going to BLCU? Introduce yourself here!

[Marquis]

If you guys use MSN my address is: marquis_uk@hotmail.com

Here is my mobile num in china (13161537380)

Have a safe flight to China guys.

[mike81]

Sorry - rude of me not introduce myself first

first name: Mike

age: 25

where are you from: London, UK (though I grew up near Cambridge)

program duration: July 13 - August 23

why are you studying chinese: Because my partner speaks it fluently, and so do a billion other people (give or take), some of whom I'd like to talk to. Also, I like learning languages anyway

I got my visa yesterday, so I'm all set - v.excited

Jealous of people who are already there; I have to work my notice period, and don't finish here until 7th July (I leave for BJS on 10th!). Anyone in London fancy meeting up for a coffee or similar, pre-departure?

[billiardsmike]

Shadowh,

I haven't found an email address for BJFSAC yet. Could you post it or pm me? Supposedly I have a reservation, courtesy of a Mandarin speaking friend, but they told him I had to confirm in July. I think I'd rather deal with Helen, but I haven't had any luck getting her on the phone.

[Shadowdh]

Hi Mike,

here it is... postmaster@qmhjzx.com at least thats the addy I have been Using for a point of contact and its worked well... I might see you there...

Cheers

[billiardsmike]

Thanks Shadowh. Hope to see you.

[Ascese]

Hi Marquis and Amanda,

My msn is aeryn_chan@hotmail.com , do any of you guys have Orkut? Amanda, let us know how you are doing there ^_^

I'm got so mad with all the BJFSAC thing that i'll just let things happen and see what it turns out to be...

[briareos]

Hey everyone -- found these forums maybe a week ago and have been lurking since then, basically trying to figure out what to do once I arrive in Beijing with precisely nothing arranged beforehand (i.e. housing, tuition ...) Anyway:

Name: Jonathan (Jonny)

Age: 20

From: Baltimore, MD, USA

Program: July 13 - Aug 23

Why are you studying Chinese: when I entered university, I wanted to decide between Arabic and Chinese. There were a lot of folks taking Arabic, so I chose Chinese, and I've been studying it for two years and spent last summer in Beijing too (at BNU).

Yeah. That's it, I guess. Looking forward to meeting all of you. I'm getting into Beijing on the afternoon of the 11th . . . if anyone is arriving at nearly the same time and is interested in sharing a cab, or working together to figure out housing or whatnot, I would be more than pleased to band together with someone [jweese at gmail dot com]. Hopefully no-one else wants to be alone either. Thanks. See you all soon.

[JamesGoff]

Hi GUYS

well i arrived in beijing 2 says ago and i am living at BFSAC .

I am all by myself which is more lonely than i thought it would be.

anyway

is anyone here living at BFSAC ?

i would like to meet up so atleast i know someone here .

thanks

James

[JamesGoff]

contact email

removed

or room 2103.

Edited May 20, 2009 at 11:47 AM by roddy

[Shadowdh]

Hi James... I will be arriving at the SAC 10 JUL in the evening (prob around 9.30pm if I can get through customs etc smoothly...) then hopefully my room is booked... so then you wont be lonely anymore...!!!

[Marquis]

Hi JamesGoff,

I know the feeling to go to a new place and feel alittle loney, the chinese people are so friendly so im sure you've already made loads of friends by now however if you fancy going for a drink or some food, give me a call anytime.

Here is my mobile num in china (13161537380)

Where in the UK you from? Im from Yorkshire. York.

[JamesGoff]

Hello everyone

Thankyou for answering my 'cry for help'

Well to keep you updated on the soap opera that is my life.

Well this venture into Beijing can be seen as a false start for me. I (stupidly) decided to come out 4 weeks before my mate from UNiversity and the start of my course. Therefore i was in an enviroment where finding a guy/girl in a similar situtaion was pretty hard.

