Okay so like, literally nothing was happening that day at work. I was just sitting there doing like, basically nothing. I think I was looking at my phone or like, refreshing my email like fifteen times to see if there was anything actually important. And then Pradeep just casually walks by and mentions that he thinks some people should learn Mandarin and that like, if anyone was interested in an online Chinese language course in Delhi, the company would cover it or help with it somehow. He was just like, throwing it out there as like, an option for people who wanted to do an online Chinese language course in Delhi. And then he just like, walks away. Like, that’s it. He’s gone.

And Pradeep comes by. He’s like, “Hey, we’re thinking about like, maybe going to Shanghai or something. If you want to learn Mandarin, the company will like, pay for it or help out or whatever.” And then he just like, walks away. Like, that’s it. He’s gone.

And I was like, okay, cool. But like, I didn’t think about it at all after that. Like, why would I? I’m not one of those guys who just like, learns languages on the side. That’s not me.

I get home and Neha’s like, in the kitchen. She’s making dinner. And I just like, mention it. I’m like, “Oh, Pradeep said something about Shanghai and learning Mandarin if I want.”

She like, literally stops. Like, mid-chop or something. She like, looks at me over her shoulder and goes, “You should do that. Like, actually do it. Like, take an online Chinese language course in Delhi or something.”

And I was like, “No. Absolutely not.”

She’s like, “Why not?”

And I’m like, “Because Chinese is like, insane. Have you heard it? It sounds like nothing. And the writing – it’s not even writing. It’s just pictures. I can’t learn that.”

But then like, for weeks – and I’m not exaggerating – like, every single day or every other day, she’d ask me about it. She’d be like, “Did you look at that online Chinese language course in Delhi thing?” And I’d be like, “No, I didn’t.” And she’d be like, “Why though? Like, what’s actually stopping you?”

And I’d be like, “Because it’s too hard. I’m not good at languages.”

And she’d be like, “That’s not even true. You’re just scared.”

And like, she was right. I was scared. Like, I was scared I’d waste money. I was scared I’d be bad at it. I was scared I’d quit after like two weeks like I do with literally everything – gym, apps, books, everything.

So one day I just like, told her that. I was like, “I’m scared I’ll quit. I’m scared I’ll look stupid. I’m scared I’ll waste money.”

And she was just like, “Okay. So just do one lesson. One. If you hate it, never do another one. But just like, try one.”

I was like, “Why do you even care about this so much?”

And she was like, “Because you mentioned it and you seemed interested. And you’re always complaining about being bored and being stuck doing the same thing. This would be different. This would be something new. So like, just try it.”

So basically because Neha would not stop, I started like, looking up “online Chinese language course in Delhi.” Because like, there’s no way I was gonna go sit in a classroom. I work till like 6, 7 at night. I’m tired. I don’t want to commute somewhere and sit in a class. I just want to like, go home.

So I found these places that do it online. You just sit at your apartment. You open your laptop. There’s your teacher. I was like, okay, that’s like, actually doable.

I looked at one place. I saw Wei. He had like, all these good reviews. People were saying like, he’s patient, he explains things, he makes you feel comfortable. So I was like, okay, I’ll like, book a trial lesson or whatever.

First lesson comes up and like, I’m actually nervous. Like, genuinely nervous. I had my laptop open and I was thinking about just like, not showing up. Like, just like, closing my laptop and pretending it didn’t happen.

But I knew Neha would find out and would like, give me shit about it for like, months. So I just like, waited.

Wei comes on. And like, he’s just like, a normal guy. He’s not scary or anything. He’s just like, “Okay, so you don’t speak Chinese, right? That’s cool. Let’s start with some words.”

So he taught me like, maybe ten words. Like, hello, thank you, my name, how are you, I’m well, water, tea, rice, dog, cat. Just like, super basic random words.

And like, we practiced them. Apparently like, the way you say stuff in Chinese matters because the tone changes what the word means. So I’d say a word and it would sound completely different than what Wei said. And he’d be like, “Okay, try again, but like, make your voice go up at the end.” Or like, “Say it lower.” Like, ten times till I got it.

And like, I didn’t hate it. It actually wasn’t bad. Wei was like, “Yeah, that’s good” when I got it right. And I was like, okay, this isn’t the worst thing.

