The Daily Life of an International Student

Monday-Friday

5:00-6:00am – Rise and shine!

5:30-7:00am – Preparation for the day

7:00-7:30am – Breakfast
Sometimes I eat some oatmeal or fruit in my room.
Other times I grab a crepe and egg from the cafeteria.
Occasionally, I go to my favorite little shop near the “No. 13” elevated urban train station for a delicious breakfast crepe, called a "jian bing." They cook it up right there in front of you on a hot stone-skillet with fresh batter, an egg, fresh green onions and spices and then put it in a bag and hand it to you. It’s great! Steaming and ready to eat! Mmmm! Have them add the hot sauce…and it’s to die for!

7:45am – Head to class
I walk across campus to the teaching building where my class is held. Then, up to the 4th floor and on to room 403.

8:00-10:00am – General Chinese Class
My class is quite an international occasion everyday as the group of us, 18 foreigners in all, struggle to master the Chinese language. We have patient teachers, who listen to us as we mispronounce words and slaughter the Chinese language, and we also have to be patient with each other, as we learn to understand Chinese spoken in a wide variety of foreign accents.

Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mauritania, Panama, Sweden, Turkey, and the USA are the places my classmates come from to learn Chinese. Some come to learn Chinese for business, teaching purposes, cultural exchange, college/university requirements, and other personal reasons. However, we are all here together, and we are all having a great time learning about Chinese and each other as we study and learn about life and culture in this remarkable land.

Every hour we have a 5-10 minute break. I usually get up, stretch, stop by the washroom, or talk with classmates in the hall. Sometimes I will stand out in the hall and talk. Other times, I return to the class and talk with people or study as I wait for the next hour to begin.

Every third or fourth day of class, we have a test. We are to prepare to write about 40-45 Chinese characters, our vocabulary lists. We all come, with varying levels of preparation, and after our teacher dictates each character or phrase, we diligently write the characters (at least the ones we remember). This is an interesting exercise in patience and endurance for us in the class, as some of us are coming in with little to no character writing ability. Thankfully, I am coming with some knowledge of characters and the proper way to write them. However, many nights, my time will be consumed with looking up the proper stroke order for writing the characters and practicing them several times before I have committed them to memory. This class is really going to stretch me and force me to use Chinese, which is exactly what I need at this point in my language acquisition.

10:00am-12noon – Focused Language Abilities Classes
Tuesday and Thursday – Spoken Chinese Proficiency
Wednesday and Friday – Chinese Listening Skills

12:00noon – Lunch
Usually, I will eat in one of the dining halls.
Sometimes, I will meet up with Chinese or international friends.

Afternoon
Sometimes I will take a nap, if I have time.
Studying or taking care of daily life and tasks typically consumes a lot of my time.
Exercise is supposed to be on the schedule here (or in the morning), but I’ve gotten out of my regular routine. I hope to resume it soon…sigh…

Evening
Dinner – either in the cafeteria, a small restaurant, or in my room
Study or interacting with my new friends is something I would like to do more.
Getting on the web for an hour or two for correspondence is vital for keeping in touch with family and friends.

9:00-10:00pm – Prepare for the next day, get ready for bed
Usually, I try to go to bed around 9:00-10:00pm; however, recently, I was not able to get much sleep. There is some type of construction project across the little road in front of my dorm. Last week, it was difficult for me to sleep, as the noise of heavy equipment and incessant hammering and clamoring came blaring through my window early in the morning and late into the night. (The work hours here in Beijing, at least for some construction projects, appear to be much longer than in the States. These workers really have a very demanding work schedule. I am learning to be grateful that I am able to keep the hours that I do. They must work long hours in order to put food on the table. So, I may lose a few hours of sleep, but at least those workers can work and eat. Before I know it, I’ll be used to the noise coming in my window.)

As I think about each passing day, I am constantly reminded of all the lessons I am learning, not only about new cultures, but also about myself and my own culture. Not only am I learning to appreciate the Chinese culture and the cultures of other international students; I am also learning to appreciate my own culture and the people who know me best.

Tomorrow is a new day! I am again eager to see what I shall learn as I continue in this new life as an international student!