Archive for September 2020
Lorenzo Webster: Stepping out of quarantine – Sevilla, May 2020
Coming out of quarantine The first stage towards ‘normality’ was achieved on the 2nd may, when we were finally aloud out for walks or runs, between 6 am – 10 am or 8 pm – 11 pm. Previously our only permitted outings were to the supermarkets or to the pharmacies and thus this felt like…
Read MoreSandy Perkins: Graduation and travelling, Beijing, China – July 2020
At the end of June my Chinese course concluded and two weeks later I officially graduated from Beihang University. In addition to passing my university exams, I also recently passed the HSK 6 exam, which is the most advanced level of official Chinese exams for foreigners (comparable to the IELTS exam for english learners). Although…
Read MoreLorenzo Webster: Summer in Sevilla – My final month
In Sevilla the month of June is when it begins to get really get hot. While it usually only gets above 40 in July, June is still incredibly warm with constant temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius. While getting a haircut I quizzed my barber on how he puts up with this every year, to…
Read MoreCase study: George Illingworth-Valencia,Spain 2019-2020.
First of all, I would like to say thank you to the John Speak Trust for sponsoring my adventure and alleviating a lot of the financial stress that came along with it. With the help of the Grant, I was truly able to enjoy my experience to the fullest extent and really immerse myself in…
Read MoreOlivia Pettitt: Excursion a Gibraltar / Day Trip to Gibraltar,
Este mes, durante mis viajes al sur de espana, alquilamos un coche y fuimos a Gibraltar. Hay que admitir, no sabia mucho de Gibraltar antes de mi visita, a pesar de ser un territorio británico de ultramar. Es una zona pequeña de 6.7km2, el paisaje se domina por el Peñón de Gibraltar y a sus…
Read MoreCase Study: Jonny Ferguson – Beijing/ Taipei 2019-20
As part of my undergraduate degree in Chinese Studies, I spent the last academic year abroad, initially in Beijing at Peking University. The course in Beijing covered a broad range of areas, from newspaper reading and 20th century literature, to more advanced speaking classes and classical Chinese. Upon the outbreak of COVID-19, my UK university…
Read More玉流馆饭馆: Sandy Perkins – Beijing, China, June 2020
我上个月去了北京的一家朝鲜饭馆。这家饭馆在望京，叫玉流馆。因为欧洲没有朝鲜饭馆，所以我去玉流馆之前没吃过朝鲜料理，因此我听说北京有一家朝鲜饭馆以后就决定一定要去那儿尝一尝炒咸菜。其实，我想去玉流馆不只是因为想尝尝朝鲜料理，而是因为我对朝鲜这个国家很好奇。朝鲜是个很神秘的国家，平时只能靠看新闻报道的猜测来了解这个国家的情况，连一个朝鲜人我都没遇到过，所以我以为去一个朝鲜饭馆是个很好的机会来了解一下朝鲜的文化。 周六晚上我跟一些朋友到了玉流馆。玉流馆是一个比较大的餐厅，里面的装饰比较豪华，在那儿吃饭让我感到一种仪式感。我的朋友说玉流馆有点像一家中国八九十年代的人民饭店这样的地方。所有的服务员都是朝鲜人，但是他们的中文说得相当流利，水平比我好多了。我们吃得料理跟韩国料理很类似，有很多海鲜和各种各样的泡菜。说实话我也不太了解韩国菜，所以不好说朝鲜和韩国菜的区别。不过顾名思义，平壤冷面肯定是朝鲜的一道地道菜，而且平壤冷面很好吃。 在玉流馆的一边有一个舞台。我听说在玉流馆平常可以看一些传统的朝鲜舞蹈或者表演。可惜的是，因为疫情的缘故，玉流馆暂时停止了演出，所以我们没有看到一场演出。话又说回来，我们在玉流馆里吃得很满足，而且体验了一下朝鲜的气氛，所以是个很好的经历。 A North Korean Experience in Beijing Last month I visited a North Korean Restaurant in Beijing. The restaurant is located in Beijing’s Wangjing district, its called Yuliuguan. As far as I know the UK doesn’t have a North Korean restaurant, so I had never had the chance to eat North Korean cuisine…
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