The author took Mandarin classes with a teacher named Win from February 2015 and found her to be very professional and adaptive to each student's needs and preferences. The author's Mandarin improved greatly over the course of studying with Win, feeling more confident interacting with locals in Shanghai and traveling elsewhere in China. Besides language lessons, Win also incorporated discussions of Chinese culture, food and festivals to make classes more engaging. Win remained accessible outside of class to answer any additional questions.