I've been in the UNNC for four years, and I've been studying International Communications
with Chinese. Why I came to UNNC is, well first of all, I think it's a really unique
place, since you can study Chinese in the local environment while getting a degree with
all the English teaching standards. I'm getting an English Diploma which is quite challenging
as well as quite, quite fun I think.
I spent my first semester in France and I chose to come to UNNC for my second semester
because it seemed like, partly the easiest option because my course would be continued
here, a lot of my friends are coming here, and I knew that I'd get all the help I needed
with Visa applications, the language, culture, fitting in. It's similar to the Nottingham
campus in that there's plenty of open space, there's lots of grass, lots of trees, there's
a lake, there's some geese.
I really like the look of this campus in Ningbo because we've got a lake, we've got lots of
open space, and I actually, I think my favourite part of this campus is right in front of the
AB building - the Administrative Building - there's a wonderful sort of Chinese decoration
and it's really, it's great. I mean architecturally you can see you're definitely in China. It's
got a great atmosphere too and then at the back you've got the wonderful clock tower
building, and it just looks, it's got a nice sort of contrast.
We have everything here: we've got restaurants, we've got our own shops, we've got our own
little community here.
You've got everything you can really need. I mean in reality you don't really need to
leave the campus because you've got, you know, a clinic, lots of shops, lots of great restaurants:
I think it's really good.
And you know cooking, we have a cooking club, we have pot lucks every week on our floor.
We have, we travel to other cities. I like to participate in NUTS. NUTS is a Nottingham
University Television Station, so I've been co-producing some programmes and presenting
a lot, so this is really fun and a good experience for me because I would like to pursue a career
in journalism later.
And there was another which was home stay, which was over the Easter holidays. You were
able to stay with a Chinese friend at their house. Me and a friend we sort of went to
Zurich for a month then. That was pretty awesome.
I've taken part in the vis-à-vis buddy system, the home stay system. So I'm going to Yunnan,
which is in the south west of China, in a month's time, to spend a week with my friend
Fiona, who I've got to know really well here.
And I'm also taking part in the YVA summer social practice which is a project in Nepal
to teach for a month. Also all with Chinese students so that will improve my Chinese massively
as well and it will be an incredible experience so, in every way, I'm glad I came here.
We've also got several shopping plazas with lots of western restaurants, Chinese restaurants,
Japanese restaurants. We've got a great shopping district in the city centre and also you've
got a great library which we were given a tour of when we first arrived. So it's got
sort of a nice traditional Chinese feel and a modern feel as well, and certainly a lively
feel to it as well because it's a growing city.
Transportation is very, very good. I mean taxis are really cheap.
Much cheaper than anywhere else in the world, and like I think every international student
in Ningbo knows how friendly the drivers are.
I really like Ningbo city, I mean surprisingly it's got over four million people in it, so
it's you know, it doesn't seem that big when you look at it on the map, but it's actually
quite a big developing city.
The night life is really rich. Everybody in Ningbo, all the international students, like
to hang out in Lao waitan.
We've got an area called Lao waitan.
There's a really good area to go out called Lao waitan.
With loads of bars there and lounge bars and clubs.
It's full of Western bars, Western people, if you really just want to let your hair down
and have a really good time with all the international students, and there's a few really good shopping
areas.
There's certainly a lot of things to do here, culturally, relaxation, restaurants, going
out. There's a lot going on here.
Well I love people so it's really and truly an international environment of being with,
and I can have the chance to meet people from all over the world. Yeah and hang out with
Chinese people as well. Get to know Chinese culture much deeper than if I had been studying
Chinese from anywhere else.
I think it's better for people studying business, development of China and such because it's
one of the fastest developing cities in China, and supposed to be the happiest city in China,
interestingly, as well as one of the richest.