6~ That Random Walk

After a long day of crazy lessons where I had been bumped into a really hard advanced class (that I struggled all day with) it was finally 4pm and I had a free evening with nothing planned. On my way back to my dorm I bumped into Hazel who suggested going for a walk around the city since the weather was good~ So off we went on what turned out to be an adventure !

I've got to hand it to them, Hangzhou as a city is really beautiful with some pretty cool buildings, it looks great in the daytime and even better at night when it comes alive with lights and the hustle and bustle as people finish work, I've always loved the atmosphere of the streets in China and Hangzhou did not disappoint.

Hazel and I just picked a random direction and walked wherever something looked interesting which is a method I really love to do when travelling, we found a really huge English looking tower that we nicknamed 'Big Ben' and was our point of reference for when we were near the campus as it's so tall and odd compared to all the other Chinese style buildings. 

After picking up some bubble tea we tried to find some shops and something to do, it was really good to chat together, I think that was one of my favourite evenings as I got to really know Hazel, we totally have the same sense of humour so the whole night I was laughing so much my stomach hurt! She's one crazy hopper loving girlie~ 

At one point we were walking along a street when a lady behind us answered the phone pretty violently, kind of screaming into the phone but it's a little more normal in China - anyway we she scared the living daylights out of us because she was right behind us when she answered, and after hanging up she said 'sorry' to us in English and when I replied in Chinese she was amazed! She started questioning us on where we are from, our Chinese ability and other things then introduced herself as someone working for Mary Kay and asked if she could have our contact details to be models in the next makeup competition shoot!! We literally couldn't believe it, only in China eh! As it happens we later found out that the shoot clashed with our classes so we couldn't make it, but what a funny experience! This is why I love China! Haha! 

We kept walking on our little adventure and found a shop selling animal parts like chicken feet, necks, organs etc, so we bought a chicken neck each, the lady was a bit surprised since usually a person would order a weighted amount, for example 500 grams of neck, or 1kg of feet but we went over there and asked for just 2 individual pieces which took some explaining, but after a few minutes with a bemused expression she handed us two little necks individually wrapped bless her - probably the weirdest customers she had had all day! 

Meaty snacks!

At this point we were pretty tired, we had been walking almost 4 hours and had explored quite a bit, we were getting a bit of attention in the city area and a few people were shamelessly taking pictures of us without even asking - we made an Oreo which killed me I laughed so hard~ Great memories :) 

On our way back we realised that of course we were lost (Hazel was also part of our lost group at West Lake - seeing a trend here?!!) It had already gotten dark and China just looks so different at night time, we couldn't remember the way we had come and were stuck for ages trying to figure it out. We still hadn't memorised our campus's name at that point and our university has 5 campus's so it was a bit impossible to explain to a Chinese taxi driver where we wanted to go. With both our phones dying we luckily bumped into a lovely Italian lady who just happened to speak English, Italian, French and Chinese fluently (ohmygoodness I want to be her!), and she helped us out by translating and writing down exactly where our campus was, she was pretty cool and her life was inspiring! I would love to be like her in 5 years time, working in China full time with a pretty decent handle on Mandarin - one can only hope! 

After all that, Hazel and I were really determined to find our way back without a taxi as we had already walked all that way, luckily Hazel found a street name that she remembered looking at on our way into the city which basically saved our lives and bought us much closer to the campus, it was a kind of large alleyway with lots of tiny shops (that were closed) so it felt a bit dodgy to be in a quiet area but all was okay as we ended up coming out of the street and finding Big Ben! You should have seen our reactions we were sooo relieved, I almost wanted to kiss the building! 

On our way back we passed the Barbecue Guy and it smelt so delicious so we picked up some food to eat on the way back - I have no idea how they get all that flavour onto a vegetable because it is genuinely one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten, always look forward to that when I go to China! We took our BBQ and walked home, totalling around a 5.5 hour walk and a pretty amazing time seeing real China and getting to know Hazel! ~ 

An Introduction

Hello! Welcome to my little blog, where i'll be writing about my time studying in Hangzhou as part of the Study China programme. First of all I will explain the background of the programme, how it works, and why I highly recommend this programme to other students, i'll then add links with some advice on how to apply, of course if there are any queries don't hesitate to ask and I will get back to you as soon as I can~

What is the Study China programme? 

The Study China programme is a scholarship that allows you to study Mandarin Chinese at one of China's top universities for three weeks, it is funded by the British Government and managed by the University of Manchester. This scholarship funds all tuition, accommodation and excursion fee's, essentially all we need to pay for are the flights and visa's (I spent around £600 in total). 

The programme itself is very intense, we have 40 hours of Chinese language class over the course of three weeks, plus a chosen module (mine is Chinese business), which is a further 18 hours of class, plus mandatory excursions, a home visit and Taichi/kungfu classes during the week. I find that my schedule is completely packed, but the intensity vastly improves my Chinese which was my main goal. 

It is important to note that you are not required to have any previous Chinese knowledge, you will take a little test to demonstrate your ability and then will be placed into a specific class. The majority of students this year are absolute beginners so it is no problem at all if you can't speak any Chinese yet! 

How can I apply?

You can apply through the Study China website directly with this link, the application is essentially very simple but it is important to meet all specifications. The Study China programme is prestigious in the United Kingdom and competition is high, this year out of 1200 applicants only 82 students were chosen to receive this scholarship so I feel very honoured to be here. My number one tip would be to read all that they require, and make sure your application contains examples of how you fit their criteria, don't miss any aspect out of your application! 

Where can I study?

You can choose one of three universities by putting them in preferential order, your first choice is not always guaranteed but in this case I received my first choice (Zhejiang University). You will study at one of the following:

- Beijing Normal University 

- Zhejiang University 

- East China Normal University (Shanghai) 

All three of these universities are very highly regarded and rated in China and so no matter which one you are allocated you are sure to be getting a very high standard of education. 

Eligibility and Bursaries

There are a few criteria that you must meet in order to be accepted onto the Study China programme, the main one being that you must be a full time student enrolled into a university in the United Kingdom, you can check up on all the specifications on their website here here. 

Another thing to be aware of is the Study China bursary, if you meet the specifications and apply early you will receive £350 upon completion of the course. On top of that you must produce a daily blog of your experience which should be submitted after returning to England. Not only this, but your own university may also award you a travel grant/bursary for this opportunity which will depend on each university (for example Nottingham Trent has awarded me £250 for this experience), and other students have received up to £500 from their universities, it is definitely worth looking into this with your university if you have been accepted! 

All the information you need is on their website and if you are interested i'll be uploading daily blogs of my experience at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou over the next couple of weeks. Please feel free to ask any questions or advice if you're thinking about applying and good luck!! Hope to see you in China next year :D