Hugh Maclachlan

The University of Melbourne, Australia
Exchange to Tsinghua University, China

Having learnt Chinese since high school, as well as for two and a half years at university, going to China was something I had always planned to do in order to significantly improve my language. Coming to the end of second year, I decided it was crunch time and upon the advice of my course co-ordinator, applied for an exchange at Tsinghua University in Beijing. In the months leading up to my exchange, I had no idea what to expect from my experience, and had the usual worries of wondering whether I’d make friends, have fun and of course, actually learn anything. I had been looking at my time in China as something I had to do for my language, and was not even convinced myself that I really wanted to spend six months in such a foreign country. Comfortably back home now, I can honestly say that it was one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my life, in every sense.

After spending a couple of days looking around the city of Beijing by myself, I arrived at the Tsinghua campus a few days into my trip. I was fast coming to the conclusion that nothing in China ever went according to plan, facing more small challenges on my first day on campus than I had bargained for. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, in dealing with these relatively tiny hurdles, I met a couple of people who would become two of my closest friends by the time I left China. Within a week I had met several friends, had started my language course and everything seemed to be going according to plan, whatever that was.

All the universities in Beijing are grouped in one district. Combined with the fact that I was attending China’s largest university, meeting people was very easy. Foreign students are housed separately to Chinese students, which is both a positive and a negative, but I immediately felt part of a large and friendly network of young foreigners living in Beijing, with the common goal of learning Mandarin and understanding China. I had never experienced being around so many people who were as interested in learning Chinese as myself, not to mention interested in having a good time. Beijing has an extensive range of delicious and cheap restaurants, bars, karaoke lounges and clubs and it must be said that as a foreigner, it is a very fun place.

In my language course, I met people from all over the world, including Asia, North and South America, Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and of course, Australia. The Japanese guy I sat next to spoke no English, so as the semester went on, we were able to talk more and more in the Chinese we were so quickly learning. Learning a foreign language with people of other nationalities is an amazing experience, and an opportunity which would otherwise rarely present itself. At the start of semester, I would not have believed that I would leave China with close friends with whom, in the beginning, I could barely communicate. When I first arrived I had very little confidence in my spoken Chinese, and by the end I was using it every day talking to friends, teachers and locals. The satisfaction this gave me is indescribable, and this is something which can only be achieved if you go and study in the country of your chosen language.

Looking back on my six months in China, I feel very happy and slightly nostalgic. Remembering the busy streets, the amazing food, the cheap prices and the fantastic people I met leaves me with the feeling that I want to return very soon. Skiing on a mountain covered entirely in fake snow, flying to Shanghai just for the weekend, or spending a secluded night in a tiny, ancient village in the mountains are opportunities that were only possible because I went on exchange. My time in China was unforgettable and I urge everyone going to China, and Asia in general, to throw themselves into the experience and enjoy every moment.

© Copyright 2018 CK Group. All rights reserved.