3 months in Beijing
Ratings
Review
Going to China has always been something I wanted to do. Taking a gap year finally meant I was able to do this. Looking online for the right program so I could stay in China, I ended up with Wanderlust Exhange.
After arriving in my host family, the beginning was quite tough for me. However, the family has been very kind and gave me the time to get used to everything here. After a few days it went better and better.
Connecting with the hostchild was maybe the most challenging part of my experience. After a few weeks our relationship improved: the child was open to learn more English besides just playing with me.
Over the weekends I would join the family in their activities (having lunch outdoors, going to a park, visiting the grandparents, going to a park etc.) and during weekdays I'd have time to see more of the city and attend my Chinese classes.
Besides seeing more of the country and learning a little bit of the language, I also learned more about tutoring a child and finding ways to make learning more fun.
So I would say this program is a chance to experience the best of both worlds and I would recommend this program to anyone who's up for a (learning) adventure!
There are only two things I'd like to point out.
First of all, going to Shanghai first for the orientation (and then to Beijing) was not ideal for me. With my luggage and excitement/nervousness at the beginning of the program, I think my first days in China would have been less stressful if I didn't have to go through all the fuss of going to from and to the airport etc.
Moreover, when I was picked up at the airport I accepted to wait for another au pair who would arrive soon. Since there was only one person to pick us up, I simply couldn't say 'no, I want to head to the hotel straigt away'. This eventually meant arriving at the hotel a lot later than I had hoped.
All in all, I enjoyed my time in Beijing a lot and never felt like the organization was not checking up with me or anything. The things I mentioned are just my experience and I hope it might be helpful for you.