Testimonials

 (866) with-SLG (Toll Free) 

From Parents

From Students

Student Journals

I was very impressed with the Sino Language academic experience, but I was even more impressed with the people who run the program. Their attention to detail, flexibility and willingness to do whatever is needed to get the job done make the entire program exceptional. more
Kathleen Martin, Texas, USA, 8/05  (sons Livingston and Benjamin, 15 and 13 years old)

All Sino Language staff have a special place in our hearts! I always highly recommend Sino Language to young people and their families. You are the best!
We really enjoyed Kunming this summer. We would like to go back to Kunming again in 2007, 2008, 2009 and so on.
Kathleen Martin, Texas, USA, 8/06 
SLG note: Kathleen, Livingston and Benjamin joined SLG again in Kunming in 2006.

Now that we've had a chance to hear all the great stories from Bryan about the SLG trip, we'd like to thank you for all your help in organizing and arranging for the kids accommodations and programs during their visit.
Bryan really enjoyed himself and it was a great experience for him. He really enjoyed learning the language as well as the overall experience and the friendships with the other kids in the program.
David and Emily Ushijima, Berkeley, CA, 06  (son Bryan, 17 years old)

I wanted to thank you for the wonderful time Christopher had on his summer camp. He met wonderful people and had a great time. He wants to go back next year.
We are very pleased to have chosen your programme. It was his first camp and a wonderful experience for him.
Thank you again for your kindness and attention to details while dealing with us. You have been a great support.
Catherine Tang, Hong Kong, 06  (son Christopher, 15 years old)

Congratulations for another successful immersion Chinese Summer Camp in Beijing . Both my daughters and I had a wonderful time. I like the way the program integrates Chinese culture, art, geography, history, architecture, and adds fun to the Chinese learning. more
Sharon Hampe, California, USA, 8/05 (daughters Michelle and Carolyn, 17 and 13 years old)

Thank you for all you did to make the trip so rewarding. We are very happy with Sarah's experience with your program. She continues to share with us her many wonderful experiences and friends that she made. We wish you continued success with your program. 
Susan Garrity, North Carolina, USA, 8/05  (daughter Sarah, 17 years old) 
SLG note: Sarah's fluent Chinese qualified her to be a student counselor. She re-joined SLG as a counselor in 2006.

Kit's experience exceeded all of our expectations. He feels that his speaking and listening skills improved so that he can understand much conversational Chinese... I know he will do well in his Chinese class in school this fall. Most of all, his experience this summer confirmed his desire to study Chinese when he goes to the university. We are excited to see what he will do in his life with his language skills! So thank you very much for putting together this excellent program. more
Dory Streett, Maine, USA, 8/04  (son Kit, 17 years old)

From Students

		The camp is a blast. I had a great time going to your camp. I’m glad that I was involved in culture that is so different from the US, although I was born in Taiwan. This camp helped me giving me a taste of what my Chinese culture was like. Christine de Juan, 16, 06
		Thank you so so so much!! And I'd like to add that I'm really glad that I came to Sino. The learning experience was so much fun, this is probably one of the funniest memories I've ever had in my life. Hillary Yuan, 14, 06
		My teacher was so kind and helped me learned a lot. Ms. Bai was so good at solving all my problems... more Hailey Regina Orr, 17, 06
This summer camp was the best I have ever had so far. I would have never thought this would be so interesting and fun. Not only did I learn about the Chinese culture and Chinese language, but I also made new friends, lived the lifestyle... more I would like to thank you again for all the help and support you gave me beforehand and during the camp. It has been such a good experience that I would like to come again next year. I've heard from every student that they miss Beijing and especially at the camp with its teachers and counselors. Chris Tang, 15, 06		Thank you for everything. I learned so much. This has been the most unforgettable experience I've ever had...more Kimberly Guan, 14, 06
		我覺得這三個星期過得不但愉快還很有意思.我學到很多在學校不可能學到(的東西)...more Jenny Ng, 17, 06
Thank you -- For all the great memories generated in my first ever trip to China; For the great tours around the grandeur of the various scenic spots; ... For the experience of being able to improve my Mandarin...more Michael Chu, 18, 06		謝謝您們給了我一個很好的時光在北京. I really like it. 這段時間您們給了我很多的歡樂,也讓我的中文進步了很多...more Queenie Wong, 15, 06
Thank you for a wonderful 3 weeks. I have truly learned a lot. Not only Chinese, but also other things that will help me throughout my life, such as friendship, trust...I'm glad I've choose to join Sino Language because of all the learning adventures I've had. This program was able to combine the language and the cultural experience all in one program...more Regina Lam, 17, 06		It was really fun going places, eating, going to classes, parties, and meeting with you counselors...Thanks for being such great help and great friends!...more Sian Yuan, 14, 06
		Thanks for always looking out for us! Thanks for  you were always there when I was hungry late at night; thanks for all those lessons and stuff...more Wileen Chu, 14, 06

