Beijing Language and Culture University Q&A (2014): Olga Razumovskaya

Olga Razumovskaya

Hello all and thanks for joining us in the first of a new 2014 series of BLCU question and answer (Q&A) sessions. This one is with Olga Razumovskaya, a Russian student currently studying Chinese at the Beijing Language and Culture University. Many thanks to Olga for agreeing to answer the questions below for the benefit of all our readers.

If you would like to appear in this year's BLCU Q&A series (2014), please get in touch with us at theblcublog@gmail.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also find all the other BLCU Q&A sessions here. Now, let's take a look at what Olga had to share.

Briefly, why did you decide to study at BLCU?

Well, my previous education is closely connected with English, but after I started working I realised that knowing only one foreign language isn't enough. As China nowadays is one of the fastest growing economies, and because of close Russian-Chinese business relations, I decided that it could be useful to know Chinese.

When I'd just started learning Chinese in Russia I already knew that I'd have to go to China to study the language there. My first teacher advised me to go to Wuhan, where she used to study. Compared to Beijing it is much cheaper and offers much more language practice, but as I was going to have to travel alone and my Chinese speaking was far from survival level, I decided to study in Beijing instead.

Another advantage of studying here is the dialect. Even though the Beijing dialect is hard to understand, it's closer to Putonghua (standard Mandarin). As for BLCU, I chose the university because it has a long history of specialising in teaching Chinese to foreigners. Also, it has the best teachers and materials: for example, when I was learning Chinese in Russia we were using books published by BLCU press. I also read a lot of very good feedback about the university.

See also: 7 Study Tips For Success At BLCU and Learning Chinese From The Locals At BLCU

What course did you join?

I'm studying on the non-degree one year course. 

What did you do to prepare for BLCU?

As I had to work and didn't have much time to prepare all the papers, I just applied through an agency that did everything for me. I brought my university diploma and passport. The agency also did Chinese visa for me.

Had you been to China before? How did this affect your impressions of BLCU when you arrived?

I hadn't been to China before, but the BLCU campus is not China. Real China starts outside the campus! Actually, it starts outside the Wudaokou area.

See also: An Introduction To Life At BLCU

Did you find it easy to organise everything (accommodation, registration, getting there, etc.)?

Regarding accommodation, I'd heard some people had trouble booking it. But if you make a small pre-payment it almost guarantees that you'll have your room, though it's really hard to get a single room. As the agency in Russia helped me, they were the ones that booked my room -- something like three months in advance, so I had no problem with that.

See also: How To Book Accommodation At BLCU

How is the mix of nationalities and ages among the foreign students there?

Well, the average age is 20-23 years old. Of course there are some younger and older. There are a lot of Koreans, Thais, Americans and Canadians, but most I think are Russian-speakers from places like Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Of course there are also a lot of Europeans. I also met some people from countries I didn't even know, like New Caledonia and the St. Denis Islands.

Where are you living and how are you finding it?

I live in a single room in Dorm 17. It's great but a little expensive -- around 120RMB per night. The price is about the same as renting a room in an apartment, but I live closer to uni and don't have to deal with paying utilities. It's also safer. I don't have to share a bathroom with other people and it's more fun to live in a dorm.

See also: Dorm 17 (International Student House), BLCU and our Accommodation tagged posts

What sort of budget are you living on at BLCU and is it enough?

Generally it's about 1000RMB a week. During the week I usually spend like 50-70RMB a day (sometimes less, sometimes more). On weekends it's usually more, like if go out in the Wudaokou area, and especially if I go somewhere like Sunlitun.

What great places to eat have you discovered so far?

There is a very authentic Chinese restaurant right behind Dorm 17. It's called 第三食堂. I guess I've seen foreigners there only like 2-3 times. The dishes are very big and the prices are pretty low (about 20-26RMB for a half-kilo of dumplings).

Also, in front of the Chaoshifa (supermarket) next to McDonald's there is a very good noodles place, called something like Western Mahua. I like the Shanxi-style noodles there but don't remember the exact price; something around 20RMB.

On that Chaoshifa corner next to KFC there is a really nice Japanese restaurant (unfortunately I don't know the name). It's not easy to find. A friend of mine showed it to me. There is a drug store in the corner and next to it a small clothing store. Next to that is a dark wooden door, which is the restaurant entrance. The restaurant itself is on the second floor. The food there is good, prices are also not high and usually they have special offers for sushi and rolls (50% off).

See also: 5 Restaurants Near BLCU You Might Not Know About and all our Food tagged posts

What is your advice to people looking to apply to study at BLCU?

I don't really know apart from that early on I needed a little more money than I had expected. This is for things like medical checks, visa extensions, Internet modems, and so on.

See also: Medical Examination At BLCU

How has the culture shock/adjustment been? Any surprises?

The first days were pretty busy so I didn't actually realise that I was even abroad. I think I had culture shock the first time I went to Beijing Zoo: crowds of people, people eating everywhere, and everyone was taking pictures of me (it's kind of annoying).

See also: A Typical Day At BLCU

Do you agree with the weather there?

I kind of like the Beijing weather (if only there was no air pollution -- it's just terrible). It's mostly sunny here, but pretty dry. Everyone was telling me that winter was going to be very cold, but it wasn't that bad actually (generally around 0 degrees Celsius). Of course, it depends on where are you from. My Brazilian friends were freezing and literally hardly survived through the winter!

See also: BLCU Social #1: Beijing Weather

In what ways did you find the BLCU Blog useful in preparing for your trip?

It was very useful. It had answers to not only questions I had, but also to ones I'd never thought about. What I really appreciate is that you write based on your own experience, not just general things that you can find everywhere. You include useful things about daily life.

One last thing...

Access blocked websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and more from BLCU and China with PureVPN!

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