Why I'm obsessed with my new course...
Over the past few days I’ve been talking about my new program, Interactive Mandarin for Beginners.
I’ve spent the past 6 months excited, working intensely to build it.
Gathering feedback from students, interviewing dozens of other beginners, learning how to use new software, and even HTML coding, to make the features my students are asking for.
It’s different than anything I’ve created before and I’m really excited about it!
….
But before we go any further…. there’s something you should know about me…
I’m an obsessive.
My wife says I’m on the spectrum.
I’m not. Well, not THAT spectrum-y anyway.
I just get obsessed with certain things.
And there are two things I get really obsessed about:
Learning (and teaching) Chinese, and building stuff.
…
Let me explain…
When I was 16 I got obsessed with building walls.
I took night classes and learned how to brick lay.
I persuaded my mum to let me bring my new-found talents home.
Not allowed in the house, I was given a task of building a small garden wall at the back of the garden.
The first attempt was a mess.
Cement smeared over the brickwork, the courses were crooked, and its left-leaning form seemed to defy the laws of gravity.
So I knocked it down and built it again.
And again.
And for the fourth time. Until it was perfect.
The end result was a thing of beauty.
…
When I was 22 I travelled to China by train.
I had no plan, I’d never learned Chinese before, and I knew nothing about the country.
I ended up staying for longer than expected.
And started learning Chinese as I mentioned yesterday.
Before I knew it…. I was obsessed.
Addicted to learning new words and phrases.
And to this day I still have an on-the-spectrum-like obsession with learning Mandarin.
Like I never really left China.
…
Back to the present day… Last night as I was making a cuppa around 11pm…
Deep in thought about Interactive Mandarin for Beginners…
My wife asked me why it needed to be perfect.
Isn’t it already amazing?
Maybe you should get some sleep?
Aren’t you getting unnecessarily obsessed?
My reply: “But… It needs to be perfect!”
So I went back into my shed/office and carried on building for another couple of hours.
…
Reflecting on that conversation I realised something…
Yes, I am totally obsessed with it!
Not only that, the even scarier thing is my two obsessions have come together!
Building stuff, and helping other people learn Chinese.
Although what I’m building now is not with bricks and mortar, there’s just as much obsession and attention to detail being poured into it.
Building and rebuilding until it’s perfect.
…
Over the last 5 years I’ve been building RealTime Mandarin.
It’s become the only platform which teaches intermediate and advanced learners Chinese through real news as it’s happening.
“A wonderful platform for people like me who want to keep their Mandarin current and refreshed, while staying informed about what ’s happening in China”
— Madelyn Ross, President Emeritus · US-China Education Trust
I’m incredibly proud of it.
And continue to create it obsessively every week.
As my students have asked me for new features, I’ve built them:
Podcasts
App integrations
A YouTube channel
Courses, trainings, and more
The most recent thing students have asked me for is: build something for beginners.
So I built it:
Interactive Mandarin for Beginners.
It’s based on the same system I’ve perfected over 23+ years of learning and teaching Chinese.
It’s built by an obsessive who really understands how to build things.
And because of my other obsession, learning and teaching Chinese, I understand deeply:
What learners like you need…
The things you’re struggling with…
And how to solve your learning struggles.
So when you join Interactive Mandarin for Beginners, you will:
Belong to a community of learners like you so you’ll never feel alone
Be supported by me and native speakers so you get real feedback
Access interesting content so you’ll be motivated and engaged
Have a proven system so you’ll know exactly where to start
It’s the only fully interactive beginner program that teaches you Chinese characters, reading, listening, and speaking together through real news.
And because you’ll be working directly with me, I’ll bring the same level of commitment, enthusiasm, and yes obsession, as I do to everything else I build.
So I guarantee: if you commit and follow the system, this will work for you.
So….
If you’re ready to finally make real progress with your Chinese learning, get inspired, get motivated, and get confident….
Join Interactive Mandarin for Beginners today!
The program starts on Sunday 3 May.
Deadline to join is midnight Saturday 2 May.
See you there!
Andrew
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P.S. — Any questions?
Here’s everything you need to know about the program, what it is, how it works, and who it’s for.
But if you have any questions just hit reply to this email and ask.
I reply to every email.
P.P.S — It’s not just me who’s obsessed with this course…
Here’s what one student from the last cohort said:
I came into the program lacking confidence in my ability to speak it and read. With Andrew and the other participants, not only did my Putonghua improve, but I also gained real inner confidence. I finally let go of the false idea that my Mandarin was disjointed. For that, thank you to Andrew and all the participants. If you’re considering joining, go for it, you’ll see progress quickly. - Andy Kwok • French Institute of Geopolitics