My cousins and I had a wonderful time, and we are eager to visit China in the near future. It was an unforgettable experience, and we made some lifelong friendships. more
Teresa Lam & 8 cousins, 11 to 19 years old, New Jersey, USA, 8/05

I live in the States. I am 16 years old, and this is my first time in China. A problem I had in deciding whether or not to join the Sino Language Gateway's camp was if I will have fun; if I will find china interesting; and if I have the desire to pursue the Chinese language. After the 4 weeks in china with all the classes I took and places I visited, I am confident enough to say I will still be continuing to learn the Chinese language.
Bruce Granick, 16, Chicago, USA, 04 

我觉得我在中国的时候我的中文很有进步，以前我只有看得懂，可是现在也听得懂，觉得很有进步。(speak in Chinese) I think that being in China is a great experience because when you are in the classroom you can only sort of comprehend the language, but being in China, you actually have to speak it all the time everyday, with cab drivers, vendors and whoever I am talking to. Anyway, my Chinese really improved. It’s been a good experience for me this summer as I am looking forward to at earlier, and I am glad I could do this.
Kit Mention, 17, Maine, USA, 04

This is a lot of fun. I’ve been to China 13 times, this is the first time I've ever done a language camp here which is great. The teachers in Sino Language Gateway are great, they are really good organizers. They took us to really good attractions, good restaurants, good stores. The kids had a lot of fun, and learned a lot of Chinese. If I didn’t come here, I would’ve been sitting on my lazy butt watching TV with my friends, or going to the mall everyday and memorizing the stores. 
I will definitely come back, it was a lot of fun. Everybody is great, and the school is a good place to be.
Cameron Segraves, 14, Colorado, USA, 04

What I like the Sino Language Gateway was all the friends I made and all the Chinese I learned. I think it is a really good idea to come here, because I live my whole life in China. If you just learn Chinese in the classroom in the United States, you are not going to take a taxi, buy clothes, or ask someone something in Chinese, because you still live your life in English. But if you are in china, basically your entirely life is in Chinese, and that really helps you learn. Immersion way is definitely the best. So I think the decision to actually come to china and learn the language here was the best one.
Joseph Losavio, 15, Kentucky, USA, 04 

This is my third time in China and I like it the most. This school is really nice, and everyone is friendly. Our rooms are really nice cause there is a TV, a phone, and nice. And I really enjoy shopping at China's Mall, like Xidan Square, where you can bargain. We learned a lot in school, like Taichi, Chinese, and Chinese craft. Chinese craft  is really fun even though we feel clumsy because the teacher is really really good.
Crystal Chih, 14, Tokyo, Japan, 04 

I knew a lot of Chinese before I came, but when people were speaking to me, I didn’t really understand what they were saying, or I wouldn’t be able to form sentences and speak to them. But I think now, after a month in china, I’ve improved in those areas a lot. 我很喜欢Sino Language Gateway，因为他们让我跟我的朋友出去，可以买东西，看电影，还有走路。(speak in Chinese: we like most about Sino Language was that there were a lot of freedom. We were able to go around the city, watch movies, and go shopping or just hang out somewhere.) I think that was really good, because when I'm going out with my friends into Beijing, if we don't know something, we can't rely on the teachers to give me an answer. It's not like in the classroom. There is no one to ask, and I have to use the language. I think that’s why I learned a lot. And being actually in the country makes a lot of interesting. I think you learn Chinese a lot faster if you immerse in the culture.
Henry Sillin, 16, Massachusetts, USA, 04

