Madison Wuu

Made it to Beijing!

Our first day in Beijing was all about getting settled. I managed to check in at Beijing Normal University (where we're staying for the next 10 weeks) without any problems, and I tackled the essentials: VPN, student card, and getting our dorm room. Speaking of the dorm, I'm really happy with my room; it's a single, which is such a treat. I think we, Dartmouth students, are super lucky!

There are so many students from different countries studying here at BNU this summer! The Princeton program alone has about a hundred students, with around 30 actually from Princeton and the rest from other US universities. I've also met students from William and Mary (some are even my nextdoor neighbors) and other Europeans. The Dartmouth program keeps us occupied with classes and activities, but it's easy to connect with students from other programs. We often see each other around campus, and there are definitely opportunities to hang out if we want to.

Besides meeting people from other programs, we've also had the chance to get to know some local students here. In fact, Dartmouth set up this event to introduce us to several BNU students, and my friend and I ended up having a great chat with a super nice guy name Thomas.

Us and Thomas!

We really clicked with Thomas, so we took him out for dinner at this Arabic restaurant (pictured below), which was a great time.

Yummy food, wonderful company!

I truly believe there's something beautiful about learning languages. For one, they build bridges between different cultures. Second, even if you don't catch every single word when someone's speaking a different language, just the act of trying to understand shows that you care, and establishes a connection between you. 

I'm really loving the people on my study abroad trip. They're inquisitive, fun to travel with, and always up for anything fun. Some of the most fun we've had outside of class so far include:

1. Lake Houhai 

The first night we arrived in Beijing, my classmates and I grabbed dinner at Lake Houhai and then rented boats to cruise down the river.

All smiles on day 1!

With all the surrounding lights and enchanting vibes, it felt similar to that scene from "Tangled" when Rapunzel and Flynn are about to release the floating lanterns from the boat.

2. Karaoke 

My friends and I booked a karaoke room with food, drinks, lights, and an awesome song selection. I can see why it is such a fun activity here—China really does it best! 

My friends on stage performing.

3. Tian An Men 

During our first excursion, we visited the iconic Tiananmen Square! We had a tour guide who shared some fascinating insights about its history. 

Beyond just exploring, our classes are super engaging as well. The teachers are nice, patient, and understanding, which makes learning enjoyable. Every weekday, we have class at 8 AM for almost two hours, followed by another small group session with about four people, also for two hours. Some days we also have individual speaking sessions, Chinese culture classes, or even Tai Chi and calligraphy—how cool is that?

Since it's a 10-week term, we're already halfway through our Chinese classes by week four, so the pace is rather intense. We're constantly learning new vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures and putting them into practice. Almost every day, we have vocabulary character writing tests (also known as 听写), which are pretty challenging. But it's awesome being able to actually read text in public, whether it's from street vendors or subway signs. I think I can safely say that most of us on this study abroad program feel like our Chinese is definitely improving!