Ni Hao everyone, my name is Stéphanie and am one of the new interns at InternChina. I come from Belgium and I’m really excited to be here in Qingdao.
So why am I here in China? Since I was a child, I have had a big interest in China and in the Chinese culture. I always wanted to visit China and the Great Wall. When I had to choose my third language, I jumped on the opportunity and decided to choose Chinese and studied it during my bachelor at ICHEC Brussels Management School in Brussels. It was definitely very interesting and I learned a lot during the two years. What was particularly interesting was that our Chinese professor was a “real” Chinese; he came form Shanghai and has since been living in Belgium for several years now. He teaches evening classes at ULB for a Master Chinese program for older students.
Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to visit Beijing and the Great Wall too. To walk on the Great Wall was extraordinary.I visited a lot during my stay in Beijing and really felt like I was in another world. Everything was so different, the people’s behaviour, the weather, the smells, the way of living and especially the food. There are so many things I saw during my trip to China, but I knew that visiting one city as a tourist was not enough to discover the authentic China. When I found the advertisement of InternChina in my school I knew that this was a great opportunity, so I decided to apply expecting to learn more about the country and its people. I got a reply soon after and InternChina offered me a Skype interview. Everything went fine and here I am in Qingdao.
When I arrived at the airport after a long journey Rita picked me up (she is the customer relations manager at InternChina Qingdao). She took me to the Marina to eat something and relax until my host mother came back home. I’ve only been here for a few days, so I’m trying to get used to the country and its inhabitant. I just started my first Chinese class here at Qingdao Language School. The school is only five minutes by bus from InternChina office and is easily accessible. The school itself is brand new and very well furnished, with several classrooms which are all spacious. All the teachers are young and enthusiastic; they speak good English and are highly motivated to teach their native language. Looking forward to getting to know Qingdao better and mastering the Chinese language!
Interested in learning Mandarin like Stephanie? Why not come to China? Apply now for an internship or send us an email for more information.