I am just learning Chinese as a hobby, really. In my job (I teach and research Biochemistry at Sydney University) I come across a lot of Chinese people (both fellow scientists and students) and, although they all speak perfect English, it is a good ice-breaker and much appreciated if I have a go with my Mandarin! However, some of my more cynical colleagues think I'm only learning so that I can tell what the students in the front row of my lecture are saying about my classes :-)

I have been learning for about 6 months... I really like the way your course is 'progressive'...

Just thought I'd drop another line to say that I think CLO is the best !  When I first started on Level 4 it was a bit of a shock having many more lessons without "set pieces" and english guidance....you see, I listen to the podcasts going to and from work, and trying to make sense of the explanations given in chinese was a bit dangerous, to say the least ( particularly when I had to keep refering to the english transcripts, Haha ).  But now I'm getting used to it...there is so much repetition that my understanding is becoming more "instinctive", and I'm preparing for each