引言
Introduction
当一个人搬到另一个国家，语言往往是最先遇到的墙。
When someone moves to another country, language is often the first wall they encounter.
但有时候，一堵墙也可以变成一扇门。
But a wall can also become a door.
Rebekka 来自德国，是一名社会工作者和多元化培训师，一年多以前搬到的上海。
Rebekka comes from Germany, works as a social worker and diversity trainer, and moved to Shanghai a little over a year ago.
她曾经对来中国充满了怀疑，甚至担心自己会困在外国人自己的小圈子里。
She was once full of doubt about coming to China, even worried she might stay trapped in an expat bubble.
但是在 Mandarin Inn 的一间老洋房教室里，她开始一点点走进这座城市。
But in a classroom inside an old villa at Mandarin Inn, she began to step into the city, little by little.
她的故事不是关于完美，而是关于真实。
Her story is not about perfection, but about something real.
自我介绍
Self-Introduction
我叫 Rebekka Peters，来自德国，是一名社会工作者和多元化培训师。
My name is Rebekka Peters. I'm from Germany, and I work as a social worker and diversity trainer.
我搬到上海一年多一点。目前我在 Mandarin Inn 上班课，快要学完 HSK 2级了。
I moved to Shanghai a little over a year ago. I'm currently taking a group class in Mandarin Inn, and we're finishing up HSK 2.
我真的很喜欢这个班。它是从去年九月份开始的，这一年变化很大，但是遇到这些可爱的同学们，让我适应新生活变得容易很多。
I have grown to really love this group. It started last September and has changed quite a bit over the year, but meeting all these lovely classmates has made adjusting to this new life very easy.
为什么来到中国
Why China?
我和丈夫以前上学的时候都在国外住过，所以当他公司有外派机会时，我们都很兴奋能再经历一次——这次是一起。
My husband and I both lived abroad as students, so when opportunities opened up at his workplace, we were excited to do that again — this time together.
但说实话，当发现去的目的地是中国的时候，我立刻有些怀疑，甚至不确定自己是否真的想搬去。
But to be very honest, when it turned out to be China, I was instantly sceptical, even unsure if I actually wanted to move.
我想那是因为在德国，人们对在中国生活有相当多的偏见。即使作为多元化培训师，我应该更明白，但我还是让这些偏见占了上风。
I think that was because in Germany there's quite a lot of prejudice towards life in China. And even though as a diversity trainer I should know better, I let these prejudices take the better of me.
我会交到中国朋友吗？我会找到工作吗？我会觉得被困住吗？人们愿意分享他们的生活吗，还是我会一直是个局外人？
Will I ever make Chinese friends? Will I find a job? Will I feel trapped? Will people be willing to share their lives, or will I stay an outsider?
最重要的是，我以为我永远也学不会这里的语言，因此会待在外国人的圈子里，过着特权却空洞的几年，并与真正的上海生活隔绝。
And first and foremost, I thought I'd never be able to pick up on the language and therefore stay in an expat bubble, living a privileged but empty few years, cut off from the real Shanghai life.
所以，为了不让自己完全被担忧吞噬，我一到上海就开始找语言培训机构。
So not to fall victim to my worries too much, upon my arrival I started looking for language institutes.
参观了几家之后，当我一走进 Mandarin Inn 的小小入口，看到绿色舒适的后院，受到热情的欢迎，我就立刻知道这是最好的选择。
After having visited a few, I instantly knew that Mandarin Inn was the best choice, just by stepping through the tiny entrance of the school into the green and cozy backyard and being warmly greeted.
我很高兴那天相信了自己的直觉，因为你们让我感到受欢迎的方式，给了我一个小小的提醒，让我重新审视自己的偏见。
I'm glad I trusted my instincts that day because the way you guys made me feel welcome gave me a little wake-up call regarding my prejudicial thinking.
回看过去这一年，不是所有的担忧都消失了（我还在找工作，如果有人有职位，哈哈），但关键是，我意识到：上海是一个充满真实的人的地方，有真实的情感、真实的担忧、真实的快乐和真实的生活。
So looking back on this past year, not all of my worries have vanished (still looking for a job if anyone has an opening, haha), but the key is that I realized the following: Shanghai is a place full of real humans with real emotions, real worries, real joys and real lives.
而我正在成为其中的一部分，每学一个单词、每认一个汉字，就融入得更多一点。
And that I am becoming part of it, a little more with every word and every Hanzi that I learn.
学中文有必要吗？
Is It Useful to Learn Chinese?
说实话，我认为搬到中国时
学中文不仅有用，而且是一种基本的礼貌。
To be quite honest, I think it is not only useful but common decency to learn Mandarin when moving to China.
也许不是每个外国人都赞同这一点，我也能理解，深入中文的体系和历史确实是个挑战。
Maybe not every foreigner will agree on this, and I do understand that it is quite a challenge to dive into the system and history of Mandarin.
