Chinese learning diary (1) The first thing I did after deciding to learn Chinese seriously is to look for a good teacher. Why did I not first try to learn it by myself ? I had already tried to learn it a few years ago at school and I knew that Chinese could be hard to learn, especially if we consider its tones. Besides, I had seen how hard it was (and it is still being) to overcome my English learning past years and I did not want to make the same mistakes. When I decided to pick up English studies again, I had a huge need of structure. I needed help to evaluate my weaknesses and someone to show me the way. I often felt discouraged at that time but I went through it. I still have a lot of things to learn and to improve but I feel more comfortable now. I know where I am going. Anyway, as I was saying, the very first thing that I did is to look for a good teacher who could help me to deal with the Chinese tones and who I could stick with, someone I feel comfortable with as both a person and a student. I think that I have found her :-).