NEWS & EVENTS

On Saturday, April 15th, I set off with my friends Emily, Wilson, Adah, and Carol for the Yonghegong Lama Temple, one of the largest and best preserved historical sites in Beijing. I had seen the Lama temple (or at least its subway stop) in passing multiple times- it is only three stops away from the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) on the Beijing Line 5 Subway- yet I had never had the chance to get off and explore the site.

My second semester in Beijing has continued to be full of surprises. I am still meeting new people, experiencing new places and foods. It may be too early to say, but I am enjoying my second semester with the TBC program even more than the last. This semester’s TBC students blend together especially well, which is almost too good to be true. This semester I even have two fellow stags, Lauren Jachimcyzk (18’) and Debra Chevalier (18’) to accompany me along this once in a lifetime journey.

Spending a semester in Beijing gives our students easy access not only to the wonders of China, but also to other parts of Asia! TBC students recently returned from spring break, and they ventured near and far: all the way from Inner Mongolia to Spain! With spring break overlapping China’s Tomb Sweeping Festival, students spent fourteen days relaxing and travelling, often covering multiple cities. Some students even explored multiple countries! Talking about their experiences vacationing primarily around Asia, students shared with us where they went, what their favorite part of the trip was, and how much their trip cost:

Tucked away in a plush dressing room off a press conference hall at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, we sat nervously in chairs upholstered in China’s trademark red. After a last-minute cancellation; a week of dogged phone-calling, WeChatting, and restrained begging; and a final, wretched wild goose chase around the airplane hangar-sized theatre complex known as the “Egg”, I had finally been granted a brief interview with opera director, Chen Xingyi. To help navigate the murky waters of opera jargon, I had brought along a Chinese friend to help translate when needed.

Although the weather in Yunnan was warmer and the air cleaner, I was more than excited to be back in Beijing. Beijing and I have quite a special connection; feeling like home since I stepped off the plane. Last semester I made myself at home on the campus of the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE对外经济贸易大学) in the International Student dorm. Even though I would be taking new classes with a new group of students, I decided to switch it up for the spring semester and move off campus.

As my winter break came to a sudden halt, I waited and watched as the newest group of TBC students arrived on campus. I was excited and nervous to meet the incoming class of spring semester 2017 students. Although I had already been in Beijing for the past 6 months and felt extremely comfortable with the language, culture, surroundings and my own daily routine, I began to feel like a newbie again. Fresh off the 15 hour flight from America, were 27 new faces that I had never met before. It was a strangely paradoxical feeling to have the confidence of a veteran student and the awkward butterflies of a Beijing newcomer.

This Winter Break, I decided not to return home to the States. I believed that leaving China would not only disrupt my progress in Chinese, but returning home to my loved ones, would make leaving again for the second time that much more difficult. Instead, I used my break to travel within China and Beijing. In Beijing I explored the mystical Llama Temple 雍和宫(YongHeGong), the historical Tiannamen Square 天安东门(TianAnDongMen) and the infamous Forbidden City故宫(GuGong), again for the second time.

In China there is a national Holiday called the Golden Week (国庆节). It is a week long period and the most traveled time in China. Native Chinese either return to their home towns if they are away, travel out of the country, or enjoy a week of solace. I decided to travel out of China. Coming to China was my first time leaving the United States so I was super excited to expand my horizons. Coincidentally, this semester I have 10 Fairfield friends studying abroad in Europe, 7 of them in Italy. Because I am studying in China for two semesters and will not be returning home for Christmas, I decided to visit my friends in Florence, Italy.

The answer to everyone’s question: how was China?

The perfect answer is a 20 second elevator speech. It must break all barriers and sum up the experience in more than just “it was great” but it cannot wind on for too long so that people lose interest. The perfect answer provides more insight into China, but doesn’t seem to unreal that many think China is untouchable. The perfect answer … doesn’t exist.

I am studying abroad through The Beijing Center (TBC). TBC is housed on the campus of the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE). According to local Chinese students, UIBE is ranked about 4 or 5 of the top 10 Universities in China. The university provides schooling for about 20,000 students, not including undergraduate and PhD students. This was a massive change for me, seeing that Fairfield only has 5,000 undergraduates. Although larger in student population, the campus is smaller.