Beijing Summer Camp 2012

This year’s Beijing Summer Camp held on the 17^th ~26^th of July in the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) was the greatest camp I’ve ever been to.

When we arrived in the BFSU, it was already midnight so we just checked into our rooms but I was so excited that I didn’t get tired and decided to stay up for a little while longer. 

Without noticing that the sun rises earlier in the summer, I stayed up until I thought morning had already begun. Some of my friends woke up too and we were totally restless so we decided to have a walk around the school. As soon as we got out of our dorms, we saw plenty of beautiful places like the canteen, the hall and even the field but there was no one else around as the others were still sleeping while some other campers had still not arrived at the BFSU yet. Well, everyday day was better than the last and I am speechless about this amazing camp. 

           This camp really taught me a lot. I’ve had never experienced China from the perspective of a student. It helped me see into China even deeper than I ever would by just sightseeing. It feels like seeing a picture from a different angle, a better one. I remember the Chinese language course teaches us how to say some common Chinese conversation.

 Our Chinese language course teacher was a very friendly and patient. I also appreciate the times where we performed Chinese art exercising where I could learn Chinese calligraphy, Chinese painting and mask painting. I really love mask painting where I could paint the beautifully decorated faces of the Beijing Opera actors. I laughed at the funny masks I painted at those times. 

Talking about the Beijing Opera, I must praise the cultural appreciations such as the acrobatics and the Beijing Opera. 

Oh, I missed the cultural activities such as kungfu and the bamboo dance I tried out there too. Not only did I learn the cultural activities of Chinese people, through the culture corners of other countries such as Poland, Italy, Germany and so many others, I now know how to speak a few Polish words, taste the goodness of Nutella and the colours of the German flag. I am also craving for the fun of making dumplings since I tried it there.

           Actually, I also have not forgotten about the great dishes offered by the camp and personally, I do hope to be able to taste the delicious Peking Roast Duck once more. 

Cultural visits helped me learn so much more about China especially after the long stroll in the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven and up the flight of stairs that bring me to the victorious climb upon the Great Wall and the priceless visit to Hanban, the headquarters of the Kong Zi Institute. As if such great experiences weren’t great enough they got even better when we earn friendship with people from other countries. 

The closing ceremony performances were really outstanding too. With all the free time in the camp, we, all the boys from the camp earned friends from our floor of the boy’s dormitory like Nicholas and Andy from Germany, Steven, the teacher from Hawaii and Anthony from Poland. The addition of friends in the camp makes it even more exciting than ever.

          Sadly, time waits for no man and good times make time pass even faster. In the blink of an eye, the 10 priceless days of this camp fade away into the darkness never returning again. However, we still can have hope of meeting our friends again through visiting their countries and chatting through the Internet and especially through the group created in Facebook called “One Night in Beijing”. I have to agree to the title of the group because these 10 days passed by so quickly that it only felt like only one night was over.

           If I chose not to join this camp and decide on staying home this summer, I would never have realized what the camp means to me. I have really learned a lot about China and the other countries through this camp. I am unable to tell about the greatness of this camp through words but all I can do is  I would really love to give thanks to the Hanban, Kong Zi Institute, Universiti Malaya, our teachers, Miss Ch’ng, Miss Tan and Miss Wang and all my wonderful friends from Malaysia and all around the world. Thank you so much to everyone who was involved in this camp. Thank you for giving me a chance to take part in the 2012 Beijing Summer Camp. I will remember this camp for the rest of my life and hope that I can participate in such a camp again.