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Learn about the Chinese culture
An informal Mandarin language conversation group has been a longstanding event in the Nelson Campus Library Learning Centre on Thursday evenings, but in the last 18 months, it has become quite a vibrant occasion.
Jane Lister (New Zealand China Friendship Society, Nelson Branch), organiser of the group, says everyone who wants to come along is welcome.
“It has been a really good place to create friendships and connections,” Jane says. “The group is for Mandarin speakers who are living here, people studying Mandarin, or people interested in the Chinese culture and languages.”
Jane says one of her goals when establishing the group about six years ago was to include the students from China who were studying at NMIT to make them feel welcome.
“My husband used to work for NMIT, and part of his responsibility was the China programme,” says Jane. “So, we travelled to China a lot and I became really interested in both the language and culture.”
“I also wanted to understand the experiences for the students coming here and how isolated they may feel. I appreciated how different everything was.”
Jane is now formally learning Mandarin and enjoys the opportunity to converse with fluent speakers.
The Mandarin Language Assistants (MLA) from China who teach Mandarin at NMIT also attend. They are employed by Confucius Institute of Canterbury University and based at NMIT.
Anyone looking for a friendly place to chat about Chinese culture and languages is welcome to attend the Mandarin Language Conversation Group every Thursday from 4.30 - 6pm, located on the ground floor of the Nelson Campus Library Learning Centre.
For more information about our Mandarin language programmes, visit the NMIT website(external link).
