2014/2015 Studying Mandarin at Xiamen University, my story

[Trevor1138]

Hi,

 

Thanks to all the members here.  Your posts have been a great resource for me in my search for information about studying Mandarin in China.  I hope some will benefit from reading my story too.  I will skip a lot of the details of why I made the choices I did, I am sure it is different for everyone. 

 

I am a 43 year old male, no wife or kids.  I am lucky to have had a good life as a programmer in the San Francisco bay area, but was interested in doing something completely different.  At the beginning of 2014 I decided I wanted to study Mandarin in China.  I am not a big traveller but have been to Japan and the UK a handful of times for work over the years.  I am excited by the challenge ahead of me and not afraid to make mistakes in my adventure.

 

I chose to study at Xiamen University primarily because of the reduced pollution in the area.  The university also seemed to have a good reputation.   I did not research too closely and discovered later that I will be studying at the Xiang'an campus which is not in Xiamen city.  A Chinese friend recently helped me search the area using Chinese websites and we learned that it is a 2 hour 20 minute (I've since discovered it is really about 75-90 minutes) bus ride between Siming campus and Xiang'an campus to give you an idea where it is.  The Xiang'an campus does not show up on google maps but does on Baidu maps.

 

I intend to live off campus.  I booked a flight to arrive on Sep 3rd in Xiamen and will get a hotel and take some time to find an apartment.  Hotels in Xiang'an district can start as low as 60 RMB. (A friend was renting a hotel room by east gate for about 300rmb/month)  Rents for a 1 bedroom apartment appear to be about 1000 RMB or more.  I assume the actual prices are negotiable when I get there and there might be more options to choose from as well.

 

I applied online to Xiamen University at the beginning of June and heard back within 2 days that I was accepted.  I did not apply for any scholarships.  I had looked at one scholarship and I was out of the age range.  I assume I will spend between US$ 10,000 and US$ 15,000 while living there for 10 months (including tuition).

 

The admission notice and visa form arrived on July 21st, though I didn't pick it up at the post office until July 31st.  At one point I was not sure where the notice was and emailed the university.  They sent me the tracking number and said it was sent on July 9th.  In general, the university replied to my emails within one day.

 

After filling out the visa application on the morning of Wednesday the 31st, I took all of my paperwork to the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco.  I arrived there at 1:30 pm, took a number, and waited about 30 minutes for it to be called.  I had checked the express service on the form, but they informed me at the window that they do not do express service.  I had the time so did not question it.  I picked up my visa on the morning of Monday, Aug 4th.  Pickup only took 5 minutes.  The visa allows me to any time before Oct 30, 2014.  It is an X1 visa and the remarks section says "Required to apply for residence permit within 30 days from the date of entry."  It is what I expected from reading the Xiamen University website.

 

An interesting detail of my story.  I am a Canadian and applied to the university with my Canadian passport information.  I became a US citizen through naturalization on June 23rd and got a US passport.  When I applied for the visa I was not sure which passport to use.  I filled an application for each and tried first with Canadian passport (it is cheaper).  When they asked for evidence of legal status in US I showed them my US passport.  They said I need to use that for the visa application.  So I gave them the other application (just the first page is different) and the visa is now in my US passport.

 

The university sent a message requesting tuition be wired by Aug 10th.  My bank will only transfer in US dollars.  I have emailed the university to see if that is ok or if there are other options.  I had to search online for additional info about the bank for the wire transfer, like address and phone number of the branch.  The university sent me the SWIFT code which was enough to find the rest.   My bank wants a routing code but it looks like the SWIFT code is unique per branch for Bank of China so maybe no additional routing code is needed.  I am not sure yet.

 

I asked the university if they would offer any assistance in finding an apartment off campus.  They did not answer the question, so I assume the answer was no.  They did say a week would be enough time to find an apartment off campus.  I know I can always get a dorm room at registration if I fail getting an apartment by then.

 

My open questions for now, if anyone out there has some information:

• how best to pay tuition? (I have emailed the university and will update if I hear back.)
• how to find hotel? ctrip? airbnb?  
• how to find an apartment and where?
• I speak no Mandarin, how bad will language issues be in the beginning?  For example, will getting a taxi from airport be a problem?  And finding an apartment, and so on...

Thanks for any additional info.  And thanks again to everyone that contributes to the forums.

 

Trevor

[Lanchong]

Print the address of the hotel out and show that to the taxi driver at the airport. Baidu says the journey to the university from the airport will cost 65rmb in the daytime, and 100rmb at night.

You could book the hotel on ctrip for the first few nights - so you aren't stuck looking for a hotel with all your luggage after a long flight - and then look around the area to see if there are any better options.

[abcdefg]

I speak no Mandarin, how bad will language issues be in the beginning?  For example, will getting a taxi from airport be a problem?  And finding an apartment, and so on...

 

As to finding an apartment without being able to speak Chinese, it will be difficult or impossible to do on your own. But I'm sure you can find someone at the university to help you once you arrive.

 

Good luck with your new life!

