Tom Scrope is a student at Oxford University, who spent one month with BTGC in April/May 2013, as part of his Gap Year. Before this, he was at school at Ampleforth College, in Yorkshire, UK. He is interested in politics, and reads Theology and Philosophy at university.
Why did you decide to do a 1-month gap year program in China with Bridging the Gap China?
I really wanted to do something productive with my gap year, and have something to show for it at the end, rather than just slouch around, spending money on travelling (which I did do for a bit as well).
Also, because the course combines both tutoring and travelling, it didn’t just feel like going back to school. Having the tutor as your guide essentially means you are practicing your Chinese all the time – whether ordering lunch, or in a bar – without even really realising it.
Coming back and starting to apply for internships and jobs, it has been so useful as something to make me stand out from the crowd. Everyone has pretty generic exam results, but organising off your own back to go and learn such a useful skill in your year off, really does look fantastic to any prospective employer.
It also gives you something interesting to talk about in your interviews – I think that was one of the reasons my Oxford interviews went well: I had something other than just work or sports teams to talk about.
What was the most memorable moment of the experience?
My favourite place was definitely Shaxi, a most amazing Silk Road town, in the middle of nowhere. It was the one time where I really felt I was seeing the old China – without all the reconstructed history from after the Cultural Revolution.
Other highlights probably included the snaking road up the side of the Jade Dragon Mountain, just about Li Jiang I think. It really matched any of the roads one sees on Top Gear, and to cycle down it was incredible.
Then riding wild horses on the top of the mountain – no saddle, just some rugs – was pretty special too.
Another great moment was in our Chinese cookery course. Having still not quite got to grips with chopsticks (another useful skill we learned), we decided to have a competition to try and flick up food with the chopstick into our mouths. Cue much hilarity as Fergus and I failed again and again, before Jimmy, one of our guides, went and did it in one!
If you could go back and do something differently, what would it be?
Maybe go with more people. While having just a few meant we essentially got private tutoring, it would have been great to be with a good bunch of people.
Also, if I had time, I would have liked to do 2 months, as 1 month is not really enough to get more than an introduction into Chinese.
Tell us about one person you met.
Cellan, our erstwhile guide and tutor, was probably the main reason for the success of the trip. In terms of the actual teaching he was brilliant, taking us from scratch to a reasonably high standard in just a month.
However, we never felt really like we were working at school: on non-travel days we would probably only spend 3 hours in a classroom, and most of the rest of the teaching would occur out-and-about.
This was so much more useful, as it meant the first Chinese we learnt was not just learning declensions but how to actually order food and drink, or how to introduce oneself.
However, it was not all work. Cellan was a great lad, and we went out to a bar with him and Jimmy most evenings. He introduced us to some of the hidden gems of Chinese food, which we definitely would not have gone for without his encouragement.
Even better was that he was totally flexible to what we wanted to do. For example, at the top of the snow mountain, when we asked if we could go horse riding, he found some locals who were willing to give us a ride on their horses.
Both Jimmy and Mark were seriously good fun as well – Jimmy teaching us some of the more ‘practical’ Chinese, for example, and Mark getting us along to play with him in the local expat football team.
There was never a dull moment throughout my trip!
Any tips for students considering this program?
Don’t be worried about the locals: they are all absolutely lovely and really want to help. Compared to some others (eg. In Vietnam) you also don’t feel they are always trying to rip you off as well.
Don’t pack too much stuff as there is quite a lot of moving between places. Sturdy trainers would probably be a good idea as well!
Any Chinese you can learn before will be a help, as the they can really work around your ability: I had done a course in London for about a month and this made it all much easier.
Main advice is definitely do it.
