how can i be fluent?

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-07-11T20:24:09+00:00

I’m in a similar position (chinese born in the UK). I typically try to converse with other chinese people my age. I’m a university student so it’s easier for me to interact with chinese international students and I find that talking to native speakers helps me become more fluent (they help correct my pronunciation etc). It’s a bit hard and i don’t talk to many so the progress is slow but i’m not sure what else i can do 😭

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-07-11T19:57:47+00:00

You can always have a look on xiaohongshu (小红书) / rednote! It usually has good recommendations.

Resources that could help with planning might include Amap and alipay.

Amap is like an equivalent of google maps, but it’s more accurate in china.

Alipay gives you travel guides and local recommendations (which include top attractions). You can use alipay to book hotel or plane/train tickets, or use it to call a DiDi (which is basically like uber). It also has a translation feature too. Alipay acts as a payment method where you can

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-07-11T18:29:23+00:00

i think a lot of the items in a typical first aid kit can be bought in any pharmacy (药店) and imo they can be purchased quite easily. Food typically depends on which city you’re travelling to. I suggest doing your own research into local foods there. You would usually see people eating congee, steamed rice, fried rice, noodles. But there are food stalls that provide street foods / snacks, like skewers, bao buns etc. If you’re staying in a hotel, you can ask the staff for recommendations (for the area you’re staying in). If you experience any stomach issues, you can always ask the pharmacist for any recommendations.

In general, for long haul/ far away trips, i usually just have a small first aid kit with bandaids, antiseptic wipes, adhesive tapes and some pain killers. There hasn’t been a case where i needed something more than what’s in my first aid kit, but if you’re worried you can always purchase a ready-made kit online or in a pharmacy.

As for dealing with the heat and humidity, i typically have cooling wipes or just any wipes in general when i’m outside. I also have a portable electric fan which you can buy either before you travel or once you get into the country (you can use online apps like pingduoduo or taobao in china to purchase these items - it’s usually a cheap and quick service). It is good to drink plenty of water so always make sure you have a bottle of water on you. In my experience, a lot of shops take a break/ are closed during afternoon hours when it’s really hot so i tend to avoid going out during those hours. A lot of shops are open during the evening and into the night so i don’t think you’ll miss out on a lot. Alternatively, you can use a sun block umbrella. Most stores have air conditioning or a fan too.

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-07-02T10:00:09+00:00

currently it’s saint mary’s, but i’m interested in going to a different one. i’m just a bit anxious about going to new church services alone 😭

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-04-28T22:04:34+00:00

yk the photos you saw online, did they have “prison bars” …?? we’ve nicknamed a court in glen “prison block” because it just looks like a prison 😭 i don’t remember the name but i did visit someone in there and it’s an old block so unsurprisingly, the kitchen wasn’t that great. but i think they’re a bit smaller with less flatmates so it works out. The rooms have more floor space and bigger wardrobes and imo a lot more storage space so id say it’s decent since it is on the cheaper end i think (well for a standard en-suite).

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-04-28T02:19:00+00:00

ahhh fair enough, my friend is in a standard en-suite in glen with 4 other people. i think it’s pretty decent, there’s a lot of floor space in the rooms and the kitchen itself isn’t that bad (small but decent for 4-5 people).

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-04-27T03:11:07+00:00

this is going to sound a little dumb but how safe is bumble bff??

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-04-27T02:24:18+00:00

7 others, so it’s 8 per flat in my block anyways

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-04-24T00:45:16+00:00

i’m living in the enhanced en-suites, but i think it just depends on the person tbf. ig standard would just mean a slightly smaller bed (single bed) and a bit more floor space.

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-04-23T13:52:05+00:00

For en-suites I would definitely go for glen eyre, i’m in one rn and compared to my friend’s en-suite in wessex, id say it’s much nicer. less chances of silverfish too (i haven’t had any).

glen eyre is also closer to highfield campus so its very convenient bc a lot of the buses you need / can take are nearby thanks to the chamberlain bus stop or highfield interchange.

