Friday 27th March 2015

Well everything is all packed, visa and passport is all checked, and now it is finally the day of departure. I’ve been getting more and more excited as it’s gotten closer; nerves didn’t really kick in until a few days ago when it actually dawned on me I was going to China.

The day started off with a 4:30am alarm set (although I didn’t get much sleep anyway) to get to Heathrow. My first flight to Zurich was at 8:50am which didn’t actually leave until about 9:35am; I was a bit stressed that I was miss my connecting flight but thankfully we landed half an hour before the departure time and I was able to make it to the flight.

My next flight was another 9 hours to Beijing and I was so pleased with the selection of films that had on offer! Didn’t get much sleep but was very excited to finally get to Beijing!

Tuesday 31st March 2015

Well what an eventful first few days it has been! Arrived safety in Beijing, and it was a bit chaotic trying to get a taxi (we almost got ripped off), but me, Sam and Viviane eventually made it to the hostel. First impressions was at how busy it was, the crazy driving and traffic, as well as the pollution, but it was so good to finally be there! .We spent the day walking around central Beijing, visiting Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square before going back to the hostel. A well sought nap was in place before heading out again in the evening to Shichahai Lake bars. It was a brilliant night and met so many new people as well. The Sunday was then a chilled out day; we made our own way to the university in a taxi, checked in and met more people on the programme. Our itinerary, check in details and university cards were also given to us. We then headed out again for a group meal in which plenty of dishes were served. Another night out was planned and we went to several places in an area called Wu Dao Kou.

The first Monday started with a bit of a lie in as our briefings didn’t start till 1pm. It started with an information session about the upcoming programme, followed by a campus tour and then a social event in which we met most of the people on the programme. The evening ended up with us going to the night markets, which was extremely busy but had a lot of stuff to see/eat i.e. scorpion!. After that, we ended up back in Tiananmen Square again in

which was really good to see at night as it was all lit up. A few of us then went back to the local student bar for a few drinks before heading back to the accommodation.

The next day was the official start of the programme. We had the opening ceremony in which we were introduced to our lecturers, program leaders as well as being introduced to China. It was a very surreal experience and felt even more surreal having our first Mandarin lesson straight after. We had our first canteen lunch which was rice, vegetables and I’m pretty sure it was egg and tomato sauce. Our afternoon then consisted of our first education lecture in which was very interesting; it still felt surreal actually starting lectures! The rest of the evening was very chilled, went out for a dinner and just went for a wander around the local area.

Friday 3rd April

It has been another very eventful few days! After our first lessons on Tuesday, we continued to have Mandarin first thing each morning. It’s been very difficult to learn, especially knowing the characters, but it’s fun and engaging within the lessons. We had our first calligraphy lesson on Wednesday which was fun to learn; it’s very difficult to get the characters precise. Our first field trip consisted of going to the Peking Opera; it was certainly an experience watching it all in Chinese but I’m glad we got to experience it It’s been great so far, meeting new people and everybody seems really nice. I get on really well with my roommate as well as all the people on my floor!.

Mandarin still proves to be difficult to learn but it’s all exciting! The evenings have been quite chilled out, mainly doing some work as well as trying out new restaurants and going for walks around the different areas.

Monday 6th April

Our first weekend consisted on having a family visit; me, Viviane and Shakira were taken with two girls and their mother to their apartment about an hour away from the university. The girls were extremely nice and welcomed us into their home. It was incredibly clean, they made great conversation and we were fed extremely well. The mother gave us a chance to

make dumplings, and we also helped the girls with their homework. It was one of the girls birthdays in a few days and us visiting their home was her birthday present, so it was incredibly humbling to feel so welcomed. We got back relatively late on the Saturday s a group of us just went to the local student bar for the rest of the night.

After a bit of a lie in on Sunday, we ventured out to Lama Temple in the afternoon. It was very big and colourful and was full of little artefacts. We then went for a wander around the local hutongs before heading into a restaurant; this was slightly different as we had to cook our own food. A cooker was placed in the middle in which we could control the temperature. It was very intriguing!

