Like many people I used think learning a Chinese language would be too difficult.
I retired last year, there are still many things to do, mostly relating to my family, but now I have more time to explore my interests.
Some friends announced that they were going to China to live for a few years and suggested I visit. I looked into it, read a bit and became interested in this new more open China that had been difficult to visit during much of my life.The more I read about China the more I realized that if i wanted to see things for myself and meet people I would have to learn some basic language.
Oh, English is spoken by some people in the major cities, but most people in China have limited opportunity to meet native English speakers and practice the language. So I started to learn about the language and where to find some good resources. After a while I found Italki http://www.italki.com/
Through Italki I met many wonderful friendly Chinese people who are helping learn me to Mandarin and I am assisting them to learn English.
Meanwhile I am still at home in Woden, a suburb of Canberra, Australia.
