Mandarin skills

My Mandarin studies continue. I have had 12 hours of tutoring and another 12 hours using Rosetta Stone. I know approx. 250 words or phrases, some I even pronounce correctly.

I looked at a language development site says the following are common traits for someone at my level and I think it's pretty accurate when describing my skills

* Can name a number of objects common to his surroundings
* Is able to use at least two prepositions, usually chosen from
the following: in, on, under
* Combines words into a short sentence-largely noun-verb
combinations (mean) length of sentences is given as 1.2 words
* Approximately 2/3 of what he says should be intelligible
* Vocabulary of approximately 150-300 words
* Rhythm and fluency often poor
* Volume and pitch of voice not yet well-controlled

Of course, they are talking about what a normal 2 year old can do.

I really want to get to the 3 year old level which is 700-1,000 words. I'm not where I need to be but for 3 weeks of study, I think it's pretty good. By 10/1 I expect to have reasonable fluency for getting around, asking for directions and ordering in a restaurant. (Not that I'm struggling in those departments but I am not doing it like a local yet.)

This leads to another subway story. Last Sunday night, I was returning to my hotel on the subway when I encountered a fairly large local family. I said hello in Mandarin to a young man (14 years old) and he said hello back in English. This started an exchange that with some encouragement from his family became entertainment for a whole section of our subway car. The boy was shocked to learn I was 55 years old (he thought I was more like 35). He told me to speak slower so he could understand my English better. (A constant battle for anyone learning a language and listening to someone speaking in their native tongue.) After a few minutes, he asked if he could take a photo of us together, which he promptly did with his cell phone. Another happy, cultural building experience. (I immediately went back to my room and studied my Mandarin some more!)