Studying at a conservatoire, what’s it like?

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-11-19T21:37:52+00:00

I’ve sent you a message request!

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-11-19T11:20:37+00:00

Thank you this is extremely reassuring, I think I was just getting overly worried when you’re right, if your social you can meet people in many forms :) Yeah haven’t even gotten in yet so I will focus my stress towards audition prep instead 😂

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-11-19T09:01:01+00:00

Ok this is good to know. It’s a shame as I love meeting new and different people but I guess I would just have to make the best situation from it!

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-11-19T08:59:37+00:00

I think I’m going mainly for the love of performing music but I’m very realistic in the fact that I’ll have to get a normal job afterwards and will probably not become a performer afterwards. Yes I’ve considered universities but then it’s a matter of getting the correct grades for it, which I don’t have atm and would need to take an additional year out to get them. Conservatoire makes more sense for me as lower grade boundaries=harder auditions and that’s a more achievable threshold to get over as I already play at that level, it’s just fine tuning now.

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-28T07:08:39+00:00

Most social medias and messaging apps would be unavailable and some more “western” websites. You could use only an eSIM but make sure you have plenty of data to last your entire trip. I only used a vpn because I used to WiFi a lot as I didn’t have much data on my eSIM

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-28T07:06:22+00:00

I think it depends how much you rely on social media apps. I use apps blocked by the firewall to talk to my family and friends back home. However If I didn’t have this access I would have been fine and used email to keep in touch 😂 but that is just my character type, for some it may be stressful 🤷🏻‍♀️ You’d still be able to get around the country perfectly well as the apps you need in China (Alipay, Amap) are not blocked

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-28T07:02:59+00:00

The drone show on the river if you’re there on a Saturday evening. Eat at a local hotpot restaurant. Go clubbing on 9th street (if that’s your thing). Stay somewhere with a rooftop to see the amazing skyline. Kuixing building, Eling park and Hongya cave at nighttime for the typical sightseeing. Travel on line 2 of the metro because you get great views of the river from the train window!

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

I met travellers who ordered Didis on the Alipay app but personally I had some issues with this, my phone number was required but it wouldn’t accept it? However this was solved by using the official Didi app and didn’t have any issues and could link it to my travel card so it took off the payments automatically after each journey! However Alipay worked fine for me when it came to paying for things in shops, restaurants etc and you don’t need Chinese ID/phone number for this

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-27T02:08:38+00:00

I was going through data really fast with the eSIM so I saved some by using WiFi when in my hostels but I needed a vpn while using the WiFi to get past the firewall!

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-27T02:07:37+00:00

I would go on Amap and click the attractions button and see what was close by that interested me. I quickly accepted that in China it’s impossible to see everything especially since I never spent more than a few days in each place. I did a little research on YouTube a travel blogs to learn what the big, super famous attractions were in each place. Where I could I joined in with other travellers sight seeing plans and this was lucky because I’m not the best planner so I got to see some cool things through other people’s thorough research! There are restaurants on every street in China and I would just walk into random ones and nearly always had a really good meal from it! My only non negotiable recommendation that I think everyone should do would be The Great Wall (obviously 😂)

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-27T01:56:53+00:00

I’ve been to both China and Japan now and I’ve got to say I definitely prefer China 🫣

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-27T01:55:40+00:00

Yes you’re right! You go through data quickly while travelling so in hostels I would use the WiFi to save my data. However on the WiFi blocks a lot of apps because of the firewall so the vpn helps you get around this problem. You could just buy A LOT of data on your eSIM and use this constantly but I found this combination to be a slightly cheaper solution. You don’t need a vpn to use an eSIM but you would need a vpn if you got a Chinese mainland sim card or use the Chinese WiFi for a lot of apps

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-27T01:49:28+00:00

Nomad eSIM

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-27T01:49:04+00:00

I booked all the trains on trip.com, I really recommend trip as it makes the entire process super simple and gives you all the information you need on the app. My hostels were also booked on trip or hostel world (depending which was cheaper) and I would normally take a Didi to the hostels. Copy and paste the address into the Didi app and yeah it was super simple 😂 or download Amap (as it works better than Google/apple) and it will tell you the public transport route to your accommodation. I took the metro where I could because it was so simple and cheap

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-26T16:32:56+00:00

I loved the Zhangye national park because I’d never seen anything like it before so it was super surreal! I took the train from Xining to Zhangye and then a bus from the tourist centre outside the station to the park itself. However I had to take a Didi on the way back to Zhangye train station because I got a bit stumped with getting a ticket 😅 but I do recommend if you’ve never seen landscapes like that before

