The first day I couldn’t understand anything, there was no order, lots of people passing by and food I could not identify. I took all the courage I had and approached the vendor pointed at something that looked edible and hoped it would not give me a stomachache. It was scary but my first day at the UIBE canteen was an adventure. Now I lost my fears and I even made some friends at one of the little restaurants.
The first time I went to the canteen and tried to order anything without saying a word of Chinese was hard but I survived so did all my classmates. I have grown to really like Chinese food and now I cannot imagine going back home and eating “fake” Chinese food. The canteen now is one of my favorite places to eat, especially in a busy day at school. However, don’t get carried away by the convenience of the canteen and try to go experience all the little restaurants outside East or West gates. It is an essential part of living in Beijing to go eat in every corner, literally at the corner. Many delicious foods are just at the sidewalk corner of East gate.
Advice from a person that knew zero Chinese when she got here, the canteen might seem scary at first but it is an experience you should go through.
By Larissa Sales, Loyola University Chicago, TBC Communications and Social Media Intern and Fall 2015 Student
In their discussions, Cardinal Chow underscored the pivotal role of the Church in Hong Kong as a bridge. He emphasized that not only the Church in Hong Kong but every individual serves as a bridge connecting the world. In the current context of a divided global society, individuals often pursue their individual interests. To be a bridge means to lead people to cooperate for mutual benefit rather than work in isolation. A bridge gathers people, helps them discover common ground, and motivates collective efforts towards creating a better world.
Watch the full video here:
During his visit, Simon engaged in a conversation with Antonio Spadaro S.J., the former editor-in-chief of the Jesuits’ biweekly review, La Civiltà Cattolica, and the undersecretary for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education.
Simon also had a meeting with The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, a dicastery of the Roman Curia. In this meeting, Simon shared insights into the current situations in China, offering the organization a deeper understanding of Chinese society.
It was an honor and a privilege to be able to speak to so many and share these incredible moments with both old and new friends of TBC.
Over this past weekend, some of our students enrolled at Minzu University of China took their annual Spring Outing – this year, to Gubei Water Town. Situated about a 2-hour drive northeast of Beijing, the April weather made it absolutely perfect to explore for a spring outing. It surrounds various canals and offshoots of Yuanyang lake.
If you ever want to get a taste of Old Beijing, by far one of the best ways is to visit the hutongs. They’ve conceptually been around all the way since the 1200s, and in their most modern forms exist as protected alleyways and streets surrounded by old traditional houses and neighborhoods in the heart of Beijing and are recognized in China to be an important part of cultural heritage in the city.