It has been exactly one week since I’ve arrived in Beijing, and it honestly feels like I have been here for so much longer. Unlike many people in this program, I haven’t had much trouble with jet lag, but that just might be because I had a horrible sleep schedule back home to begin with. I have already met many new people and finished unpacking in my dorm, so I am feeling quite settled in Beijing. The heat was honestly the biggest surprise for me. I knew it would be very warm just from researching the average temperatures, but it feels much more intense when combined with the crowded streets and air pollution. However, it does cool down during the evenings, which makes a great time to go out and explore.
A typical day for me begins with waking up around 8 am and getting ready for the day. I grab a snack for breakfast and head out of the dorm around 8:40. To get to class, we cross a bridge that goes across the busy main street separating our dorms from main campus. We show our ID to the guards at the gate and enter campus. From there it is about a 10-minute walk to the building where the Chinese language classes are held. Chinese class is definitely challenging, since we are learning a lot more material in a shorter period of time. However, the classes are smaller (most classes have 6-8 students) and the teachers are very friendly. Chinese class is from 9am to 12pm, and after that we have an hour for lunch before our next class at 1pm. For lunch there are many dining halls around campus, but most days I just go to the closest one across the street from Chinese class. The dining halls tend to be very crowded around this time. Navigating through the crowds of people and finding open tables was difficult at first, but now I have gotten used to it. Plus, the food is really good, and they also serve fresh fruit. I usually have a couple slices of watermelon to go with my meal every day. After lunch, I head to my afternoon Public Health class, which is a three-hour lecture style class taught by Chinese professors. Class ends around 3:30 or 4pm. Around this time it is generally too hot out to do anything outside, so I usually head to the gym, a café to study, or just my dorm. For dinner, there are many great restaurants to choose from within walking distance to the dorm. My current favorite is a bao zi restaurant, where I usually get the pork and vegetable bao zi. Another great option is to head to EC Mall, which is 2 train stops away and has many great restaurants, including a KFC. After dinner, I usually finish up some homework, watch some Netflix, and get ready for the next day!
Typical dining hall meal
From a bakery right by the dorms
Thai pineapple rice and milk tea at EC Mall