd recommend attending Keats to see progress in a short time.

[roddy]

SL234, how did your week at Keats go?

[hans.castorp]

Hi there,

I am interested in studying at Keats in December; for two weeks. How's the weather like? Are there many students in December (I would study for the last two weeks of the month)

Thanks!

[abcdefg]

How's the weather like?

In December it's usually chilly outside, but sunny. Overall, quite pleasant. You will need warm clothes (preferably in layers.) Bring sweaters for wearing inside, since few buildings are heated. Bring thermal underwear in case of a cold snap. (Or buy it here if it turns out to be needed.)

Are there many students in December?

Less students in December than in the summer. Generally speaking, it's a good time to come.

Two weeks is not much time, though it does allow you to "dip a toe into the water" and decide if you would like to return at some later date for a longer stay.

[hans.castorp]

Thanks for your advice abcdefg!

[treybien]

Can anyone comment on Keats location within Kunming---how far is it from the primary bar street/western import grocery store? I've lived in China for several years (Shenzhen + Hangzhou) but never been to Kunming and am looking for a lay of the land. Thanks.

[abcdefg]

#118 --

Can anyone comment on Keats location within Kunming---how far is it from the primary bar street/western import grocery store?

It's about 15 or 20 minutes by taxi and about 25 or 30 minutes by bus. Significantly more during rush hour. I'm basing my answer on distance from Keats School to the Wenlin Jie area. That's where the majority of expat bars, cafes and such are located. Small selection of imported groceries there as well.

Main import grocery stores are much farther, in the north part of town. That's Metro and Wicker Basket. Currently not practical to go there because of road construction making the trip take as long as an hour each way, depending on time of day.

Carrefour has some imported food, and is a short bus ride or a long walk from Keats school Just opened earlier this year. A Wal-Mart is also not far from the school and close to Carrefour. Doesn't have a lot of imports, but does have a few. Should probably add that if finding imported groceries is a priority item, Kunming might not be the best city for you.

Another bar street or area (Kundu) is a little closer than Wenlin Jie. Though some expats go there, it's predominantly an area frequented by locals.

A couple restaurants with western food and English menus are a block or so (easy walk) from the school. But these are not "night life" locations with live music, parties and free-flowing late night booze.

If being close to Wenlin Jie is extremely important in your scheme of things, you might want to look into other schools. There are some which are closer.

[treybien]

Thanks very helpful. Not a priority just curious. I may forego the meals option if I do Keats and want to evaluate the alternatives.