Here follows three students first impressions of Stuying in Beijing.
Monique in Beijing:
Prior to my departure for Beijing, I was in a state of frenzy – excitement, nerves, and a jumble of inexpressible feelings that seem to occur every time you realize that you are indeed entering the grown-up world. A lot of the preparation beforehand entailed admin: packing up my room and carting boxes to storage, finishing my thesis,sorting out banking matters and writing up countless lists of things to remember. The planning for admin sucked up most of my energy the week before I left but it at least distracted me from worrying about the unknown that lay ahead.
When the day of departure finally arrived, I was as ready as I thought I could be. Armed with enough Western medicine and instant coffee powder to last half a year – rare and/or very expensive commodities in China – I boarded the plane with my classmate and we settled in for the 15 hour plane ride that would take us to Beijing.
Upon arrival, we took a train to a central subway station from where we would take a taxi to the university dorm. We had arrived in rush hour… around 2 hours later, we finally managed to flag down a taxi and arrived at the university. The room looked fine, very hard beds with the thinnest mattresses you’ve ever seen but a western toilet and shower so can’t complain!
The first problem we encountered was when we went to the bank to withdraw money to pay our accommodation. The dorm rules stated that the full accommodation fee was payable upon arrival – we had found out from our bank in SA that it would be no problem to withdraw the large sum of money needed to pay this. Apparently, the bank was wrong. China does not allow you to withdraw any money from a card unless it has your full name printed on the front. South African bank cards only print your initials and surname. So there I was with my M VAN TONDER bank card that I would only be able to use at ATMs. With the ATM daily withdrawal limit, it took me 5 days and lots of explaining to the dorm about banking restrictions before I could pay the full amount and finally settle in!
The dorm is in a great location, just off campus but very close to both classes and the campus dining hall. There’s a lot of international students living in the building and we’ve made friends from all over the world. Classes are interesting but fast-paced, requiring intense focus for 4 hours straight every morning until lunch, Monday to Friday.
Weekends are less busy, we try to visit one of Beijing’s many parks each weekend and take some time to explore. The subway and bus system is fantastically convenient but be ready to get close and personal with fellow passengers!
I take the experiences as they come and there sure have been some interesting moments – getting lost in the maze of subway lines, taking the bus in the wrong direction, wandering into the scooter lanes and endangering my life, tasting bizarre flavored ice creams (bean!),passing restaurants that specialize in dog meat… and so the adventure, and learning, continues!
Amanda in Beijing:
As the last few weeks before my departure approached, I realised that after almost four years my time in Stellenbosch was nearing an end, what a strange thought! The final weeks before my departure went by quickly and were mainly spent packing up my room, and finishing my thesis, I hardly had time to feel sad about not being able to spend another summer in Stellenbosch. Once all my things were packed up, I flew home to Johannesburg to spend the last few days before my departure with my family. I also had to start getting serious about packing my bags, as I have the habit of postponing until the very last minute (which happened again anyway). Packing was difficult because I would arrive in Beijing in the summer with warm temperatures, but soon after it would become winter, and not winter like we know in South Africa, I’m talking about -18 degrees here! It was a tough job, but in the end everything was packed and I was ready to go. Feelings of both nervousness and excitement followed me onto the plane – I was on my way to my home for the next 5 months! Big, long hugs and last words with all my loved ones at the airport, and I was off!
I arrived in Beijing alone, as my classmates had arrived a day or two earlier on different flights, but this was not a big worry for me it wasn’t my first time in China, and my Chinese is good enough to get by with basic things such as getting a taxi. Beijing Language and Culture University, here I come!
I didn’t have any major problems getting to my dormitory building, but getting into my room however was a different story. Upon entering the dorm’s lobby things were very chaotic, there were several queues and it wasn’t clear in which one I had to stand. No one around me seemed to know what was going on either. After more than two hours of waiting, standing in the wrong queue and giving everyone apologetic looks about my current state of hygiene after 24 hours of travelling I was relieved to finally be in the front of the queue. My luck didn’t last very long though as I was told that my name wasn’t on the list of people that booked a room, long story short, I had to wait about another half an hour, and finally I had my room key, and a room on the 11th floor.
