Living in Beijing is definitely offering an amazing life- changing experience, language is still the barrier but in time knowing the key phases, living here will get a whole lot easier.

Three weeks in and I’m slowly adjusting to the Beijing way, crossing the road with more confidence and getting around isn’t so scary anymore on the subway or by cabs- think by the end of my stay ill a pro at the whole getting around in the big massive city that is Beijing.

City life is busy, and seems like it never goes to sleep, you can be out at all times of the night and people are out shopping, partying, dancing in the street in mass groups or out trying to find some good cheap local food from … Continue reading

That’s the motto for us Beijing interns …  Don’t be shocked by anything that you see, do or hear!

Arrival was interesting: “Welcome to Beijing it’s a lovely -2 outside!” First real shock is the cold – one week in I think everyone is slowly adjusting to the cold after getting sick with the a cold.

This city is amazing – hectic at times, especially on the roads … Gotta have your wits about you when crossing the road! Apartments are better than first thought – living is easy, spacious, open planned and you can get Macca’s delivered straight to your room! Plus get to experience karaoke Chinese style – they love to sing!!!

Essentials to know to Beijing:

1. Learn to haggle- never pay their price… Aim low!!
2. Subway/cabs- “every

… Continue reading

So the countdown to my 3 month internship in Beijing is definitely on- leaving tonight and of course I’m out shopping instead of packing

This year has been a whirlwind, and I can’t think of what a better way to top it off than start an internship in the amazing country that is China!!!

The lead up to my departure has been smooth sailing well except the stress of Uni life, and knowing that I have this to look forward to!

Cannot wait to arrive and meet all my fellow interns, work for my company S.T.A.R.S, and explore everything Beijing has to offer !

See you all over there!… Continue reading

I was lucky enough to attend a conference about foreign investment in Hangzhou by my workplace for three days recently, an opportunity which I definitely could not miss. I’d heard good things about this city, which is about one hour outside of Shanghai, and a popular tourist destination with foreigners and local Chinese alike.

The conference lasted one and a half days, however my Chinese colleague and I travelled to Hangzhou a day earlier to register with the organisers. I have to say that I have never experienced service like I did in Hangzhou before, as we were picked up and chauffered to the hotel by two people (who later I would find out were government officials), and then treated to a lunch at a specialty restaurant in a private … Continue reading

Outside of work, Shanghai offers events on all the time, whether they’re on during the week, or weekday. I was lucky enough to attend some of these, as well as spend some quality time with workmates.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, I went to the JZ Festival which is the largest jazz festival in China, and celebrated its 8th Birthday in 2012 this year. I’d only properly listened to some jazz a few days before the festival, so as you can tell, I wasn’t a huge fan, but going with some local people who actually knew their stuff, who the performers were, meant they could teach me a thing or two which definitely made it worth my while. The vibe was very chilled out and relaxed, with young people, families, … Continue reading

Having come from Wellington, New Zealand, Shanghai was always going to be a massive step up in terms of people, culture and sheer vastness. Even after travelling briefly on holiday to other Asian countries, Shanghai can seem overwhelming, especially in the first few days in the city. I came to Shanghai for three months as a career break from working in Accounting, and have chosen an internship at a not for profit organisation which, when coupled with working in China, I’m hoping will give me a broader perspective and focus on my future and career.

After the 12 hour flight from New Zealand, settling in to the apartment after being picked up by CRCC staff was a welcome reprieve from all the travelling, as was the dinner at a gothic-style … Continue reading

This week started out as usual with work on Monday. I can finally see the productivity of all my hard work. I have assisted in creating two websites for the company I work for, that are both up and running online now. The sites consist of my editing, structure and wording; it is a product of my work in China (smile of satisfaction). It is exciting to see the end result of something that you spend so much time on and work so hard at. Initially when I started my internship I was researching and conducting marketing analysis and then I moved on to writing business plans, proposals, and website content, while also correcting Chinglish and Frenglish (I don’t recall if I mentioned it on a previous blog, but my … Continue reading

Nimen hao again, the week that began with the 4th of July, we Americans, had to figure out how we were going to celebrate this holiday in China. We all were craving some traditional barbeque but the American Chambers of Commerce had their celebration (cookout/barbeque) on the 3rd rather then the 4th (because it was the weekend and people were off) so we missed the event on the previous Sunday. We decided to head to Tim’s Texas Bar-B-Q located near the silk market to have dinner and drinks. Well of course upon arrival it was packed to the tee and there wasn’t enough seats for our large group. After about 20 minutes a few of us split from the large group and got a convenient and comfortable table downstairs. Once … Continue reading

I can’t believe the first month is already gone. Work is continuing as usual, with daily research analysis and marketing tasks that are focused on the Chinese and European markets. My company is merging with another company and so we are relocating to a new location. So after lunch everyday people stop working and start packing up the office. It is a very interesting aspect that in China employees will stop working and start doing something else not as relevant on company time and money. They are paid whether they are doing something or nothing. We were also informed last week that we will not be relocating to the new office with everyone else. We (me and my co-intern and our supervisor) as foreign nationals are not allowed to move … Continue reading

The week began with Dragon Boat day, which is a holiday celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month on the Chinese calendar. The day in Chinese is Duan-Wu; Duan means beginning and Wu means Horse month. The Chinese Horse month traditionally comes around June 5th on a Western calendar. The festival is to remember Chiu Yuan, a beloved Chinese patriotic poet, who committed suicide on the 5th day by tying himself to a rock and jumping in the river, because he thought people were living life as if it were meaningful. So on Dragon Boat Day they have boat races on the river and eat Zongi to celebrate. Zongi is a dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. I did not have the … Continue reading