但尝试去学你选择居住的地方的语言，是对你交往的人、对这个国家、对它的文化和历史的一种尊重。
But trying to pick up on the language of the place that you chose to live at is a sign of respect to the people you interact with and to the country, its cultures and histories in general.
不过，有些时候我也会意识到：在上海，不懂中文我也能轻松的生活。
But, you know, there are days where I realize: I could easily get by without Mandarin in Shanghai.
这是一座如此国际化的城市，我随时可以把手机上的翻译软件打开，怼到别人面前。
It's such an international city and I can always shove my phone with the translate app opened into someone's face.
但就我个人而言，我寻求的是连接，是参与，是成为某种事物的一部分，是与和我观点不同的人建立有意义的关系。如果我想按这些价值观生活，语言就是关键。
But personally, I am looking for connection, for being involved, being part of something and for meaningful relationships with people who have different views than I do. And if I want to live by these values, language is key.
让我再坦诚一点：学习中文的另一个动力，是我有点控制欲。我想真正吸收周围的一切，明白人们在聊什么，听懂八卦，读懂所有标志，等等。
And let me be even more vulnerable here for a moment: Another motivator for learning Mandarin is that I have control issues. I want to really take all of my environment in, understand what people are talking about, catch the gossip, read all the signs and so on.
不过，以我目前的中文水平来看，还有很长的路要走！
Although that's still a long way to go from where I currently stand!
学习技巧
Learning Hacks
我会把各种学习方法混着用。
I make use of quite a mix of ways to study.
到现在，你肯定已经发现，我是个很爱社交的人，所以我主要的学习方式就是和别人在一起（我需要一点社交压力），这也是我选择上班课的原因。
By now I'm sure you caught that I am quite a social person, so my main way of learning is being with other people (I need a dose of that social pressure), that's why I chose the group class.
另一件真正帮助我把东西从短期记忆变成长期记忆的事，是书写。所以即使我带 iPad 去上课，我也会用数字笔把所有东西写下来。我甚至会在纸上练汉字，一遍又一遍地写，目标是变成肌肉记忆。
Another thing that really helps to move stuff from my short-term memory into long-term memory is writing by hand. So even though I bring my iPad to class, I use the digital pen to write everything down. My Hanzi I even practice on paper, writing them over and over again, with the goal to make them muscle memory.
还有一种方法是制造“Eselsbrücken”，这是一个可爱的德语比喻，指大脑连接某些事物并让它们记住的非常随机、有时甚至复杂的方式。
And another way is to make "Eselsbrücken", a lovely German metaphor for the very random and sometimes even complicated way your brain can connect certain things and make them stick.
比如：爸爸这个字的上半部分在我看来有点像小铲子，这让我想起多年前在矿上工作的祖父。
For example: The top part of the characters for bàba look a little like tiny shovels to me and that reminds me of my grandfather who worked in a mine many years ago.
现在我知道它的意思是父亲而不是祖父，但请不要再追问我了，这是一个 “Eselsbrücke”，哈哈！
Now, I know that it means father and not grandfather, but please don't question me further on this, it's a "Eselsbrücke", haha!
关于老师
About the Teacher
我一直跟着 Teico 老师学习，我很崇拜她！她很有创意，有耐心，非常擅长匹配不同学生的学习节奏。她对学生本人感兴趣，而不只是他们在课堂上的角色。
I have been learning with teacher Teico and I adore her! She's creative, patient, very skilful when it comes to matching different students with different learning paces. And she is interested in the actual people her students are, not only the role they hold in the classroom.
而且，我可以问她任何与文化相关的问题，她都会回答并反思这个话题，从不觉得尴尬，总是给出深思熟虑的答案。
Also, I can ask her any culture related question and she will answer and reflect on the topic, never with shame and always with a well thought out answer.
我一直坚持来上课，一是因为 Teico 让课堂变得很舒服、很值得期待，二是因为我有点 FOMO（害怕错过什么）。
I keep coming back to class because Teico makes it a good place to be and also because I have a bit of fomo (fear of missing out).
因为我和别人互动时学到的东西，比独自学习多得多，所以我就想待在教室里，什么新内容都不想错过。
Since I learn so much when interacting with others rather than studying by myself, I want to be in the classroom and not miss any new stuff.
而且，我觉得现在我的大脑已经和那栋可爱的老建筑、教室课桌上美丽的瓷砖连在一起了，一走
进那间教室就自动进入学习模式。我很享受这一点！
Also, I think by now my brain is wired to that lovely old building and the beautiful tiles on the classroom table and goes into learning mode as soon as I step into the room. I enjoy that!
至于线上资源，确实很丰富，也很好用！但说实话，我总是有点愧疚，因为我没有充分利用它们。我觉得我应该多用一些。
As for the online resources: They are plenty and they are great! But if I am being honest: I always feel a bit guilty because I don't use them enough. I think I should do that more.
学习环境与挑战
Learning in China
老实说，我遇到的最大问题，就是人们说话太快了。
Honestly, the biggest problem I stumble upon is how fast people speak.
