Just arrived in Nanjing / Nanjing Normal University

[Pantsu]

Hey there !
I got the full scholarship this year, first I'm going to study here, in Nanjing, for a year.
It's the language program at Nanjing Normal University.
I wanted to arrive a little early so I won't be carrying my things everywhere. . . 
Oh, By the way, I'm Francisca, from Chile. 

Someone else studying here ?

It would be awesome to have some friends, or anyone to talk to actually :'D
I arrived yesterday and I was a nightmare

I'm not a pro at Chinese yet, so. . . yeah.

[tylers96]

I'm going to the same school as you! I messaged you privately

[roddy]

Future students will LOVE to read about your experiences - it'd be great if you could post them here, instead of in private messages. 

[ajkihn]

Hello Pantsu,

 

I am going to Wuhan University, but I have a question, how did you manage your accommodation? the information I found is very little and confusing, I'm also going as a full scholarship recipient. I'm going to book a hotel in the meantime, I'm arriving on Sept 8 to Wuhan, yes... I know, I'm running out of time here, but I was notified really late.

[tylers96]

Opps I'm sorry.

 

I'm going to arrive to Nanjing on September 6th, hopefully. My flight is actually to Shanghai so then I have to find my way to Nanjing. I'm a little scared about that part. 

I'm a full scholarship recipient as well.

[Huina]

Have fun! Nanjing Normal is great! I'm not in Nanjing any more but feel free to ask me questions if you need help.

 

Roddy--you still want me to do that write up on Nanjing Normal? I never got around to completing it...

[Pantsu]

Well then, no prob ! 

Well. . . It was hard.

The first 2 days were a NIGHTMARE.

I came here, expecting nothing since nobody gave much info about registration. . . or anything.
My Chinese is not as good as I thought it was. And nobody here speaks english.
I arrived during the 25th of Aug (a few days ago) and since the flight from HongKong got delayed, I arrived at like 12 instead of 22.00. It was hard to get a taxi by that time, and since I received the notice that I was supposed to come to Nanjing all of sudden, I didnt really have time to explore the city via Internet or anything. . . so I pretty much didnt know ANYTHING about here. 

 

The taxi driver offered me 200RMB for driving me to the hotel I payed before arriving (since I wanted to arrive a little early so I wont carry my things everywhere during registration days), and It was like an hour trip. To make it short: nobody here speaks english. He didnt know where the hotel was, and I didnt know what to do. I was desperate. Almost slept inside an ATM. . . or in the streets since its SO hot here. Anyway. The VPN I bought online didnt sent me the program until that nite to my GMAIL so I didnt have Google maps or ANYTHING to look for the hotel (or any other hotel that night)
The taxi driver tried to comunicate by his phone's translator, and I asked him if he could drive me to ANY hotel he knew.
I ended up staying at the first one I saw (that had a room or accepted foreigners)
Only the morning after I was able to find my hotel, and had to pay for a super expensive hotel the first night.
Just here I was able to make the VPN work.

Just yesterday I was able to find the Uni, wich is GORGEOUS. But only today I could find someone to ask for information ! 
I can already move to the dorms, but the international students building is pretty new so it doesnt has anything. And I mean ANYTHING. We have to buy sheets, and everything else. No wifi until monday (we have to register between 1-3rd of sept). I have no idea if air con is working or anything else. . . But lucky I decided to have this hotel, in case the first days we dont have much yet. . . 

 

If you come here, or anywhere. . . dont be scared to ask if you see a foreigner, just ask them. That has been the only way Ive been able to find some information. Nor before or now the CSC or the uni gives much info. . . 

 

Hope it helps ! Hahah 

 

Sorry for the crappy english!

[Flickserve]

This is why Chinese forums is in existence!

Seriously, you can get gmail?

When I was in Nanjing/hangzhou for a few days earlier in the year, I couldn't get messages on gmail. Gmail seems to work slower from China. But there might be good days and bad days.

Our hotel was a bit difficult in that the English level was quite basic.

Since we were being looked after by other people, I let them do the talking. I couldn't even string a simple sentence together. My listening skills improved quite a bit from nearly zero.

On the positive side, your Mandarin must be improving as a matter of survival.

[Flickserve]

**double post

[Pantsu]

I meant that I received the VPN by Gmail. . . that's why I couldnt open it and download it !

[gabbianella]

Wow! Your help is sooo apreciated! Please I have just a few more questions:

1. Did you apply online?

2. Some info about student visa validity: if the course is 12 months, how many days before can you arrive în China? And how long can you stay after the last day of school?

3. You got there with visa + all the papers they sent you by email after the admission. After that, how many more documents did you need? I read about a medical examination. What else?

Thanks!

[hoshinoumi]

Please let us know how you are doing in Nanjing, I'm considering about goingt to Nanjing or Hangzhou with Confucius Scholarship. How close/far are you from the city centre? How good are the Chinese classes?

[Ioana]

You seem excited about the city I also want to go there with a scholarship from Confucius Institute and I really want to find out more things about the polution in Nanjing

[Pantsu]

Woah, never replied this before, my apologies.

Well, It's been a year here already. 
You experience pretty much everything here. . . 
The food is really nice (from street jiao zis to fancy chinese styled things), lots of International restaurants too. Not as expensive as Shanghai or Beijing of course, but you also learn how to be carefull with the money (or scholarship if there is one). 

Classes here are pretty good actually. The teachers (or most of them) have pretty good attitude, the books are easy to understand and theres a good enviroment for learning. 

Still. . . you learn the Chinese way, wich is they dont really help you, AT ALL. Ive seen some people getting sick or even needed a surgery and they never provide clear information or willing to help you too much. Mostly office people.
 

Me for example: Now I have to move to where Im gonna start my degree Uni, in Guangzhou. . . and If it wasnt because I called all China, I sent e-mail to to almost everyone: I would have never known that I have to be there in. . . Yes, 3 days. So you learn to move fast or to do things by your own.

 

What you need to bring here for registration is the Admission Notice (With the Visa application attached to it), Passport (And copies), ID (if there is one), Highest degree diploma translated (and copies) and. . . cant remember what else now, but it should be it. I remember last yearI was terrified thinking I could have missed any paper ~

 

Good luck in Nanjing everyone !

Go to 1912 !