After that lesson I was like, okay, maybe I can like, do this. Maybe I can like, do a few more lessons.

So I like, signed up. Twice a week. Tuesday and Thursday at 8 PM. Because that was like, the only time that didn’t mess with everything else.

What Happened After I Actually Kept Showing Up

The First Month Was Just Like, Learning Words And Wei Being Chill

Okay so like, every lesson Wei taught me like, some new words. One week it was like, food. Another week like, colors. Like, animals. Like, everyday stuff.

And like, I’d leave the lesson and like, immediately forget half of it. Like, by the next day I was like, what was that word again?

But then Thursday came and Wei would like, use that word again. And I’d be like, oh right, that one.

I remember like, after maybe two weeks, I could like, actually introduce myself in Chinese. And Neha was like, “Okay, do it.” So I like, stood there and I said like, my name and how I was. And she was like, “I have no idea what you just said, but you sounded confident, so that’s cool.”

And like, that actually made me want to like, keep going. Because I was like, doing something I thought was impossible.

Around Week Four My Brain Started Doing Weird Stuff

I was like, in my apartment. I opened the cabinet to get a bowl. And like, I thought the Chinese word for it before I thought the English word. Like, “wan” popped into my head before “bowl” did.

And I was like, that’s so weird. Like, my brain is like, starting to automatically think in Chinese.

I told Wei this in the next lesson. And he was like, “Yeah, that’s exactly when you know it’s working. When your brain like, starts automatically thinking in Chinese, that’s when you’re actually learning. Not just memorizing.”

And like, that made sense. Like, I wasn’t just like, memorizing stuff. Something was changing in my head.

Month Two I Actually Started Doing Homework

Which is like, insane for me. Because like, I don’t do homework. I never have. In school I was like, the guy who just didn’t do it.

But Wei would like, assign stuff. He’d be like, “Write five sentences in Chinese about your day. Or listen to this story and tell me what you got from it.”

And like, I would actually sit down and do it. Like, I’d write out sentences. I’d listen to the story like, over and over.

Neha noticed. She was like, “You’re like, doing homework. Like, actual homework. I’m shocked.”

By Month Three I Could Actually Have Like, Back-and-Forth Conversations

Not like, long ones. Not like, complicated ones. But like, real conversations where like, words were being said and understood.

I could like, say hi to Wei. He’d respond and ask how I was. I could like, understand what he said. I could like, say something back. And we’d like, have like, a little exchange.

It was like, the simplest conversation ever. But like, it was a conversation. In a language I didn’t speak like, nine weeks earlier.

And I was like, shocked. Like, I actually didn’t think this would happen.

Month Four Characters Weren’t Terrifying Anymore

So characters were like, the scariest thing to me. Like, there’s so many. How am I ever gonna like, remember thousands of characters?

But Wei was like, “Okay, so like, characters are made from smaller pieces. The character for woman kind of looks like a woman. The character for tree looks like a tree. If you know what the pieces mean, you can like, figure out the character.”

And like, once I understood there was like, a system, it wasn’t as scary.

So I like, started writing them. And like, the more I wrote them, the more my hand like, remembered them. Like, even if I couldn’t like, perfectly remember them, my hand knew how to write them.

Month Six I Read A Menu In Chinese

We went to this Chinese restaurant. And like, I looked at the menu. And like, I could recognize some of the characters. Not all of them. But like, some. And I could like, figure out what some of the dishes were.

And Neha was just like, “You’re like, reading Chinese. On a menu. In a restaurant. This is wild.”

And like, it was. Like, six months before I was like, “I can’t do this.”

Now It’s Like, Almost A Year And I Can Actually Like, Talk To People In Chinese

Okay so like, a few months back we went to this restaurant in Delhi. There was like, an older Chinese couple sitting like, near us. Our waiter was like, really struggling to take their order because like, he didn’t speak English well and they didn’t speak English well.

And like, without even thinking, I just like, said something in Chinese to them. I was like, “Hey, like, can I help you? Like, what do you want?”

And like, the guy looked at me like, completely surprised. And like, we just like, had a conversation. It wasn’t long. It wasn’t like, super complicated. But like, we actually like, understood each other. We like, communicated.

