It’s been a few days since I blogged but what a hectic yet amazing week it’s been so far!

Beginning every morning, waking up for a very early start for Taiji class makes the experience of China more exhilarating. The early stretching and Kung Fu moves does bring us all to life after sleeping in very late and makes us all feel fresh and ready to start yet another fun thrilled day.

Paper Cutting on Monday was amazing, as the Chinese lady gave a short presentation of her works of art; having learnt the wonderful craft of paper cutting from an early age and now abecome an expert at this skill, her techniques have allowed her to widen her teaching skills to the UK and share her interests to many young enthusiasts which I personally thought was amazing; a simple idea of paper cutting had turned into an extravagant piece of artwork that looked so delicate with intricate shapes and designs. Her techniques of cutting were through the use of scissors, hand knife and all free-hand ripping. My first paper cutting experience may not have turned out so well as I cut through my first share of paper, however as I snapped away, I had come to liking the patterns that I had made.

One of the things I love is being able to go to see dance performances and musical works of art. Legend of Chinese Kung Fu was out of this world! I really had not expected anything quite like it- with people gliding through the air, and astounding sounds echoing through the small theatre of the drum beats and ancient Chinese music. As soon the lights turned down and the music began I knew that this would be a fantastic show... and it absolutely was. It really made my day. I felt like the Chinese culture, arts and music had come to life right before my eyes. The story of how a young boy was afraid to leave his mothers protection and step out of the normal way of life and live in peace and happiness, to become one of the great fighters. As he trained Kung Fu and Zen restlessly the little boy became a man and accomplished his goal to be a true warrior monk and finally becoming an Abbot, after having to face many great disasters through this journey- one of which was the death of his mother.

 Our next visit to Beijing 798 art zone was slightly different to what I had expected. The street was filled with converted factories that were now art galleries which consisted of white washed walls and one small painting of landscapes or animated characters.  Some of the galleries were more thrilling and meaningful to me than the others, but majority of the galleries I managed to visit were modern art which did not show a true traditional reflection to Chinese culture which I was expecting.

Mandarin lessons so far have been moving along VERY well. I’m slowly making use of the skills I have acquired from class into China streets. Most of them consist of ‘can I have chicken and no lettuce please,’ on the small egg pancake stall outside the uni campus. Our teachers are amazing as they make the class more entertaining. We began to learn a Chinese song that one of the teachers recommended, which we are to perform in the village and in Shanghai. Every time the song comes on, we bop our heads and sway to the beats.

Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.  

The first image that hit was the thousands of people standing under the sun! The heat was the highest I’ve felt since coming to China. All things aside, I looked around and saw some of the most amazing architecture. The intricate designs and colours of royal blue, deep green, gold and blood red that brushed the palaces. The palaces were all so beautiful and filled with thousands of year’s worth of history. The palace grounds reminded me of the Chinese movie settings which showed images of historical backgrounds. But this seemed so much more real. It had come to life. I fell in love with the buildings, the history behind the walls and designs. The garden was also lovely. It’s a shame time was short and we couldn’t admire the architecture more closely. But I felt privilege to be here today.

“He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man.”

Saturday morning...I know what; let us climb the Great Wall of China. Now that’s not something you hear yourself say every so often.

From the coach window we could see the first glimpse of the famous wall itself. Amongst the greenery and peaks and hills, the walls and entwining paths looked ancient but yet so natural in the landscape. Up close, the wall was a mixture of beauty and meaning. The thousands, even millions of people that had come to see the wall over years made the experience even more exciting for me.  In the blazing heat and thick air, climbing the steps up to the wall takes a lot of strength. Unfortunately due to the heat I didn’t reach the place I wanted to go, but the experience of climbing one The Great Wonders already made me feel so proud. The buzz of the other tourists embarking on a journey to the peaks of the wall, the children, women and elderly made me think- this has been one of the most amazing ventures so far. The amount of time and effort it took to build these paths amazed me more and more as I climbed each step.  After hours of walking steep slopes and taking a ridiculous amount of pictures, our journey moved towards the modern insight of China. As we all know it, the Birds Nest which hosted the 2008 World Olympics.

From visiting one of the most historical sites to date, to the world’s modern and utmost extravagant Olympic parks, my day was getting better and better. The feel of modern China came to life for me and I felt so privileged to be able to go inside and visit this famous stadium. The structure, the size, the people that made it what it is blew my mind. My expectations of the Birds Nest had exceeded beyond means. As this was my first experience in a stadium of this size, I felt like this was like another world- where teams from around the world come to shine and do their country proud. I made it the top floor of the stadium- the most beautiful view of the whole stadium was spectacular. This was how it was without the audience, If only I was there to witness the sheer joy of the people as the games commenced. But nonetheless, I enjoyed the tranquillity that the stadium brought with it that day. Outside, many tourists taking snapshots of the fellows as if we were celebrities; well for Asher, the ‘NBA’ star, his moment had come for media glory...Small children running up to him, even adults wanting a picture.

