Life as a student at BLCU

Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU)

For those of you who don't know, I am studying Mandarin at BLCU in Beijing for one semester (20 week program). My studies started late February and run until early July. I am a very beginner class and with students from 15 other countries. In a class of 20, you become very familiar with your fellow classmates whether you like it or not. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason as to why others are studying Chinese. Some are in the same situation as me; they have graduated from post-secondary studies and are in between phases of their lives. Others are learning Chinese because they are interested in studying or working in China down the road, and some of my classmates thought it would be a great adventure to spend 6 months abroad. Whatever their reason for being here, I am glad others are joining me on this quest for learning the 'hardest' language in the world. 

Let's try Chinese food (?)!

If you know me then you know that I enjoy cooking, baking and experimenting in the kitchen. Because it is so cheap to eat out, I haven't been cooking. To be honest, I don't think I will do much cooking for myself while I am here but I do hope to learn how to prepare an authentic Chinese dish at some point.

Since I am not able to experiment in the kitchen, I have decided to try everything that is put in front of me - yikes! This could end very badly but so far, I have had more success than failure. I've managed to try massive dumplings, deep fried everything, duck legs, pigeon, and many other dishes that I can't identify. I have learned that it is better to not ask and just enjoy. I tried duck feet for the first time last week. The texture was not overly pleasant. When cooked, the webbing becomes slimy and chewy, and the cartilage is tough. In addition to the unpleasant texture, the feet were tossed with wasabi. I wasn't particularly fond of this dish but on the bright side, it did open up my nasal passage. 

While browsing around the supermarket, I stumbled upon packaged chicken feet. I figure that while in China I should do as the Chinese do, so I bought them. I also bought dragon fruit and what appears to be some sort of Asian candy.

Domestic Duties

I never thought that I would blog about doing laundry, but I wanted to give you an idea of my daily living experiences here in China. I am fortunate to have a washing machine in my apartment, but unfortunately, I have no clue how to operate it.

 I brought minimal clothing with me in hopes of doing a little shopping. After a week, I was in desperate need to doing some laundry.

It doesn't look too scary... from afar.

After I realized there was no English translation, I resorted to using my phone to translate the characters. Sadly, I can't draw to save my life and the only character I could draw accurately enough to find a meaning for was 'small', which I concluded meant the size of the load.

Ni Hao from Beijing!

Arriving & Settling In

I MADE IT! After 24 hours of travel, I landed in Beijing! I had 2 hours of delays and no lost luggage, which is pretty amazing. I think I handled my jet leg reasonably well. At first I was getting up at ridiculous hours (5am) but I am now on a schedule and I am settling into a routine. 

My accommodations were arranged before leaving Canada, so that alleviated a lot of stress. I landed, dropped my things off at my apartment, ate some delicious huǒ guō (hot pot) and slept for 10 hours! 

I have a pretty good setup. I am a 15 minute walk from the university, which is super handy. Some of my classmates travel 2 hours to get to class (we start at 8am).