Departure and Arrival

I've always thought the worst part about travelling is the getting there, the hours of boredom interspersed with intense bursts of worry and rush that come with multiple flights and stopovers are without competition my least favourite parts of travelling. The relief that comes with arriving in Beijing knowing my baggage has arrived and that I've managed not to lose anything this time is almost overwhelming until I remember the 3 hour wait until the pick-up time and wonder why I chose such an early flight.
After about an hour wandering around the airport I spot a large group of similar aged students and awkwardly approach them in the hope that they are fellow study China students, with luck they are and I sit down and begin to get to to know the people I will be spending the next 3 weeks studying and exploring Beijing with. Everyone is very enthusiastic and full of energy to get stuck into their studies despite the long travel times and waiting around, already people are beginning to try out badly pronounced words and phrases in the hope of getting a head start on the language program.
The rest of the day continues with us signing to the Beijing Normal University (BNU )Lan Hui accommodation and exploring the campus. The BNU campus is unlike any campus based in the UK and almost has an American feel to It with gated entrances and a village like atmosphere it is a very pleasant place to stay and makes me wish for a similar set up back home, we find the canteen and supermarket which in my mind as well as many others are easily the 2 most important buildings on campus and settle down to our first on campus meal.
At this point I have to mention the variety and quality of food available in the campus canteens and restaurant which staggered me at first, the 4 story main canteen where full meals cost as little as 35p and at most £1.50 along with the specialty vendors along the streets and the western styled restaurants which became many a students comfort area if they'd had enough of rice. It was impossible to complain about the food no matter how much of a picky eater you were and the fun in sometimes not knowing what you were ordering made every meal a bit more interesting.
After only the first day the Study China I had a feeling that the course would surpass the expectations I'd had before leaving for China.