Zhuhai - Hamline Bilateral Exchange United International College Past Review

By Emily T (East Asian Studies/Anthropology, Hamline University) for

United International College( UIC): Zhuhai - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I am very glad I was able to go to Zhuhai because it really opened my eyes to a lot of new things about the world that I think only living in China one can see. It was not always easy and the vast differences culturally were somewhat of a struggle. But overall I am so glad I went and I recommend it to anyone who has an open mind and is adventurous. I think looking back at it now, I still cannot believe what I was able to get used to and how different life is 8,000 miles away from Minnesota.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here:	Hong Kong Baptist University, Beijing Normal University
The term and year this program took place:	Fall 2009

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Since the school was an English immersion school for non-native speakers the classes were quite simple. But despite the simplicity of the classes, the teachers were fantastic and were highly knowledgable. The school is new so it's working out a lot of problems.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The IDO office in Zhuhai was helpful but slow. Many times things would not get done due to complications that were unexpected. A lot of the time the people were easy to get in contact with but answers were rarely direct.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I lived in a 2-person dorm with a student from Macau. We were on the 2nd floor of the 3rd block. <br /><br /> My housing was the least enjoyable aspect of living at UIC. I was in an older building and many times had problems with the bathroom (in the room) or getting online. My roommate and I had trouble interacting as she spoke Cantonese and would go home on the weekends. Overall, I was dissapointed with the dorm and wished I had been moved to the 8th block (where most of the girls lived on campus) or had been better prepared.
* Food:	Even though there was a language barrier, the food at the Cafeteria was really good and super cheap! It wasn't too far of a walk from the SHCV and overall I was impressed at the selection.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I had to do a lot independently which was enjoyable but we had lots of oppertunities to check out the sites around Zhuhai. I really enjoyed the weekends I would visit Hong Kong or Macau. Zhuhai has a lot of fun neighbourhoods to walk around in and I really enjoyed taking the bus to see new things.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	Zhuhai is a very safe city and relatively "small" for China.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$50-$75
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Paying for internet/electricity/water was the most expensive expense that I had not accounted for.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Beginner
Language acquisition improvement?	It was difficult to use Mandarin in Zhuhai as it was in Guangdong province and many of the local people spoke Cantonese. But I was able to use Mandarin when interacting with other Chinese students from other provinces.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	It is a fun school but it has a lot of issues to work out still being in exsistence for only 4 or 5 years. The Chinese are some of the most hospitible people you'll ever meet. Zhuhai is a good place to go to figure yourself out because many things you have as an American are non-existent in China (freedom/open politics)