April 2, 2013, by Mark

Encore – Study China 2013

Many months ago I posted Finale, the concluding post in a series about my experiences whilst studying abroad in the United States. Knowing I frequently get itchy feet for foreign shores however, I had an inkling that I might not be posting here for the final time. So, without further ado, I wish to welcome you back to a short series of posts where I will be sharing my latest exploits and experiences in, wait for it…The People’s Republic of China.

Having applied unsuccessfully last year, I reapplied successfully this year to the funded Study China Programme, managed by the University of Manchester. I will be undertaking a three-week intensive programme at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou that will consist of Mandarin and academic classes coupled with numerous cultural visits and experiences along the way. On top of this I will be embarking on some brief travels of my own, separate from the programme in my free time. So let us begin…

Leaving behind the blizzard that was London Heathrow, my first flight took me into the heart of Holland, Amsterdam. Here I caught a connecting long haul flight that would take me directly to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. The flight was far from pleasant due to a failure with the aircraft’s water systems; I’ll leave you to imagine the state of the restrooms. Moving swiftly on, I am now in the People’s Republic of China! Due to severe jet lag and man flu I am going to conclude the post here for now but there will be much more to come so stay tuned! I am aiming to post every two days, but this may vary slightly due to the intensity of the itinerary I have been given and the somewhat sporadic nature of the Wi-Fi available here in China!

 

– Mark J Richardson

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