James Crummey - Experience China, Huangshi, China

Experience China 2024

"A fortnight Jam Packed with Deep History and Culture, New and Unique Experiences, Great People and Priceless Memories"

Memorable Moments

The whole trip in itself was full of memorable moments for me. Getting to meet the Chinese Students at Hubei Normal University, trying traditional Chinese arts and Martial Arts (Rather Clumsily) and getting to experience the Chinese food and Urban Landscapes were all to me very memorable.

What stuck with me the most was probably visiting the Forbidden Palace, Tianamen Square and the Great Wall. The sheer scale, age and magnitude of these places really surprised me.

Learning about a different culture

The culture was certainly different to ours in ways. Some of the differences I noticed was in the food and mealtime culture. In China, we ate buffet style and sat at a large circular table and shared dishes. I felt this to be a lot more personal and pleasant an experience than the conventional, "eat your own meal on the sofa" style we Europeans tend to adopt at home.

What also surprised me was there was barely any drinking culture in China. Chinese people prefer to go out and have a dinner to celebrate instead of going out for drinks in a bar. Bars still exist there but it's not as much of a commonplace as in NI.

The last thing that surprised me a little was that smoking indoors was legal and common. When I was enjoying an evening with other students in a Billiards Hall, there was smokers everywhere. It felt like a 60's New York Mafia movie but i must admit it looked cool.

Overall though I believe we have a lot more in common than in difference. Both cultures are very tech savvy and enjoy getting to know the other, there was a common interest in Pokémon for example and other Nintendo themed stuff and both cultures really enjoyed trying out foods and snacks from the other culture. They gave me Sachima to try, I gave them Jam Wagon Wheels and Biscoff.

Challenges and how to deal with them

The language barrier was the biggest challenge for us all, especially in the evening when we had some free time to go to the malls. Chinese people in cities outside of Beijing have little reason to know English so this made buying stuff quite complicated. Luckily a few of the students always kept the translator app handy and from time to time we were accompanied by a few Chinese volunteer students which gladly helped us out.

The second challenge for us was getting the correct SIM cards, Mobile data and WeChat to work. Some students had been blocked by WeChat before we even arrived and it made communication a challenge when we were going our own ways. Thankfully there was just enough students on hand which had access to Data where we managed. Weixin Pay (WeChat pay) is massively important when you're there so I'd ensure you get it correctly setup if you're planning to go, but don't worry, there will be pre departure classes to help you with this.

Making friends while abroad

The group I was with was an excellent group of people and it only took a few days of the trip before we all started to intermesh. Making friends was easy enough, I'd say mostly because we were spending every minute of every day together, so we saw each other loads.

In terms of the Chinese Students in Hubei. I found them energetic, super friendly, helpful and very pleasant to be around. They were curious about where we were from, what we studied, what Europe was like and some even showed great interest in visiting and living in Europe themselves in the future.

All in all, if you're planning to do this. Don't worry, this will all fall in place.

Travelling and sightseeing

Week 1: Hubei Normal University Classes, Welcome Session, Meeting the Hubei University 'Goglobal' team, Meeting the Students, Martial Arts session, Mandarin Sessions, Buffet style dinner every evening, Mall every night, Chinese Cave trip, Huangshi Embroidery, Jing Distillery and Cement Factory tours.

Start of Week 2: Wuhan City, Traditional Buddhist Temple, Wuhan Bridge Tour, Yellow Crane Tower.End of Week 2: Forbidden City, Great Wall of China, Markets, Silk Market, Temple of Heaven, Tianamen Square, Summer Palace and many more places.

Honestly there are so many wonderful things you can experience while away. It is difficult to even list the Top things to do. Definitely trying the supermarket Snacks and Boba Tea would be up there.

Advice to others

Visiting and studying abroad is a bit like learning to swim. If you've never done it before, you think of the worst and fear can stop you in your tracks but, once you're used to it, it becomes second nature.

If you're thinking about going abroad but feel unsure or afraid, my advice is to just go for it! You have everything to gain and nothing to lose, and I can guarantee it will absolutely grow you as a person and open your eyes to what life has to offer. If you pass on the opportunities that come across you, you may never have it again. Bravery isn't never feeling afraid, but instead acting even though you are afraid. So go for it.