and to clarify things: it is possible to speak fluent Mandarin Chinese (with certain limitations.. for example a student can explain day-to-day stuff fluently and can carry out informal conversations on any topic, but will ahve a hard time explaining the Chernobil nuclear disaster in official Chinese) after a semester if you work hard on it and attend the class regularly. Its not as hard as some people think. Reading and writing is another story though. I have met students who speak farararararara Chinese after taking 8 weeks of classes in the US, and can get by very easily in China.