Monday consisted of a sightseeing as well; we spent the day at Summer Palace which was wonderful. It was such a clear day and was defiantly worth the visit as it was so beautiful. Afterwards, we went to the silk markets to have a look at the shops they offered. There was so much stuff to choose from and I ended up buying a pair of converses which cost less than £8!

Thursday 9th April

After having a three day weekend, it was back to class on Tuesday. We had mandarin and education lessons each day this week. Mandarin is still hard, but with practice, I’m starting to memorise some phrases (just about!). We have dictations every couple of days to see how we are getting on which is a bit pressuring. After class, we all chilled in our rooms for a bit, did our laundry and walked around campus before heading out for dinner. We decided to try hotpot as it had been recommended as a good place to go. Apart from the French fries I had, it was probably the worst thing I’ve tried! There vegetarian sauce consisted of a bowl of hot water with a few onions thrown in! Apparently the meat sauce wasn’t the best either and the stuff we put in wasn’t great so it wasn’t the best meal we had. We then went for a few drinks in Lakers and had a relatively early night.

Wednesday was quite a busy day; had classes all day, learnt Thai Chi and went to see the Acrobatics show. The show was amazing! It’s unbelievable the skills that they do and it was such a good thing to see. After that, we headed out to get some food quickly before going out to Woo Da Kou. Thursday was also quite a busy day; had classes, came back and had a nap, in which we then headed out after on the trains and went a train ride through several areas which was interesting!

Sunday 12th April

The highlight of the last few days has defiantly been the Great Wall of China! Everybody was incredibly excited about going. We left around 8am and got there just after 9am. We were then left to explore and climb the Great Wall! I don’t think everybody expected how difficult it would be; it was incredibly steep and got harder as we went higher. The view from the top was defiantly worth it and was such a surreal experience to be on the Great Wall. Most people slept on the way back on the coach and most people were shattered. However, we then went to Pearl Market in the afternoon, buying some more trainers, a few souvenirs and some clothes! We were all shopped out by the end of the day, and we eventually made our way back home. The evening was then spent by going out for dinner and went to the local students for a couple of drinks.

Before the Great Wall, we also went to visit a school on Friday; we spent the afternoon making paper crafts with them as well as being shown around the school in which also very humbling. The school was incredibly modern and up to date; the pupils were very welcoming as well as the teachers.

The Sunday was then spent by going to the 798 art zone; even though I’ve never been an art person, the museums were amazing and it was such a nice local area with a lot of little cafes and artefacts.

Wednesday 15th April

Another busy couple of days has passed by; it’s coming to the end of the program now! It’s gone so quickly; we’ve done so many things, meet so many people and generally had an

amazing time. Mandarin lessons have been going well but are still very hard; we are preparing for our exam on Friday, as well as our closing performance at the closing ceremony. We have also had to do an essay for Education as well as a presentation which is being presented on Thursday. The last couple of evenings have bene quite chilled out; we have gone back to the markets, had dinner at a couple of new places which was intriguing. It’s hard to believe that the programme is nearly over!

Our last field trip consisted of going to the Imperial College for the education module; it was very interesting to find out about the origins of education within China. We have also had to do our essays, revise Mandarin as well as complete our presentation.

Friday 17th April

Well the last day of the programme has officially arrived! It’s hard to believe that it has come to an end. We went out on Wednesday and Thursday night as a big group and it was such a nice way to round off the programme. Our presentations went very well, the Mandarin exam was hard but I still passed with 70%! The whole module I passed 84% and education I passed with 94% so I was incredibly pleased. The Friday felt quite emotional as we all knew it was coming to an end; the closing ceremony was also very good. We all got our transcripts, had a lot of photos and completed our group performances. As I was leaving that Friday night, I had completed my packing the night before. I had to leave at 8:00pm so I was able to join everybody for a couple of drinks at the student bar before I had to make my way to the airport.

I was incredibly sad to be leaving everybody but I was so thankful for meeting so many amazing people! Had so many amazing experiences and memories, and I am so glad that I participated on the programme. Introduced to a new language, spent three weeks in an amazing city as well as meeting so many people, I couldn’t recommend this programme anymore to any future applicants. It has been one of the best experiences of my life and I do not regret anything!.