- Mandarin Immersion (Part 1)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 2)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 3)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 4)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 5)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 6)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 7)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 8)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 9)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 10)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 11)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 12)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 13)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 14)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 15)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 16)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 17)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 18)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 19)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 20)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 21)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 22)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 23)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 24)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 25)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 26)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 27)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 28)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 29)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 30)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 31)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 32)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 33)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 34)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 35)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 36)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 37)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 38)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 39)
May 15, 2023
Mandarin Immersion (Part 1)
By Simon J. Lau
I kicked off the start of my 6-week Mandarin immersion trip last weekend. I’ve been learning Mandarin regularly for the last 5+ years, but I haven’t had a chance to use it in earnest. I saw this as my opportunity to do so. First stop, a (long) layover in Taipei!
I had 11 hours to kill, so I did what I often do: I explored! The airport ATM only dispensed denominations of NT$1K ($32 USD), and not wanting to be left with a ton of Taiwanese dollars, I budgeted $32 USD for this adventure. A budget adventure. 😅
One requirement I placed on myself, since this was a language immersion trip, was that I had to order all my food in Mandarin. If I couldn’t order in Mandarin, I wouldn’t let myself eat. It was very effective! I had a traditional Taiwanese breakfast, boba, and a light lunch.
Besides indulging in the local cuisine, I also made a trip to the Longshan Temple and took the opportunity to explore different areas of the city, snapping photos as I went along. At one point, I attempted to visit a new park situated on the other side of the highway. However, despite walking for miles, I couldn’t locate any entrance to that park.
That said, I saw much of the underbelly of Taipei’s highway system. There were some clear (but limited) signs of homelessness. However, the city also reclaimed space below the highway to create vibrant storefronts. It was a clever way to utilize the city’s limited space.
Taipei was wonderful, and I only spent $21 to visit. Best $21 I’ve spent on an adventure! 😅 Beijing, on the other hand, was a totally different adventure. China’s Great Firewall (internet censorship) was intense, and there was no way for me to get online when I landed. 🛬
Without getting into all the details, I only had the name of my hotel handy. So I used my limited Mandarin to ask for help. I was able to cobble together directions, snap photos of maps, and I made my way to my place late last night. It wasn’t pretty, but I made it!
My hotel is located in a traditional Beijing hutong. Hutongs are narrow neighborhood alleyways (with communal bathrooms) and were common in northern Chinese cities. However, since China’s multi-decade development boom, many have been demolished, destroyed, and redeveloped.
I’ve always wanted to stay in a hutong, and when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped on it! This particular hotel is located in a hutong near Tiananmen Square. It’s cute and the location is great, but the building has definitely seen better days.
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