yah, the weekend over. i had a fever last night and the night before but i think it's past now. anyways, the new classes start tomorrow and maybe i'll meet some new friends! maybe i'll even get to talk to them too!

1. If you don't have at least a basic understanding of the language it can be quite difficult to express even the most simple requests. Fortunately, sign language is global language and can usually get out through most simple conversations but is quite useless for explaining more topics or needs like getting your hair cut.
2. Studying languages abroad is a lot more stressful than studying it in university. This is true only for the first few months (usually around 4-6 months) of studying abroad.  Once you get used to the culture and the language, things seem to fall into place and you'll find yourself learning at an accelerated rate than before. Even though initially it is stressful, studying in a foreign country is the most effective way to learning a language and also the most rewarding.  Being emersed in a culture can be scary and often uncomfortable thing to do, but if you stick to it, you will get a lot out of it, more than you would ever get than studying back in your home country. Why? When you experience something, it sticks in your head, but when you read about something in a text book, it will probably pass right through you.
3. Living in a foreign student's dormatory is counter productive when learning a language. Think about it: you're surrounded by people who speak your native tongue. Even though you are all here to learn, you tend to switch to the method of communication that is the most comfortable and most effective. Even if you start by talking in the foreign language, eventually you will only just speak your native language. It's hard not to switch back, but one only has so much energy to speak a foreign language and will need time to relax and just speak 'normal'.  Trust me, speaking Chinese takes A LOT of energy. It's hard for me to speak all day, i just get drained from it. But it's a lot of fun.
4. Another point about the foreign student's dorm is that you are 'shelled' off from the 'real culture'.  You don't get to experience life as a native person, but mearly as a foreign student which are both very different from eachother. I guess if you aren't really serious about studying this is ok, but for the serious people, this can be quite frustrating. You have no connections with the outside world, you have to figure out problems by yourself, you have no insight into the culture. Myself, living in a foreign student's dorm, I am unable to 'experience' China. I can't really get to 'know' many Chinese people's way of life and their culture because I'm stuck with other foreigners.  What i would recomend to student's serious about studying is live with a chinese either by living in a homestay or having a chinese roommate. You will be amazed how much and how fast you will learn the language in addition to learn a lot more about the culture and the way of life.
5. Embarassing moments. Get used it and accept that there will be many more uncomfortable moments in the future. Getting 'stuck' in a conversation is both struggle and progress. You will learn so much from these situation. They should be seen as rewarding to your study rather than as failure. So, make mistakes, and put yourself in uncomfortable situations; might as well get it over with now, right?

I know there are many more i haven't listed but at least u read about a small sample of what i and many other student are going through. Think about it.

Got questions? put them in the comment box.