Except for the classes for complete beginners, all lessons are taught exclusively in Chinese. In the first days I was amazed to find that I could understand almost all of what my teachers said, and almost fell under the impression that I wasn't studying a foreign language in a foreign country at all. "Is my Chinese so good that I can discard my Russian-Chinese dictionary?" This question did actually pop into my head, and I began to count down the days until I would be able to "melt" into local life with the local people. However, my head cooled substantially when I ventured out into the streets. Walking among native people and chatting outside the classroom setting, I didn't understand nearly as much as I had during lessons. I realized that the manner of speaking of our teachers is slower and more lucid than that of ordinary Chinese, and that they intentionally choose simple grammar structures and words.

Nevertheless, every class is engaging. Debate is encouraged, and test results are not overemphasized. It is a learning experience the likes of which I had never experienced before.

In BFSU professors grade students but are also graded by them as well. At the end of the school year we are handed a form on which we are required to give marks for all of our teachers on items such as lesson preparation, class atmosphere and homework examination. The teachers who score below 60 will be discontinued from teaching in the next academic year. Perhaps this rigid evaluation system explains the teaching excellence of the school.

There are three compulsory classes in my course – Chinese language, spoken Chinese, and reading and writing. On top of these, we can select from a score of other courses, such as history, culture and listening comprehension. I picked a grammar class for the HSK (the standard test of Chinese as a foreign language). I found that if I arrange my day wisely, I have plenty of time for sports and sightseeing around the city.

The university offers a good variety of after-school activities throughout the year, including concerts, sports contests and tours in and around Beijing.

The school closes during national holidays, the longest being that for the National Day from October 1 to 7. The winter break starts in early January and ends in late February. The school calendar exemplifies a Chinese life philosophy: be fully committed in times of work or study, and make the best of your leisure.

Have you ever heard the Beijing Olympics theme song Beijing Welcomes You? Beijing people, well, actually all Chinese, are extremely hospitable. One day my friends and I were lost, and I asked a young lady passing for directions. She also had no idea, but offered to call her friend for help. Her friend immediately did an Internet search and found out the closest bus route to our destination. The girl then showed us to the bus stop. This example is one of many in which I benefited from kind local help when in need.

Speaking from my experience, deliberation is a good thing but not necessarily so when taken to extremes. For those who are internally debating whether or not to spend some time in China for study or work, my suggestion is to ask yourself the question "Am I really longing to make the trip?" If the answer is yes, throw away your doubts and fears, pack up and just go. The adventure is definitely worthwhile, and you will be exposed to another world – one of new landscapes inhabited by a fascinating people with a way of thinking strikingly different from our own. In exploring this world and comparing it with your own, you will come across new knowledge and build up a fresh understanding of life. At the end of your China experience you may find you have a new way of looking at the world, and you may even find yourself on a new path of life.