Anywho The novlty of being in china wore of very very quickly. It was really the lack of having access to someone who spoek english to ask about things such as where can i go to meet people?

So on this basis it pretty sucked , i was sort off just left to my own devises and the only convosations i had were with the taxi drivers , usualy revolving around my level of chinese, or if the driver like the rap music playing on the radio etc etc ...on the way to he internet cafe to come on here and try and find someone to just chill with etc.

So not to go into too many details or to sound like a massive lemon , for the 5 days upto now i was getting about 1 hour sleep a night and my total food consumption was 2 big macs and a banana -in relative terms thats about 1 meal for me .

So being very lonely ( not a nice experiance ) lack of food/sleep/info/english speakers/ clean air/ decent tv channels in my room all took its toll.

All off this combined lead to me not being the happiest guy in town.

So i decided to hop on the next availbale flight to the UK to re-group.

Upon relection these were the worst 5 days of my life. I came holding china in the highrst regard , and the study of manadarin is something i wanted to dedicate 3/4 years post graduate too ( i love it anyway). So from this .. to a complete 180 in just wanting to leave im sure u can appriciate just how it was for me.

For the most part it was doen to the complete lack of sleep and eating ... both i treid to do but failed.

If this had carried on much longer i think something really bad could have happened , mentally and physically. I dont want to think about the dramas that could have unvailed if i have become ill.

Well now im back home i feel much better , i still plan to come out to arrive 10th july for registration at BLCU ( i mean i payed for my accomadation ) but which means i have to buy another ticket .

Well i hope when i arrive next time things will be much much better.

maybe i overreacted but i am the type of guy who would usually stick it out , but i did not see for a way for the situation to improve (for 2/3 weeks) and it could have been quite dangrous.

[Marquis]

Hi James,

Wow sounds like you really had a bad experience when you first got here, next time you arrive let us know and we'll all meet up for coffee.

Take care and enjoy your return flight

[ismene80]

Hi everyone..

My name is Lesley will be arriving in Beijing sometime August for the one year program at BLCU.

A little worried about housing. Is it difficult to find a decent dorm in the Haidian district?

[Marquis]

Hi Lesley and welcome to the forums

Im not sure about how difficult it is but im sure when you get here you will have no problem findng temporay accomodation until you get yourself sorted.

Good luck

[maowatchdude]

hi james

i know how u feel. im going to be at blcu for the 6 weeks summer program, but ive already been in china for over a month now. im in shanghai, a really money oriented decadent city.

although i know some people here and my parents are chinese and my oral mandarin is pretty good i just couldnt make myself comfortable in this turbulent place.

its probably also because of the time of year, shortly before the final exams, during the year, people are busy living their lives and i just came here, a total outsider.

well my original intention to enjoy life after 8 months of mandatory military service (im from austria) with all the freedom that i didnt have back then quickly turned into miserable vegetating.

but like sartre said, youre responsible for everything in your life, i enscribed (with the help of a local shanghai lady who i knew before, god bless her) into a local university and they stuck me into a chinese class for foreign students, so that the time here wasnt alltogether wasted. In the university i got to knew a bunch of people with a background more resembling my own and things work out well by now, expect that shanghai itsself is a really bad place to for vacation (unless you party your head off every single night and still have enough money left to get a massage and some bloody maries against the headache during the day). It has no culture, its all about business here.

humans are gregarious animals whatever you say, thats the truth.

well see u in beijing ill probably also stay at SAC

[clive5h]

Hey people,

My name's Clive (20 soon to be 21) and I'm from England. Heading to BLCU in August before starting the year-long course on 1 September. I've been studying Biology at Oxford for three years and fancied learning a language - and thought what better than Mandarin! Just need to sort out visa and accommodation now.

Look forward to meeting some of you out there,

Clive

[ismene80]

hello clive! im also taking the september one-year program. see you in class

[ismene80]

Thanks Marquis!

[Marquis]

No worries, have a safe flight over.