This is the first experience I had in China. The trouble with me was one day, I  twisted my ankle when playing basketball. Then for most of the time, I have to use a wheelchair. Thanks Sino Language and the staffs for their thoughtful helps and extra attention they gave me, so I didn't miss any classes and was able to visit all the places on the schedule, even to the Terra Cotta Worriers in Xi'an. 
Everybody here have been helping me a lot. They’ve been pushing my wheelchair wherever we went. We got along with each other so well, like a family. Of course, I’ve learned some Chinese more than I thought it would’ve been. Because teachers are friendly, and I enjoy it quite a lot. Thank you very much.
Andrew Coomber, 16, Yokohama, Japan, 04

Everyone must learn Chinese. The country is amazing.
Malik Ussenov, 16, Kazakhstan, 04

My visit to China during these 4 weeks was pretty fun because I got to see a lot of site scenes and streets. The experience corrects my impression about China. It wasn’t as poor as I thought because I didn’t expect malls, pretty shops and all those kind of things. 
The school here was pretty fun too. The facilities at this school are pretty good, we have a TV, basketball court... The classes were well planned. Lots of different kinds of classes, like martial arts, brush painting... teachers here are nice. Hospitals are clean.
Adrian Chih, 16, Tokyo, Japan, 04

Before I came to this camp, I had no experience in Chinese language at all, and I thought it was just wasting my summer being away from my family and friends. But actually coming here changed my thought. Now I think I've learned a lot Chinese in a month. I will say, enough to survive and to communicate with Chinese people. And not only I learned Chinese, I also learned a lot of things about other people, and I’ve learned about me. 
I like it here a lot, and the thing I like the most in this country is its food. Chinese food is very good, Beijing duck, and sweet sour pork... I think I gained a lot of weight from all these beautiful Chinese food. The organization here, Sino Language Gateway, has been organized everything very well. The homestay, the Xi’an train trip...were all very well planned and very well done. My staying in China has been very nice.
Sodbayar Ganzorig, 16, Mongolia, 04

The Inner Mongolian trip was so fun, but I won't experience it if I don't come.
Wei Zhou, 16, Germany, 04

The people at Sino Language Gateway are so nice. Coming to this camp really get me to know the culture here. Once you actual really experience Beijing, you really know how it is. Experiencing what was like in Beijing makes me really understand more about the Chinese culture and how life is like in china, which makes learning Chinese more interesting. 
Hannah Ng, 14, California, USA, 04

Student Journals

7/19/04  Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City
"...Inside the Forbidden city, there were so many vats of bronze and gold, I wondered how they were able to obtain such a vast amount and where I could obtain some..."      
Ben Hsu, 16, CA, USA

7/26/04 AM: Chinese & martial arts classes; PM: geography class, online time; Evening: conversation class
"...Even though the computer are slower than the one I used at home, I like emailing my friends about my experiences in China, because none of them has ever visited Asia before.
...In the evening we had Chinese conversation with local students. I like my partner. She is friendly and she showed me an electronic dictionary type of thing that many people have in China. She also taught me the Chinese words of family members and parts of houses and buildings. I learned a lot about her (such as her likes and dislikes) and about China (such as its education system which does not go from kindergarten to 12th grade like the US's.) " 
Jihan Chao, 15, NC, USA

7/28/04  Face Painting Class
"...The strokes of paint had to be smooth and delicate, and I feared my mask would look too Kabuki-ish. So after dabbling with colors of black, white, blue, and red, I managed to form a mask that was mildly intimidating to mostly humiliating. It was quite a challenge but I enjoyed the idea of covering my face with culture."
Ben Hsu, 16, CA, USA

8/9/04  Engraving Class
"Now I finally respect sculptors and artists of their crafts for being much more adroit in their carvings. Trying to carve my name into stone as a method to create an ancient Chinese stamp, I saw every scratch mistake magnified and every chisel rough. Without the instructor I would have been stamping something ugly and totally inaccurate. But having finally engraved it, I'm ready to stamp my name on everything." 
Ben Hsu, 16, CA, USA

8/10/04  Beijing: Chinese class, martial arts class, bowling
"I started off the morning with Chinese class, but Sara, our teacher, decided to take a different route than a normal lesson. We instead had our own taste of Chinese history without being in that class by learning 4 popular Chinese poems. The history stepped in because all of the poets were from different dynasties and through each poem you could understand more about life in past China....
...my friend had an urge for a popsicle after dinner, and if you want a popsicle, Beijing has it. I guess the hot climate produces the most myriad of popsicles I've ever seen."        
Sybil, 15, CA, USA