[James3]

Not sure if this fits in your plans or not, but another option is to try and find a language exchange partner on one of the language exchange sites, who is from the area you're going to. I discovered that some Chinese are very intense and determined about being able to practice their English. I've made some really good friends, one very quickly, by just practicing with them daily. And you don't have to know any Chinese - they'll be very excited just to be able to speak English with you, and to hear you speak English. Some of them are working on improving how well they speak English, whereas others may want to work on their listening comprehension. This may depend largely on how much free time you have - this may be more of an investment in time than you're willing or able to bear. But who knows? You might find someone quickly who'd love to meet you and show you around, you never know. Oh, and I've also found language exchange partners on couchsurfing.org.

 

Here's some examples of language exchange sites:

 

mylanguageexchange.com

conversationexchange.com

languageforexchange.com

italki.com

sharedtalk.com

polyglotclub.com

 

You may even find that a language exchange partner would help you practice what you've learned in class, who knows?  Just an idea...

 

Have fun, and good luck!

[Johnny20270]

well done trevor, good move! I am slightly behind you in age so good to seeing someone else in the same boat making a move like this.

 

I just transferred money to an account in China but its from the UK. They just wanted to see

- Account number and

- SWIFT CODE

- address of beneficiary

- and important a note to say what the move was for (i.e. tuition fee, rent etc)

 

You can't transfer in RMB as its a non deliverable currency so I just transferred in GBP, but I could have done USD but then I would have paid for my bank to exchange GBP -> USD . 

 

As for booking hotels using Ctrip (its in English) is always cheaper than UK websites for exact same hotel. Not sure what its like using US websites

 

Also get a local SIM at the airport. It is very handy for 3G so you can access maps, address of hotel to show to your driver .

[Chris Two Times]

Trevor,

 

I am a couple of years behind you in age but I am also planning to take a year off in order to study Chinese full-time for a year in a program for foreigners at a Chinese university. I am hoping to do this from Sept. 2015 to July 2016.

 

It's good to see that some of us older folks are also taking the plunge into this endeavor. I no longer have hang-ups about possibly (most likely!) being the older/oldest student in my classes. I want to do this, so I have put those inhibitions aside.

 

Thanks for the initial write-up. How have your your studies been going?

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[anonymoose]

I no longer have hang-ups about possibly (most likely!) being the older/oldest student in my classes.

 

One of the older students, probably, but the oldest, not necessarily. When I studied at Jiaotong University in Shanghai, there were at least 3 people in their 50s or older in my class.

[Chris Two Times]

Thanks anonymoose. I am in my early 40s and I am looking to study in Beijing so I presume there'll be a few fiftysomethings here as well. All in all, I am not sweating the age issue anymore--it should be the least of my worries. I just want to go get my learn on and get to know the locals and locale of my chosen study city.

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[Johnny20270]

yeah gives me encouragement!

[tooironic]

Hi Trevor. I'm studying Chinese History at Siming Campus, Xiamen Uni. I've added you on WeChat. I've made a few local friends here, so if you run into any other difficulties feel free to contact me and I'll do my best to help you.

[Trevor1138]

Hi all,  Thanks for the messages, I used much of your advice.

• how best to pay tuition? (I have emailed the university and will update if I hear back.)
  • I used their SWIFT info to wire the tuition to their bank in US dollars.  I converted from RMB using the rate on that day and added a little extra.  When registering on campus they had a record of my wire and didn't say anything about the amount, so I guess it was ok.
• how to find hotel? ctrip? airbnb? 
  • I ended up hiring a local freelance tour guide from synotrip for 2 days.  She helped me get a sim card, bank acount, temporary hotel (from ctrip), bus card (discount bus rides), and took me to Xiang'an campus.  At the campus we found a nearby hotel in Dongyuan village for 950 RMB a month.  I stayed there for 1 month.
  • When I got this hotel for the first month, the hotel manager took us to the local police station to register.  I got some official form saying I reside there, which I needed to give to the University residence office later.

  • There are probably better places east of the campus.  My tour guide didn't know the area well.
  Some kind of relocation service would be better than a tour guide I think.
• how to find an apartment and where?
  • I also got in touch with a local person on mylanguageexchange.  (I didn't pay I just put my wechat id there.)  She helped me find an apartment, searching online, and taking me to a handful of places on the island.  We looked just at areas near the tunnel to Xiang'an so the bus ride wouldn't be too long.    After the first month in that hotel I rented a studio apartment next to Wanda Plaza for 2200 RMB per month.  It also turns out there is a Xiaimen University staff bus that I can catch at the same stop as 751 bus (Gao Lin Zhan 高林站).  The 751 bus takes about 30 minutes.  The staff bus takes only 20 minutes because it doesn't make anymore stops.  It is a 15 minute walk from my apartment to that bus stop.  The 751 costs 1 RMB from this stop , sometimes they cost 2 RMB when going far.  The staff bus is free.
• I speak no Mandarin, how bad will language issues be in the beginning?  For example, will getting a taxi from airport be a problem?  And finding an apartment, and so on...
  • Taxis are a pain for me.  When I arrived the tour guide met me and we used taxis the whole time she showed me around.  On my own I had one good experience with a driver in Xiang'an, my pronunciation was bad but I could point to a map on my phone.   Otherwise I find drivers impatient.  Instead I rely on buses.  I use the PandaBus app to find the routes I want.  You put money on the bus card and scan it on the bus.  It is 20% cheaper.
  • Although I wanted to approach this with no fear, I still hesitate to order at local restaurants.   Starbucks ended up as my comfort location, they typically speak english OK there.  At my new apartment and being in Xiamen for over a month, I will sometimes go to a restaurant and point, but mostly cook in my apartment and rely on cafeteria food.