这让我回想起在美国做交换生的时候：英语我会说、也能听懂，可一到现实生活里，人家带着口音、说得又快，我就听不懂了。
It gives me flashbacks to the time I went to the US as an exchange student, being able to speak and understand English, but not the actual people speaking with their dialects and their speed.
所以，就像地铁广播，理论上我可能听得懂，但实际上还是听不懂，就是因为太快了。
So even though I might be able to understand, let's say a metro announcement, in theory, I actually don't, simply because it's too fast.
这一点有时候还挺让人沮丧的，但到目前为止，除了请对方说慢一点，我还没有想出其他解决办法。
That's a bit frustrating sometimes and so far I haven't come up with any other solution than to ask people to please slow down.
关于工作坊
Workshops
我是工作坊的超级粉丝！我参加过几次活动，以后还会参加更多。
I am a big fan of the workshops! I have attended a couple and I will attend more in the future.
能遇到一些和平时课堂上目标不一样的同学，挺有意思的。
It's fun to meet other students with a different goal than the usual setting of the classroom.
目前我没有什么具体建议，就是觉得工作坊可以再多一些，或者把经典主题的工作坊轮换周期安排得更短一点（这样万一我错过了一次，下次也不用等那么久）。
I don't have any specific suggestions for now other than that I'd enjoy even more workshops or a more short term rotation of the classics (so the next time doesn't feel as long when I couldn't make it).
有趣故事
A Lovely Story
去年搬来上海之前，我一直忙于工作和日常琐事，几乎没有时间去做自己真正喜欢的事情。
Up until our move to Shanghai last year I was so involved with work and my day to day life that there was not a lot of room for the things I actually enjoy.
所以现在我又能好好投入在自己的爱好上了，我很享受这一点；而且这些爱好也给了我很多练习中文、认识别人的机会。
So now I actually get to invest in my hobbies again which I really enjoy and which also give me lots of opportunities to practice Mandarin and connect with others.
我喜欢烹饪、玩音乐、徒步和骑行，等等。
I enjoy cooking, playing music, hiking and cycling, to name a few.
就在今天，我骑行时还遇到了一段美好的事：我带着自行车去了长兴岛，骑了一会儿，基本上就我一个人，因为是周二早上，大家都上班去了。
And just today I had a lovely experience while cycling: I took my bike to Changxingdao and rode for a bit, mostly by myself because it was a Tuesday morning and people work then.
突然，一位中国骑手超过了我，回头看了看，然后等我追上去。他做了自我介绍，后来我们就在最后 30 公里边骑边聊，慢慢就熟悉了。
When suddenly a fellow Chinese cyclist passed me, looked back and then waited for me to catch up. He introduced himself and we ended up chatting and getting to know each other over the last 30km of our ride.
说实话，大部分时候说的是英语，但他挺开心地说中文，让我自己去猜意思。
Mostly in English to be honest but he had fun speaking Mandarin and letting me figure out what it means.
另外还要给他加一分，因为他一路带着我骑，让我骑出了大概是我的个人最好成绩（他体能真的太好了）。
Also, bonus point for him pushing me to probably cycle my personal best time (he was SO fit).
最喜欢的一句话
Favourite Chinese Sentence
我最喜欢的中文句子是：我的中文不好。
My favourite Chinese sentence is: Wǒ de zhōngwén bù hǎo.
原因很简单：每次我说这句话时，人们往往不同意，然后夸我某些地方其实说得没错，或者称赞我的发音。
The very simple reason for this is, that if I say it, people often disagree and compliment me on the things I can actually say correctly or compliment me on my pronunciation.
这让我感觉自己就像个三岁小孩，在学习一项新技能，并为此而骄傲。
It makes me feel like a 3 year old kid learning a new skill and being proud of it.
在忙碌又喧闹的上海，这算是一个小小的连接和幸福时刻。
And that's a little moment of connection and happiness in a busy and buzzing Shanghai.
结语
Closing
语言学习，也许并不只是掌握一门语言，而是一种重新理解世界的方式。
Learning a language is perhaps not only about mastering a language, but about re-understanding the world.
如果你也想在上海，用中文和这座城市建立更深的连接，Mandarin Inn 愿意为你留一张安静的课桌。
If you would also like to build a deeper connection with Shanghai through Chinese, Mandarin Inn would be glad to keep a quiet desk for you.
在百年老洋房里，和来自世界各地的人一起，慢慢学，慢慢说。（完）
In a century-old Shanghai villa, with people from around the world, learn slowly, speak slowly. (End)
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Mandarin Inn, More Than Just a Language School
Located in the scenic heart of Shanghai's former French Concession, Mandarin Inn is housed in a historic villa, offering not only an ideal place for studying Mandarin but also a chance to experience Shanghai's rich history and culture. As the home of the APM Public Library and recognized by Ecovadis for corporate social responsibility, Mandarin Inn carries a dual mission of education and cultural heritage.