<p>Has anyone been on it for any language? I'm thinking of going for Chinese- what did you think?</p>
<p>I'm a bit worried because if you learn a lot from speaking with other beginners, I'm worried I'd get into bad habits with getting the tones all wrong</p>
<p>bump</p>
<p>anyone?</p>
<p>Hey, I went to MMLA for French last year!
From what I heard, the Chinese had some serious issues, and eventually ended up being allowed to talk in English most of the time... I'm not really sure exactly how that worked out, but that's what I heard.
The program overall was great. There were definitely some problems, since it was the first year and all, but I learned SO MUCH. (Not to mention all the amazing people I met!!) I skipped French 3 at my school and I'm still way ahead of my class now. One of my suitemates was a complete beginner (though she did also speak Spanish) and is taking French 3 this year, I think.
I'm not going to lie-- it is REALLY hard to stay 100% in French (well, in your case, Chinese) ALL the time. I don't know a single person that didn't speak English at all. Even if you go into it thinking that you won't use English at all, and sign the full pledge and whatnot... you will definitely speak English. It's really just a matter of not getting caught, because it is really serious if you get caught with more than a word here and there.
As time went by, though, we got way more comfortable with French-- and by the time we got home, we were all speaking in French accidentally with our family/friends at home.
Just a little warning, though... at least in the French program, we sang 24/7. I seriosuly mean before every meal, at every meeting, etc. They used singing as a way to teach us the language. So if you really hate singing, don't do it!! :) (It's really not that bad once you get used to it, though.)
I hope that helps! PM me if you have any specific questions... hopefully I can answer them.</p>
<p>Mel, regarding the Chinese camp having problems, not really true. The last few days relaxed the rules on the pledge, but this worked as a bonding experience for the campers. Since learning Chinese takes twice as long as learning French, it is understandable that adolescents might like a chance to converse in a way that allowed them to break across the language barrier and express their feelings before they parted ways. If anything, this shows that the camp is responsive to the needs of adolescents. The Chinese camper I know is getting excellent reports from the high school teacher regarding pronunciation and intonation.</p>