When I opened the door my new roommate was already there, a girl from Korea who had studied at BLCU the previous year as well. The room looked pretty good and we had our own bathroom, fridge, TV and AC. There was also a really nice window sill that is broad enough to sit on; it has since become my morning spot for drinking coffee and people watching before class. After putting down all my stuff and settling in a bit I went to look for my classmates that had already arrived and we all went to go and register. The registration also had some difficulties and we could only complete it the next day, but in the end everything worked out, and we were glad that most of the admin had now been dealt with.
Things were looking up as we had a few days off before classes would start, and we spent the time getting to know Beijing a bit better. We went to the World Park, where there are replicas of several world wonders such as the Eiffel Tower and Stone Hedges – there was even a mini Great Wall of China! Furthermore we went to Beijing’s 798 Art District as well as quite a few parks.
After almost a week of exploring Beijing, classes finally started. We have 20 hours class each week, and the classes are divided into four kinds: reading, listening, oral and a general comprehensive class. After the first day of class it was already clear that these people knew what they are doing, and in the ensuing weeks the teachers have not disappointed. I have already learned so many new things in the short amount of time that I have been here. After a week of class we had a two hour long orientation and welcoming ceremony that covered topics such as medical insurance, what to do if you lose your passport, the university’s rules and China’s laws.
I can’t believe that China has already been my home for a month – time really does fly! What is even more unbelievable is how natural it feels to think of this place as my home. I do miss my “South African home” sometimes, but that’s nothing that a Skype session with my family can’t fix. So far living in China has been fantastic! I can’t wait to see what the next few months will hold…
Megan in Beijing:
No preparation for an overseas venture starts calmly, and preparing for our trip to China was no different. The last few weeks before departing consisted of hurriedly ensuring all paper work and funding was accounted for, as well as trying to ensure all essentials could be packed into a suitcase.
And before I had time to triple check my luggage, my plane had landed in Beijing. Upon arrival we met our first enormous problem, South African credit cards are not recognized by the banks of China due to the initials present on the cards, as opposed to one’s full name, and as such we could not go make use of bank tellers and withdraw the large, essential sum of money needed to pay our accommodation. I for one has been lead to believe that a credit card is all that would be accepted in China, so alas I was forced to endure large ATM international charges as I would draw daily from the ATMs, slowly but surely paying off my accommodation.
After some time the accommodation was paid off. The accommodation itself is nicely situated on campus, the room is a nice size, however if one does not have a set of DIY skills then one will struggle – the shower head needs to be cleaned daily and drains are almost consistently blocked. The room could do with a new coat of paint, and the beds are as hard as rocks – but there is a big window with a great (if not smoggy) view.
As classes are only from 8:30am till 12:30pm, one tends to spend a lot of time in one’s dorm. Whilst the campus hosts many fun, and nearby activities they tend to be too expensive to attend on a consistent basis. At least one can buy uncapped wifi, which is fast enough to watch YouTube or Facebook (assuming you can find a reliable, operational VPN service). Aside from relaxing in the dorm, there are affordable things to do and see, for instance Beijing hosts multiple parks, markets and so on.
Lastly, some advice I can provide, which I wish someone had given me before this trip. Firstly: BRING MEDICINE. Colds, sore throats, etc will plague you upon arrival in Beijing due to both travel and the smog. I got a really bad chest infection within the first week of being in Beijing and the only medicine I could find was traditional Chinese medicine. Aside from medicine another vital piece of advice would be to get a cash passport and don’t listen to your bank when they assure you your credit card will work in China, because it wont work – and only some ATMs will accept them.
I’m look forward to seeing what Beijing has in store for me, whilst the start of the trip was problematic I can already sense myself finding a groove and sense of familiarity in this enormous city.