Travel Scrapbook

Kunming 2003

Mandarin Immersion Course
By Amy Louise Orgill

29 April 2005
Enjoyable 3 weeks

Overall, we had an enjoyable and educational 3 weeks, and it gave me a chance to gain independence and make many new friendships.

I hope someday to return to Kunming and enjoy the experience once again.

29 April 2005
Mandarin language lessons

After breakfast, we attended our Mandarin language lessons with our native teacher – it was tough at first but we learned so much in so little time.

Having completed the tasks from our lessons, we went on numerous cultural visits – highlights of the trip were going to the Golden Arches of Kunming, the Flower and Bird Market and the Expo Garden – a park with huge open spaces and cultural exhibits.

Also, we got the opportunity to attend cultural classes in Chinese cooking, painting and calligraphy.

However, in the evenings we were given the chance to do our own activities such as swimming, bowling and lots of shopping – there are so many bargains to be had in China! We also dined out in traditional restaurants, to experience some of the high-class China cuisine.

29 April 2005
Cars, taxis and minibuses

The cars, taxis and minibuses shot passed, but as we shortly realised, by far the most common form of transport in China is the bike. We were driven in an old minibus through the dusty streets and shortly arrived at our accommodation – a university in the centre of Kunming.

The rooms were spacious and the people kindly showed us around the campus, which gave us our first opportunity to use our Mandarin language skills.

I was surprised about how large the campus was, and how many parks and trees there were amongst the buildings. I saw many people congregating in one of the parks, ready to do their normal Tai-Chi exercises.

The next day we experienced our first Kunming breakfast, which brought about the first major culture shock of the trip – watery-rice and dumplings seemed strange to us, but the locals seemed to love it.

We continued to try all the local delicacies and some dishes like ‘Cross Bridge Noodles’ were a pleasant surprise! The chopsticks were a slight hurdle to get over, but we soon saw it as a challenge.

29 April 2005
Spring 2003

By Spring 2003, the excitement about going to China in late July was at its peak. Most of the preparation had been done, which left time to contemplate how we were about to embark on an amazing 3 weeks. How many people can say that they’ve been to China at the age of 14?

After many months of anticipation, we finally arrived at Heathrow airport, and after stopping at Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Thailand, we arrived in Kunming, a town in the Yunnan Province of China.

The first difference I noticed was the weather – the heat was so oppressive and it was so humid which made it hard to breathe. The sight of the dusty and bustling streets brought back all the memories of being in Beijing the year before.