When is the best time to study abroad?

When is the best time to study abroad?

• I'm trying to figure out where I should study abroad this summer. The options are France, Japan, and Taiwan/China. I used to live in France when I was little, so I'm not bad at speaking it. By going there I could probably get my fluency back. This year is my last year taking French (i'm a junior), unless I take it in college. I started learning Japanese on my own in the Spring and watch anime to learn different words and phrases. Next year I will taking Japanese, so going there would give me an opportunity to get even further ahead of the class. This year is my first year studying Chinese. Next year I will not be taking it, and I'm afraid I will lose all the hard-earned progress I have made so far if I spend the summer without Chinese. I love languages and am at least taking one of either Chinese or Japanese in college. But for now, is it best to study a language in the summer that... 1. one I know pretty well and want to keep up but am not taking for a while, 2. one I just finished a class in, or 3. one I am about to have a class in? Please give me your opinion!! Thanks in advance! ^-^

• Answer:

  You don't say which Chinese! Mandarin is the red hot language right now. All the kids are piling in as this is expected to be the most useful foreign language to know in ten years from now. Personally, I don't think you can learn a language by studying in school. Going to a country and working there in a non English speaking environment is definitely the way to learn.