NEWS & EVENTS

The first Saturday of March, April pushed at my shoulder, “Addy, wake up! He’s already waiting for us at west gate!”

I sat up, looking down at my jeans. “Do I have time to change my pants?” Back in Chicago, I rarely wear pants, let alone jeans. I brought this sole pair with me thinking they would be a good clothing item to potentially lose to Beijing’s smoggy atmosphere, and how right I was: earlier that day upon climbing machinery in the 798 Arts District, first the right seam followed immediately by the left seam of the inner thigh tore down to the knee. I wore tights underneath, thankfully, but I nonetheless looked quite ridiculous.

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.