Lanhui Apartment at BNU

[Jamoldo]

Has anyone stayed there that can tell me anything about it? I have read about it being "far away" from classes (10-15 min walk), but what about the room? I tried to get Intl dorm number 3, but it was "occupied" and Lanhui was all that was left. Are roommates random or does one pick them?

Also anyone else going to BNU in the fall want to get in touch?

To those who have been there. Is there a soccer (football) team/club that I might be able to join or a place to play?

Has anyone done a homestay through Chinahomestay, the Canadian run company? Any reviews and are there any families living near BNU?

Sorry for all of the questions. Haven't been able to register until now. Thanks.

[adrianlondon]

I am hoping to go there. With my usual level of planning, my application is due to arrive today; one day before their deadline. Still, I blame them for this, as they required a certified duplicate of my BSc degree certificate from when I graduated in 1991. Why? I'm only studying Mandarin for some fun! Oh well. £22 for the certificate and £40 FedEx bills later, we'll see what happens.

I'm suprised to find that some of the accommodation has already gone, but I think the list did open in April.

http://www.bnulxsh.com/sabroad_ruxue_zhufang-en.htm isn't one of the simplest webpages to get to grips with, is it.

I don't mind sharing an apartment (building 3, which you say is full) but don't want to share a bedroom! I guess, at 60RMB per night each, you could just pay 120RMB per night and take the whole place :-)

My plan is to get an apartment or rent a room in an apartment share off campus. All the stuff on BNU's website about proving registration certificates for temporary residence stamped by the local police office puts me off. I was just going to ignore that bit and hope for the best!

From my reading of the BNU website, you can stay in their accommodation for up to two weeks and then move out (or change) without penalty. If that is true, I will just pick the best room/bed available, turn up, and then spend two weeks trying to find somewhere off campus.

if chinahomestay is that odd one whereby you stay with a chinese family for free (you pay a fee to the homestay place but not the family) then I'd stay clear. Nothing is free; especially in newly money-grabbing Beijing. You'll find you've signed a binding agreement to teach their kids and their kids' friends English for 8 hours a day or something

Check the small print of any homestay type organisation.

[Jamoldo]

You should be able to check online if you got in or not. That's what I did. It also looked to me that all dorms were booked except Lanhui. Knowing the 2 week grace period, I decided that I would just take whatever there was.

You're older than I am and probably need more space, I'd rather not share a room, but hey its 60 rmb a night for a room with bath and tv, not too shabby...

The homestay site says spend 4 hrs a week min with the family "exchanging language and culture" which I won't mind. It's Canadian run, which does not seem bad and apparently you can reject the family and place if you want to. Families are apparently well to do. It's something I might consider as a second semester alternative...

[billybot]

60 RMB a night is relatively expensive, especially for sharing a room. My place comes out to about 43 RMB a night and it is an apartment, with furniture and a kitchen and everything.

Of course there are drawbacks to living in an apartment, I guess you don't get the same community feel as living in a dorm.

I'm planning on attending BNU as well, however I will most likely be living in an apartment in the area. Looking forward to meeting any and all of you .

bill

[Jamoldo]

I dunno, is 60 RMB really that bad? I heard $8 US was standard and thats around 64 RMB a night. I mean the place is wired for high speed internet, comes with cable tv, and daily maid service etc. Might not be the cheapest, but doesnt seem bad... That being said, I might not mind finding an apartment while I am there...

[billybot]

From a foreign consumer perspective it isn't much. However, Chinese student dorms while not having the same sort of amenities (plus having at least four people to a room) are often 1000-1400 RMB per year! So, it becomes apparent that many schools such as BLCU (new dorms) charge a ridiculous amount of money for a roof over your head because they can.

[Bhanupratap]

It’s very unfortunate, that the people at http://www.chinahomestay.org are acting in highly irresponsible manner, after many mails when no reply, I called the business manager, Mr. Jacob Cooke who took my mail & assured for reply but a week passed but no reply. Further same with the emails also, no reply even to five mails so far. I don’t know what stops them from replying in either yes or no, I came to know that they are recommended by lonely Planet, but now I feel that lonely planet being a responsible publication must look in to it & must always recommend responsible people or it seems only for Canadians, as the owner is from Canada.

[hunxue]

looks like i'll be staying here too! i'm one of those unfortunate taiwanese/americans who shunned chinese classes as a kid and the time has come to redeem myself. i'm slated to do the language program for a year if i can get everything sorted out with my home institution. i'm not doing any sort of university sponsored program so it seems i have to jump through extra hoops to get credit, but with a little luck i'll be there this fall. i'm still considering getting an apartment off campus, but i would like to be around other students. i'm not sure if i'd want to share a room for a year, though that's what i get for putting things off.

there's so much to think about. i've thought about acquiring a bicycle to get to class and perhaps around the city. i've looked at a map of the city and it looks like BNU is very close to the olympic sports center where i plan to grapple ( www.baxiroushu.com ). does anyone know if a bicycle is a viable option? i'm hoping to train as much as i can so i'm bound to be traveling a lot.

i still can't believe this is finally happening. i've been slaving away term after term just waiting for the opportunity to study abroad, and it's finally here. i still have a lot of arrangements to make, wisdom teeth to get pulled... i'm cutting it close, but i'm hopeful. if and when i do make it there, if anyone ever wants to meet up and have a beer, spar, play a frenzied game of guitar hero or practice chinese, japanese, english, whatever.. drop me a line

[roddy]

it looks like BNU is very close to the olympic sports center where i plan to grapple ( www.baxiroushu.com ). does anyone know if a bicycle is a viable option?

You could cycle it, but it's just going to be along the third ring road, which is a dull grey strip of traffic and pollution generally. Might be nicer than the bus though, and I guess if you stick to the smaller streets it might be an easier ride.

[adrianlondon]

Assuming they process my application (they extended the deadline to 30th June, and asked for more info from me which I faxed to them yesterday!) then I'll be there from September for one semester.

I'm definitely buying a bike and plan to cycle everywhere.

I'm also not sure where to live. Probably take their offer of accommodation (if any left) and then spend the 2 weeks grace they give you trying to get an apartment; either on my own or sharing.

[Zhende ma?]

Lanhui is a good walk (10-15 min) from class but there are a lot of cool people living there. You could always go look for a place later in the semester off campus and this is what a lot of my Korean friends did through brokers. Lanhui is not bad. It probably has the largest and nicest rooms so you get something for the 60 RMB (though it is comparatively expensive). I never heard of anyone using a homestay so I can't help you there.