In the Beginning

I officially embarked upon my effort to learn the Chinese language about 17 months ago. Specifically, on March 14, 2006.

Prior to that time I had dipped my toe in the water a few times – picked up a book here, watched a videotape there – but had not yet found a platform that could entice me to dive in headfirst.

In early 2006 I finally found that platform: Chinesepod. As the name implies, Chinesepod is a learning system built around podcasts. It is very engaging and fun to use.

I have since concluded that Chinesepod contains fundamental design flaws that limit its effectiveness (more on that later), and for this reason I no longer am using it. But, I also can say that my positive experiences with Chinesepod are the primary reason that I am still studying Chinese today.