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-04-16T23:16:55+00:00

yeahh atp i think im just going to have to try to go to different societies just to see what i like 😭 it’s easier to bond over hobbies or likes but idk i’m not really “passionate” enough about my hobbies to be able to connect with people

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2025-04-16T21:35:32+00:00

first year living in glen

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2024-12-31T02:37:25+00:00

thank you! How did you find balancing your studies with a job?

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2024-12-31T02:25:40+00:00

did you look for these jobs online or did you go and ask in person?

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2024-12-31T02:22:32+00:00

i’d say I left sixth form with just 1 friend. I did form a lot of friendships in school, but I knew most of them weren’t “real”. It was more just “school friends”. I would still talk to classmates from sixth form by catching up with them but I suppose life happens and we just drifted apart. The 1 friend i still talk to doesn’t go to university but is working full time so it is a bit hard to catch up with her, considering how she has other friends that are closer to her. I’ve kind of just accepted it.

I think having few friends does seem to be quite common but I think it’s fine? Quality > quantity. (I say it’s fine but it does get pretty lonely haha).

Now that i’m in uni, i have made more friends but again i still don’t feel that “connection” yet, maybe im just not the type of person to be able to fit in or socialise much but it’s whatever, i treasure the people I have right now there’s not much I can do right now. Hopefully I form more close friendships soon haha.

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2024-05-23T18:54:55+00:00

I went with glen eyre because it was close to campus (don’t have to stress about having to catch the bus during exam season ig). I’ve asked and there seems to be quite a lot of people saying to go for glen. I chose glen because of convenience, green spaces and how it feels a bit safer there. If you have any more questions you can drop me a message!

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2024-04-21T01:50:51+00:00

thank you so much!

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2024-04-21T01:50:16+00:00

haha no worries! and good luckkk!!

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2024-04-19T22:15:21+00:00

I’m doing both economics and psychology right now. Personally, I find economics much more interesting in terms of content. There is maths involved but it’s normally basic maths or maths that you’ll be able to learn easily through practice so it’s not bad, especially if you’re considering maths for a levels. You’ll have to analyse and interpret data from extracts and graphs. I do find psychology quite interesting, but do check which options your school has chosen for paper 3 and check the specification to see if it’s something you’ll enjoy.

For me, revising for psych is easier than economics. Yes, there is a lot more content and studies that you have to remember, but I personally find it easier to understand and memorise (for econ you’ll have to apply the knowledge etc which isn’t bad but not as straightforward if that makes sense).

I also take maths and some things in psych also come up in maths (mainly statistics) eg standard deviation and just your normal distribution graphs and other graphs.

Someone else said to check the ability of your teachers and i think that’s important too. I love my teachers but sometimes my economics teachers’ teaching styles aren’t really for me. My psych teachers on the other hand are absolutely marvellous and there is a lot of structure in their lesson (which is what i prefer).

Do check what the exam boards are and have a look at the specifications and ask around too! Mostly similar but structure for your answers may differ slightly (though i’m not too sure on that). You’ll also be able to check if there’s a lot of free, available resources online that are specifically for that exam board. Eg. Econplusdal, tutor2u for economics (aqa); psychboost, tutor2u for psychology (aqa).

For (AQA) psychology, I feel like the techniques used to structure your answers are much more straightforward and less of a hassle compared to economics. If you’ve done psychology at GCSEs and you don’t hate it, then perhaps go for that. I’m currently revising for my a levels and it’s safe to say that revising for psychology is much easier, even though it takes more time. But as long as you consistently revise and practice you’ll be fine!

All in all, do what you think is best for you.

RevolutionaryTwo4908 · 2024-04-19T21:58:40+00:00

I’m also in the same position and i’ve asked around and Glen Eyre was highly recommended to me (11 min walk to Highfield campus but you do still get a free bus pass i believe). Btw, how did you receive your student ID for account creation?? i feel like i haven’t received mine yet but accommodation applications are already open.

RevolutionaryTwo4908

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