And like, I wasn’t even nervous about it. It just like, happened. Like, naturally.

I came back to my table and Neha was just like, “That was so cool. Like, you just like, did that without being scared.”

And I was like, “Yeah. Like, a year ago I was like, 100% convinced this was impossible.”

How This Actually Works

Showing Up Is Like, The Only Thing That Actually Matters

The reason I didn’t quit is because like, I had lessons scheduled. Same time every week. Tuesday 8 PM. Thursday 8 PM.

And like, Wei expected me. Like, if I missed a lesson, Wei would like, message me and be like, “Hey, you okay? You missed your lesson.”

And like, that made me show up. Because like, I didn’t want to like, flake on Wei. Like, I felt like, obligated to show up.

And because I like, kept showing up, it like, added up. Like, I actually got better.

The Teacher Actually Like, Matters

I think like, whether this works depends on like, whether you like, actually get along with your teacher.

Wei like, wasn’t judgmental. Like, when I said something wrong, he didn’t make me feel dumb. He was just like, “Okay, try again.”

He like, explained things in ways that made sense to me. Like, when he explained characters, it clicked. Because like, he explained it in a way I could understand.

Like, if I’d picked like, a different teacher, maybe it wouldn’t have worked. Like, maybe someone else would’ve frustrated me.

You Actually Have To Do The Work

Like, I couldn’t just show up and expect it to happen. Like, I had to practice. Like, I had to do homework. Like, I had to write characters. Like, I had to listen to stuff.

Like, I was probably doing like, an hour a week of stuff outside of lessons. Like, listening to podcasts. Like, reading simple stuff. Like, writing characters.

What People Ask Me

How much did you actually spend on this like, online Chinese language course in Delhi thing?

Okay so like, I was paying 15,000 rupees a month. That’s like, 7,500 per lesson because I did like, two a week.

Over like, a year that’s like, 1.8 lakhs. Like, is that cheap? No. Like, is it like, a ton of money? Yeah. Like, do I regret it? No.

Like, I probably spend like, that much money just like, eating out and like, random stuff anyway.

There’s like, cheaper options though. Like, group lessons are like, 5,000 to 8,000 a month. Like, you don’t get like, one-on-one. But like, it’s cheaper.

How long till you’re like, actually good?

Okay so like, “good” is like, different for everyone. Like, can I like, have conversations? Yeah. Like, can I like, read simple stuff? Yeah. Like, can I watch like, a Chinese movie without subtitles? No. Like, can I like, read a newspaper? No.

After like, three months I could like, have like, basic conversations. After like, six months I could like, read simple stuff. After like, a year I can like, have normal conversations about like, everyday stuff.

But like, to be like, actually fluent? That’s like, multiple years.

Is it like, weird being on a screen with someone?

Like, it was weird at first. Like, I don’t like, being on video calls. Like, it feels awkward.

But like, it like, quickly became normal. Like, you just like, open your laptop and like, talk to someone.

And like, honestly it’s like, way less weird than being in a classroom with like, thirty people listening to you mess up.

Like, it’s just like, you and your teacher. Like, nobody’s judging. Like, it’s actually like, way less stressful.

The Real Stuff

Okay so like, I’m not fluent. Like, I can’t like, have deep conversations. Like, I make mistakes like, constantly.

But like, I can like, talk to people. Like, I can like, read stuff. Like, I can like, exist in a Chinese situation without like, panicking.

And like, that’s huge because like, a year ago I was like, “This is impossible.”

But like, I did it. Like, I actually did it. Not because like, I’m naturally good at languages. Like, I’m not. Like, I did it because like, I showed up and like, tried.

And like, if you’re in Delhi and you’re like, thinking about like, learning Chinese, like, just do it. Like, seriously. Like, find an online Chinese language course in Delhi and like, sign up.

Like, I used https://multibhasa.co and like, they’re great. Like, Wei is amazing. Like, it works fine.

But like, the main thing is like, just start. Like, if I can do it – like, I’m the guy who like, got a D in Spanish and like, convinced myself I couldn’t learn languages – then like, anyone can do it.

Like, just like, find an online Chinese language course in Delhi and like, start. Like, because it like, actually works. Like, I’m proof of that.