Highlights: My semester in Beijing was very enjoyable but also surprisingly busy, with maybe even less free time than I had at university. I've learnt a lot of Chinese and met people from all over the world. I would go back to Beijing but now that I've learnt some Chinese I would try to interact more with locals, particularly with those who don't speak (much) English, to help further my Mandarin and learn more about Chinese culture.
Morning: The first thing I noticed about Beijing was just how big it felt - there is a surprising amount of open space, many of the roads are 6-8 lanes wide and it's at least a 10 minute walk between blocks. This means that you'll probably need a bicycle to get around (thankfully CSA helped me to buy one before the school term started).
It's a typical school day in the Autumn Semester at Tsinghua University. Since I have afternoon classes, I can get up at around 8:30 to get ready before cycling to the CSA office in Wudaokou to meet my tutor. Driving on the streets of Beijing can best be described as 'creative', using the traffic lights as mere suggestions. However, I got the feel of it very quickly and there are separate cycle lanes on most of the roads so it's not really that dangerous. On route to the office I stop to buy a breakfast wrap from a street vendor - it's a bit like a Chinese style savory pancake and you can choose from the various fillings. It's a lot more appetizing than the stinky tofu on sale in the area...During my private tutoring from 10:00 to 12:00, we review previous lessons, preview the lessons that will be covered in class later, and spend the rest of the time just talking in Mandarin.
Afternoon: For lunch I go to one of the many Western cafés in Wudaokou. Then I brave the weather to cycle to the north-eastern part of Tsinghua for classes. The weather in Beijing is typically very dry, but it does get cold and windy with the occasional sandstorm in the winter. I have two classes each day (13:00-14:40 and 15:00-16:40), with a short break mid-class as well as the longer break between classes, where I go to the supermarket in the basement to buy some snacks. After class a few of my classmates and I go together to one of Tsinghua's many (Chinese) cafeterias, and I have a chicken dish, some dumplings and some mantou (Chinese steamed bread) as an early dinner. Then it's my final short cycle-ride of the day back to my apartment to try to get my homework done - it typically takes an hour or two to do properly and consolidate the work from classes.
Evening: After enough studying, I head out back to Wudaokou to meet other CSA students and enjoy the rest of the evening. Since it's a Wednesday, there's a pub quiz at the 24-hour bar-restaurant on the corner where we head first, while having a few drinks and pub food. After the quiz (which we fail to do well enough to win any prizes), we have a couple more drinks before heading to one of the local clubs. There is a very international feel to these clubs since there is really nothing Chinese about them except for the people inside. That, and you are allowed to smoke inside. By around 2am it's starting to quiet down so we call it a night, but not before getting some street food (imagine a barbecue with tasty meat skewers, set up in the open on the side of the road, with the smell being carried in the smoke of the open flames). Getting home by around 2:30, there's time for 6 hours of sleep before doing it all again tomorrow.