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 大家好!
让我告诉你我去中国学习汉
语、探索文化的故事吧。

About four years ago, I met someone who casually mentioned that they had spent a year in China learning Chinese. I was impressed. At the time, I was working at a bank, planning my career, and desperately trying to find my way within that sector. I wondered what sort of opportunities I would get if I chose to learn a language like that. I spent the next three years slowly getting to know Chinese grammar and some basic words. It is a tough one, and I was convinced that I would probably never really be able to master it. But to my surprise, I actually found joy in it. Every word, it seemed, told a story. This language was so different from all the ones I had learned so far; I became fascinated by it.

However, I also realized that even though I spent a lot of time trying to study Chinese, I wasn’t learning how to speak it. Something had to change: I had to go to China.

So I turned to the internet to figure out where to go. My goal? Get my money’s worth and find an interesting place to explore. The first time I heard about Omeida was in a YouTube video, which was a very reliable source, as I was immediately drawn to the beautiful landscape of Yangshuo. I kept searching after that, but nothing provided as much value for money as Omeida. I got in touch with the team and was very thankful for their help and the smooth process of booking my stay.

I would start my classes in the first week of September, so I decided to fly from Switzerland to Hong Kong, stay there for a bit, and then take the train to Yangshuo. The train ride was great. I did not have internet, so I was forced to watch the scenery, and I remember the first time I saw those beautiful karst mountains in Yangshuo, I almost started crying.

I had no idea what to expect, but I felt very well looked after. I got a room with a Chinese roommate and had three lessons every day. It did not take me long to get into a routine. At the beginning, I was a little worried about meeting people, but it was so easy. The school organized multiple activities every week, so there were plenty of opportunities to meet both foreign and Chinese students, and I was relieved that I did not have to plan much to stay busy. 

About four weeks into living in Yangshuo, the school got the opportunity to take us to Fengshan (凤山), a small city a few hours from our school. We were invited to stay two nights at a brand-new hotel and visit the area. I had a blast on that trip. It was so much fun to go there as a group, meet locals, explore caves, and generally travel through China. But my favorite trip was to the Longji Terraces (龙脊梯田), beautiful rice fields that shimmered golden during the autumn season. We stayed the night and got up super early to watch the sunrise. I will probably remember that moment forever.

There were so many things to do around Yangshuo; three months simply did not feel long enough. Visiting Guilin, exploring the famous spot on the 20 Yuan note, hiking to the TV tower… and my favorite thing: drinking YouCha (油茶) with my bestie Anneli. <3 As my stay came to an end, I became slightly jealous of the people who did not have to leave yet. My Chinese was definitely the best it had ever been, but I didn’t just learn Chinese at Omeida; I found a whole new family. The culture, the language, the food, the people—I will come back for all of it!