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Well I’ll be honest, if you told this little Aussie girl a year ago that she would be living, studying and working in Beijing, she would have been very surprised. If you told her she was going to adore it, she may have thought you were crazy…
But here I am in Beijing, loving every nook and cranny of it. Granted, it’s only been a week, but if I continue to be as pleasantly surprised as I have been so far, then I think it’s safe to say I have a very good six months ahead of me.
Beijing did not present itself as a destination to work and study in until after I had finished my degree in Adelaide, Australia and had taken some time out to have a good look through Europe. Upon returning home to Oz with my new friend Mr Travel Bug and feeling completely unsettled, a good friend of mine suggested I try China. He had already been here six months and was completely in love with it. After pointing out the benefits of being in a place that holds so many opportunities which could all be pursued whilst ‘literally having the the best fun in the world’, I was pretty much convinced. I had nothing to loose and everything to gain.
Beijing is everything I expected… and everything I didn’t. I expected to be this big, but I didn’t expect it to be this modern. I knew there would be lots of people, but I didn’t know so many of them would be as warm and friendly as they are. I was prepared for it to be very traditional, but I’ve been surprised to see that was that my western comforts aren’t too far away. In fact, I’ve eaten such a wide variety of cuisine since I arrived that I’ve found myself asking if we could ‘maybe go get some Chinese food?’
The city has thrown delights at me I could of never have imagined -  McDonalds delivers, I can get an extremely cheap massage any time of the day and night, cabs cost next to nothing, there are so many food options I don’t even know where to start eating (or when to stop I should say) and driving through downtown Beijing leaves me constantly impressed by its contemporary architecture. Then of course there are the delights of being in a city so rich in culture that just sitting in a small local restaurant, eating a traditional noodle dish, is so darn satisfying. Â
Alot of things here me giggle. Like the  t-shirts sold in the street markets with the most random English phrases printed on them (Happiness in day make your panda good?) or navigating a night club squat toilet in high heels after a few drinks (giggling may or may not have been induced by a very strong long island iced tea). Even avoiding death by bicycle every time I cross the road makes me laugh. Maybe it’s just because I’m so excited to be somewhere new, but I’m definitely one jolly little camper.
I arrived in Beijing not knowing a word of the language and with a very limited ability to operate chopsticks. But I can only learn new phrases and after a week, I have stopped requesting a fork. It’s onwards and upwards from here. Bring on Beijing baby.

- Rhia Scrimgeour