starting chinese might sound intimidating because it's said to be such a difficult language...
if you're interested in
beginning chinese, before investing in a more formal program, have a taste of chinese for
free at
ecChinese.com.
many websites are only in english, but this one has had its program translated in 21 languages (more coming soon!)
it uses a cool interface with graphics and games to teach basic words and phrases in a relaxed manner. for you serious ones, there are also resources such as pinyin (pronunciation) tables. get to know how to write, read, speak and listen.
cheerio~!
littlepanda