Chit-Chat Chinese author, Rachel Meyer, started learning Mandarin in high school over 20 years ago. She went on to major in Chinese at Smith College, after which she headed to Tunghai University in Taiwan to continue graduate work in Mandarin. Ms. Meyer has taught languages for over 20 years including Mandarin, English and Spanish. During a year interlude she also starred in 27 episodes of the mainland Chinese television show “Adventures in New York” (纽约奇遇记）. In 1998 Ms. Meyer co-founded the foreign language school, ABC Language school, in New York City. In 2005 a branch was established in San Francisco and in 2009 another one in Washington D.C. Her schools have won many accolades including “Best Of NY” by New York Magazine. Ms. Meyer is active in the language-learning community running community-based language groups for Mandarin, Spanish, and French in San Francisco, with over 4,000 members in total. Ms. Meyer’s experience as a learner, teacher and school director give her a unique perspective on how to best “crack” the Mandarin nut and become a successful learner. In her free time Ms. Meyer enjoys improving her French, learning American Sign Language, salsa dancing, social networking and sharing her knowledge of Mandarin through her textbook and blog.