A blog about my experience when I first visited China. Includes my role as an ambassador, language barriers, food, cultural differences, visas and more!
An Ambassadors Exchange Programme in April 2019! This was a fantastic opportunity for exchanging experiences between the Queen Mary University campuses in London and Xi’an. This included student life in the UK and China, learning methods, sports, activities and culture differences.
A group of six students from different places around the world, including me, were selected as “The Chosen Ones” from Queen Mary University of London and taken to this amazing trip to Xi’an.
Almost a 24-hour journey from my home in London to the accommodation which was next to the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) in Xi’an. Security controls are very strict in China… They might even take your power bank if they cannot identify its charge capacity.
The Chinese students at the NPU were the nicest people I have probably ever met! They taught us a lot of things about the Chinese culture and sharing their opinions not only about their education system but also about other topics such as football, videogames, and daily routines. We also were invited us to activities such as a Chinese show which included ancient traditional costumes, Chinese calligraphy and knots, making dumplings and a university talent show!
Not everything was fun and games… We also had to prepare and present topics about our student life in London, future career goals and even daily routines and favorite places in London in front of around 400 NPU students. Apart from this, we also arranged a focus group to gather information and compare study and learning methods in London and Xi’an. For instance, I learned from students at the NPU in Xi’an, all their lectures are compulsory, they are required to do extra-hours in activities that benefit them such as sports or volunteering work and they still have parents evening or calls while in university.
In our final days, we were also taken to touristic places in Xi’an such as the Terracotta Army, Muslim street market, “The Song of Everlasting Sorrow” performance (in Chinese) and cycling around the ancient city wall. We were also taken to the city centre by the NPU volunteers and had a great time eating, drinking cocktails and conversing with them. We even celebrated a small birthday party with the students at our accommodation!
The majority of the population in China are not able to communicate in English, yet the NPU students were able to communicate in English and helped us converse with other people and even understanding their shows by translating them for us. During our journey from London to Xi’an and return we also counted with the help of Chelsea, our foster mother who also works in QM, and who guided, taught and looked after us during our stay.
I probably gained one or two kilograms during my stay in Xi’an. But trust me, it was completely worth it. The food in Chinatown in London or other Chinese restaurants are nothing compared to real Chinese food. There are countless types of dishes apart from the typical fried rice and basic noodles.
You don’t like to be the centre of attention? I recommend you getting used to it as you may be the main tourist attraction. To me, during this experience, I felt like a celebrity as my group and I were asked to take photos with Chinese people that we did not know, and even taken photos without our consent. This is because locals are not used to seeing Westerners so if you find people that stare at you or even take photos of you simply smile or take a photo of them back! Just don’t take it personal as most people are just curious.
China requires visitors from most countries to have an entry visa. I recommend having your visa application sorted at least one month in advance from one of the many Chinese Visa application service centres.
1. There are not any Pandas in Xi’an.
2. The NPU campus is about 10 times the size of the QMUL campus…
3. The NPU students are some of the nicest people I will probably ever met.
4. If I ever want to feel famous, I should just live in China.
5. VPN is “illegal” but still very useful to use social media and communicate with your family and friends. Otherwise, WeChat or QQ are other great apps which I still use to talk to my NPU friends.
6. Higher portions of food in China compared to the UK food portions…
7. China is about twice or more the size of Europe and it takes more than half a year to walk the Great Wall of China!
8. Xi’an is the capital of the Shaanxi Province and the oldest of the Great Ancient capitals which held the position under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history.
9. I am a tiger according to the Chinese calendar.
10. Chinese culture and language is very interesting and worth learning.
I would like to thank all the staff members and organisers that made this wonderful trip possible. Specially Maria Romero-Gonzalez, Chelsea Zhang-Anegbeh, Folashade Akinmolayan, Gabriel and Professor Li who instructed us and gave us this unique opportunity in Xi'an.
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