zaterdag 30 juli 2011

Introduction

Hey all!


First blog post that I have ever written in my life here. This blog is going to be about my life and adventures during my stay in China. I will be going on an exchange to Peking (Beijing) University and I will be staying in China from the 3rd of August till the 15th of January. 
So what do I hope to learn from my exchange? Of course I will learn some new things from attending lectures at the university, but why go to a far country if that was my only goal? No, I hope to learn more about the Chinese language and culture.


But, let me introduce myself first. My name is We Fong (伟峰) and I am a Dutch-born Chinese. Being raised in the Netherlands means that my mind is more similar to a westerner than that of a Chinese one. When I was younger I wasn't interested in my origins at all, I found it even annoying; I looked different, I was treated different by other people of my age, I had to learn another language and more. I liked Japan more: anime, manga, crazy people on tv, "what more do you want?" was my thought back then. My interest in China only began a small 4 years ago due to my 'discovery' of Chinese pop music. From that point on I read more and more about the history, culture and media and my interest began to grow, but I would also say that maturing also contributed to this.


I am 20 years 'young' and just finished my second year of my bachelor in Economics at Tilburg University. Studying there for two years sparked my curiosity in China even more, as almost half of all the students in my program are Chinese students that came to Tilburg to study. I asked them many questions regarding how life is in China and how their way of thinking is. I think this opened up my mind that not everyone thinks the same as people do here and that I should be open-minded for that.
Ever since my divulgence in China, going on an exchange to China has always been one of my goals. If you want to know more about a country, what way is better than going to live and study there for a longer period of time. I think my exchange to China, even though it is just for half a year, will be an important part of my life and an eye-opening experience.


So why am I blogging? Well, there are multiple reasons. Writing this blog can help some people considering going on exchange to China or that are just interested in China. It would be nice is this blog can help people making decisions regarding going to China or not. Another reason is that I can regard this as some kind of personal diary, which is nice for in the future to look back at. And let us not forget the financial compensation that I receive from my University to write a blog, which is never bad.


I hope you will enjoy reading and following me experiencing China first-hand. If you have any questions, comment below or send me an e-mail.   :)


We Fong