The day was not at rest yet. We all decided to go out, so off we went... to a bar. Well that’s what we thought until we ended up being driven beyond the Birds Nest and onto the motorway! But we finally made it to our changed destination, where Chinese girls were happily singing away to a mixture of Chinese and English songs, where we danced and sang along. Some of us then headed off to an amazing club thanks to Torez (one of the Chinese BC team). The atmosphere was great, and it made a good end to a great day out.

I will start my first blog in China with a short intro to my journey here.  So its Tuesday 20^th July and i have butterflies in my stomach, not because of going to China for six weeks but because i don’t want to be over my luggage limit of 20kg (which we later found out was 23kg). Everything was fine at the airport however. Meeting all 39 of the fellows really made the experience come to life and it felt amazing. It was very emotional to say my last goodbyes to my brother and mum at home, but even more emotional to see my dad leave at the airport.

 We headed off to Dubai airport which was not as lavish as others had made it out to be. First of all, it was empty, and secondly, it was like any other airport- designer shops and food isles. But the next step was the journey to Beijing. Now it felt real. The heat of Dubai had hit me so much that I was excited to feel the Chinese air. The flight took around 7 hours with Emirates and finally we made to Chinese ground; which we met by the sudden gush of warm air.

So were currently staying at Beijing Normal University which is the closest uni to the city centre and very close to the local Mc Donald’s (which is next door!)  I was extremely tired by this time from being awake for 24 hours and the heat draining me out, but I was enlightened by how clean the rooms were, not to mention en-suite bedroom with a double bed.

So Thursday morning, our first official day, tired and hot, we all went through some basics with the Beijing Normal University representatives helping with this scheme.  I think everyone was feeling slightly jet lagged, I know I was feeling so. But Suraya and I went along the streets making our way around some local shops and seeing small supermarkets and what they had to offer. Later on, we all met up with some Normal University students; May and Lucy. They were wonderful, they took me around the campus and also we talked about where we were from and studies. It was very nice learning something from another student who has lived and experienced China. I got a real insight to Chinese life and how it contrasts to mine in the UK. Some of the topics they mentioned were the education system, and how hard it is to get into a Chinese Uni, compared to that of the UK unis; how competitive it is to get top results and top jobs in a city like Beijing and Shanghai.

Today we learnt some Mandarin in classes where we were able to make up our own Chinese names. Keshi, which originally means ‘girl with beautiful hair’ translates to qiu mei shan and also qiu means small hill (the closest word to my surname; Chouhan). Learning Ping yin was interesting as I find it’s like looking at art you have never seen before and everyone interprets their own meaning of each symbol.  

Arriving at the British Embassy  hosted by the British Ambassador himself which was wonderful was very welcoming. Also, to see all the other representatives of the global companies and talk to them about my time so far in China and what my future plans hold. I learnt new things about other companies such as Arup which is a company specialising in engineering designs for buildings such as the Birds Nest. Listening to what the Ambassador had to say about China’s future was very interesting, and also why working in China created many opportunities for himself.

As its 10.25pm local time and I’m starving from only eating canapés at the Ambassadors house, I might quickly have to sneak into McDonalds and grab a bag of chips. Also, we have an early start as we must begin our venture up the Great Wall.

“He who has not been to the Great Wall is not yet a man.”

This is my first blog; it’s so exciting that I can share my experiences with everyone!

Last weekend was wonderful! The British Council and the GF team did an amazing job of organising the pre departure briefing and it was planned so well. Even the part when all 100 of us ate in a Turkish restaurant together; the food was lovely.

When I arrived at St.Pancras station on Saturday I was slightly nervous as I only met some of the other fellows on Facebook, but we were all in the same boat, and after meeting some people at the hotel, I felt much more relieved. The first day was filled with tasks such a learning Mandarin. Nĭ hăo , Nĭ hăo ma? wo jiào Keshi, hen gao xing rèn shi ni. Also learning how to say 1-100 and a few survival tips. I learnt how to use chopsticks which was slightly tricky but then I got used to it; the Smarties game was a good challenge, however, fortunately, our team managed this very well!

The following day was filled with other valuable tips; using the camera to take great pictures, how to edit the videos, and most importantly, interview techniques. In the evening, a few of us went to the River Thames at night, where the London Eye was beautifully lit up. A must see for all of those who have not yet managed to see a bit of London at night.

On Monday, some of the fellows went to KPMG in central London, where I learnt many valuable aspects of the world’s largest financial services company. I was amazed with how important KPMG put their commitment to values and ethics ahead of their any profit making motive, and how KPMGs’ views towards community service and hospitality is among some of their key values. This made me more aware of how this business has an important role to play in the world today in terms of sustainable growth, globalisation, climate change and also its part in the global recession. We were lucky to meet Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE, who shared with us his journey to KPMG and how keeping good relationships between people get you far in life. At the end of my visit to KPMG, I learnt a lot about the company and what they have to offer to countries and other businesses, but most importantly, I felt more eager to expand my knowledge of this world renowned organisation, and I am looking forward to seeing what KMGP in China has to offer.

My three days in London taught me a lot about different skills and techniques to use whilst in China, from camera use, to learning about a multinational company and also to meeting a wide range of people my age from various different backgrounds and regions. The journey ahead of me feels more and more real, so bring on China!