I'm from Canada. I'm studying engineering in the US and have finished my second year. I've been in Beijing. I got put in a 3 bedroom apartment with two other locals who were a year or two older than I am. I have my own bedroom space and it's bigger than my dorm room. I live 2 min away from the bus stop to my office so it's very convenient. It takes me 40-50min to get to work.
My Chinese roommates are very nice people and we get along well. They don't speak much English but my Chinese is decent enough to get simple ideas across. We've never had a really long conversation about anything though. I also teach them English in the evenings.
I had Chinese language classes for 4hrs every Saturday and most Sundays. I know Cantonese and a lot of the words are similar so basically, it's like learning how to say words and commonly used phrases/conjunctions.
However, suppose you have no prior knowledge at all. In that case, the Chinese language is ridiculously difficult to learn so in my opinion, anything short of 1.5 hours a day is too little to get even a grasp of the language. That's if you want to have a conversation instead of just responding to and asking simple questions. The Chinese classes with GoAbroadChina would probably get you to simple questions/responses. That's the language's fault, though. The teacher was nice and easy to talk with and knew English but wasn't fluent.
I study mechanical engineering and requested some related company. I have never had a job/internship before and I had no clue what engineering consulting was so I didn’t really have any expectations. I ended up at SgurrEnergy, a company based in the UK with offices in Scotland, Beijing, Canada, and very recently, the US. They handle lots of reports reviews and site visits related to renewable energy projects literally worldwide. China's largest resource is wind energy so I was dealing with mostly Wind energy. I've been assigned to do things that actually mattered so I was enjoying it.The GoAbroadChina coordinator was ridiculously helpful and reliable. Absolutely no concern here.
Witnessing a Tea Ceremony: The precision and grace of a traditional tea ceremony blew me away. It wasn’t just about drinking tea; it was an art form I didn’t expect to appreciate so much.
Ready to turn a gap year into a life-changing adventure? With GoAbroadChina, you’ll gain more than memories—you’ll gain confidence, clarity, and career-ready skills. Explore the world while preparing for what’s next. This isn’t just time off; it’s time invested in YOU.