I have now been learning Chinese for almost two months and I can definitely see a lot of improvement.
Regarding my speaking skills I can make very simple conversations with people as long as I can choose in which direction the conversation goes. What I mean by that is that I cannot talk about anything, but I can for example talk about where I am from, my studies and the University, my family… I really like to try out my abilities and so I sometimes just go up to people and try to start a conversation (and several times I’ve already been successful)!
What is very different in Chinese are the tones. Other than English or German, Chinese has four different tones, which need to be taken care of while speaking. However I find it very difficult to incorporate the tones when speaking. There is the first tone, which is the high-level tone, so the whole syllable is without any rising or falling, the second town which rising, the third which is falling and rising and the third which is falling. If you use the wrong tone on a syllable it will also change it’s meaning. So for example ma with the first tone means mother and ma with the third tone means horse…
Understanding Chinese is also quite a challenge. In the classroom, it seems to be very easy to understand but outside, people talk way faster. Also I am living in the Guangdong province, where the local language is cantonese and therefore some people don’t even speak Mandarin.
At University we also learn how to read and write Chinese characters. This is a part that I really enjoy, because for me it is like drawing. Right know, I know how to write around 200 characters and a little more than that how to read. I feel like this is quite and impressive number after only two months of learning chinese, but I also know that I still have a long way to go….
The last time I started to learn a completely new language was when I was in 5th grade and it was learning French. I haven’t really had in mind how hard it actually was, but I also feel like now the more rewarding part starts. I am always very happy when I can read a character somewhere or when I can understand someone talking to me!