Inner Mongolia, 2008

In October 2008 I was studying Chinese in Beijing Foreign Studies University and we got one week of holidays for the National Day. What to do, where to go? When holidays were approaching… Continue reading →

“Why are you speaking in Chinese?”

This happened in June 2009. I had to renew my passport and get a new Chinese visa. We had finished our exams and we didn’t have class, so my friend Rhomel came with… Continue reading →

Chinese people, English names

Most Chinese young people, and some of the not-so-young people, have English names, apart from their official Chinese names which appear in their identity cards. Lots of them choose their English name (or their… Continue reading →

The North Korean girl

In September 2009 I was starting my second year in Beiwai (Beijing Foreign Studies University). It was a couple of days before classes started and I was with other returning students in the administrative building… Continue reading →

What no one told you about studying in China

Most people that come to China to study Mandarin are university students or recent graduates that want to improve their language level, or even maybe start from scratch. And most of them choose… Continue reading →