 

Note that the following describes my unusual registration process by trying to register early.  Much of it won't apply if you register the normal way on Xiang'an campus on the specified registration date.

I arrived in Xiamen on Sept 3rd, registration was Sept 13 and 14.  Around the 9th or so I asked the OEC office if I could register early, they said come on in to the office.  I should have asked earlier.

At the OEC office I was able to get an ecard which allowed me to use the cafeteria.  Though I think you can pay cash on the 3rd floor of the main cafeteria.  The ecard needs to be connected to your bank account.  I was doing it early so I had to go to a branch to connect it, maybe if you register on the normal day you can do it as part of registration.

Using the bus app I was able to get to the various places for registration.  If you register the normal way, the university will have scheduled buses to take you the places you need or do it on Xiang'an campus.  My process was also a little more involved because I am staying off campus. 

First I had to go to the health registration office to get a medical examination.  Arrive in the morning with out eating or drinking anything.  They don't describe well what you need to do, but you need to visit the X-Ray office on the first floor, give the worker your paper work, he'll take your x-rays and return the paper work.  Head to the next floor and visit each of the offices, giving the paper work to each doctor or nurse.  I think first is giving blood and urine sample.  Each worker will sign off on your sheet.  Return to the front desk with the completed paper work.  Then come back the afternoon of the next day to pick up your health certificate.  This certificate is needed to get some residence paperwork from the university.

With the health certificate I immediately went to the residence office on the 8th floor of a building on Siming campus. (The OEC office can tell you where.)  They need various forms (you should be able to find out which ones from the OEC office) and will give you the form needed to apply for residence permit.

The next day I took the bus to the Entry/Exit visa adminstration office, 3rd floor. (I got the address from the OEC office.)  You need to get a photo taken first, then hand in a bunch of forms and documentation and passport.  They will give you a receipt when you can come back to pick up your passport, 15 working days later.  Another student told me I could call earlier and see if it is ready.  I had my local friend call and picked it up after about 10 working days.  I am on an X1 visa and didn't need the yellow copy of the JW202 form.  I believe you need the yellow copy if you are on X2 visa (staying less than 6 months).

I still had to show up on the normal registration day to finish some other steps, like confirming payment and getting a student card.   On this day they have a bunch of tables set up by the dormitories.  They have buses that will take you from the OEC office to the right place.  There are local student volunteers to help, but they are too shy to come up to you.  If you see some local Chinese students standing around when you get off the bus try asking them for help.  Here you get in line and collect some paper work then visit each table.  There are tables for phone and bank, but I didn't visit them so not sure how much they do.  There is a photocopy machine setup too. 

After getting my apartment, I had to register at the local police station again.  My friend told me which one. You are supposed to do this within 24 hours, I did it 9 days late.   I went by myself, a worker there gave me a form, I filled it out and showed her my new residence visa in my passport and my apartment lease.  They gave me a new residence document, which I can take to the OEC office to update my address.

A note about banks.  There is no branch office for Bank of China on the Xiang'an campus,  there is a China Construction Bank branch.  There are Bank of China ATM's for withdrawing and depositing cash.  Some ATM's can also withdraw from foreign bank accounts. 

A note about photocopies.   Doing things early I had to mostly make copies myself.   There is a photocopy office on the 2nd floor near the main cafeteria.   I gave my documents to the employee and gestured what I needed.  It is about 2 mao per copy I think.  (A mao is 1/10th of an RMB.)

 

If you have an android based phone you might want to download any useful apps before you get here. The internet and VPN access can be spotty.  I use Pleco as a dictionary and paid for some of the extras like improved flash cards. Its OCR feature is nice too.  I use Bing translator for web pages or text messages.

I think all of the steps I did can be done more easily on Xiang'an campus if you arrive on the day of registration and live on campus.  You can get a phone/sim card, bank account, and set everything up right there.

Overall it has been a good experience.  All of the students I encounter are nice and my teachers are great.  My class is about 15 people, most in their early to mid 20s.  I have seen a variety of ages of students in other classes.  Living off campus I don't interact socially with my class mates much outside of class.  I have lunch and study with them.  I am glad I live off campus.  Some class mates are unlucky to have noisy room mates and there is little that the administration can or will do to fix it.

I thought 3 hours of classes a day would be kind of light, but I end up studying a few hours a day too just to stay on top of things and it is still challenging to keep up.  Challenging in a good way.  One thing I wish I had done better from the start is focus on learning the correct tones for each word we learn.

Trevor