In Beijing, I did a special program for international students, which consisted of four major tasks: a project, lectures, learning Chinese and cultural discoveries. With Chinese students, I designed an ecological farmhouse for a village near Beijing. Ecology is becoming more and more important in Beijing, because the polluted air is one of the major drawbacks of the city. I learned a lot about the differences in design approaches between China and the Netherlands, and I passed all courses with outstanding results, although admittedly that was easier at BJUT than at TU/e...

I discovered almost every part of Beijing on a cheap, brand new road bike. It’s not just the hotspots like the 798 Art district, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven Park, and the Great Wall that are beautiful, but the bustle of everyday life is amazing as well. The city of Beijing has more citizens than the whole of the Netherlands. The subways and roads are always crammed, and high-rise apartment buildings pop up like mushrooms after the rain. Population density is very high and people live very close to each other like pigeons in concrete pigeonholes.

Looking back on many new experiences, international friends, and most importantly, a wonderful French girlfriend, I’m very happy that I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try something different for five months: Beijing, China.