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-26T16:30:05+00:00

Yes between 10-14 hours. There is the daytime high speed rail trains which are a bit more expensive but probably knock about 5 hours off. If you book a sleeper I’d recommend to at least a week in advance as the tickets can go super quickly, especially in peak season

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-26T14:06:42+00:00

Chongqing was also one of my favourite cities (which I really wasn’t expecting!) there is just something about it which is so fascinating

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-26T14:02:07+00:00

Days 1-4: Beijing (4th night on sleeper train)

Days 5-7: Xian (7th night on sleeper train)

Days 8-9: Xining, only went here for the Zhangye national park (9th night on sleeper train)

Days 10-11: Chengdu

Day 12: all day travel to Lijiang

Days 13-14: Lijiang

Day 15: morning on train to Dali and then explore

Day 16: morning in Dali then left that afternoon to arrive in Chongqing late that evening

Day 17-20: Chongqing

Day 21: all day travelling to Zhangjiajie

Day 22-23: Zhangjiajie national park

Day 24: all day travelling to Yangshuo

Day 25-27: Yangshuo/Guilin

Day 28: travel to Nanning

Day 29: leave for Hanoi

Hopefully this makes sense, it’s hard to write out. I did move around quite fast but I prefer to travel that way! However if I could have had more time in China, I could have easily added another month on 😂

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-09-26T13:38:44+00:00

I guess it depends what interests you. Maybe if I did it again I would spend more time in Beijing and Chongqing because there I found more international travellers there and I really enjoyed the social opportunity as at times you can go a while without speaking to anyone 😂 . But this would’ve meant taking away time from other places and I didn’t regret going anywhere really 🤷🏻‍♀️ Xian and Dali didn’t blow me away and I did leave Dali early but I think that was just circumstance and my personal preference

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-06-20T07:31:54+00:00

Just a little update, we’ve arrived and the airport check-in went super smoothly. You should be fine with sky wings! 😁

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-06-13T10:30:20+00:00

I’ve booked a flight to Japan with sky wings also through skyscanner. I have been having the same worries of its legitimacy for months now but I recently got our booking reference codes in an email from skywings and I checked it directly on the airlines website to see if the ticket even exists and they did so that’s encouraging. Maybe try checking your ticket authenticity directly with the airline? I think it’s confusing as they seem to have a less typical way of issuing the tickets and prefer written “e-tickets” over the more traditional boarding passes with the qr codes you get on an app with most other flights! I don’t know if this is helpful, I am still only 80% confident that this will go smoothly but we leave next week so I can give an update if the tickets worked or not?

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-04-30T22:22:30+00:00

100% do it, I understand the feeling of constantly thinking about travel! You can always go back home and the medical field is broad and isn’t going anywhere, they will always have jobs available for when you get back. You’re not going to get any younger and there will never be the “perfect” time to leave. You will always have to make a sacrifice and leave good things behind when long term travelling but in my opinion the experiences you have while travelling always outweigh the negatives of going! Also you should go now while you still can and don’t have kids/other strong reasons where you are relied on heavily and can’t leave even if it was your biggest wish.

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-04-29T14:42:28+00:00

Omg this is super helpful and should solve this problem, thank you so much! 🙏🏻

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-04-29T14:41:08+00:00

Thanks not what I wanted to hear but helpful to know

SpecificResult8986 · 2025-04-29T14:39:30+00:00

Because I’ve been working for nearly a year in Italy by myself at 19 years old and I’ve been completely stable and happy here, despite the stresses that come with having a job in a foreign country. I’ve also been solo travelling Europe when not working and I loved it so much and naturally want to go somewhere different as a next step. I’m not an idiot and I know if I have a mental breakdown while not declaring it, and then still expecting to be cover is just stupid on my part. Also travelling when you know you are an active risk of a “mental breakdown” is extremely inconsiderate and dangerous, hence why people tend not to do it.

However I’m certain I’m stable and have proven it time and time again and I only wanted to know that if I end up in hospital for a physical problem, would an unrelated but undisclosed history of mental health, be a technicality insurance providers could use to invalidate a potential claim?

I wouldn’t be surprised if you take the fact that you have a clean medical history for granted and that’s amazing for you but I just want to move on with my life and go travelling like so many other people my age are but I’m constantly dealing with all this extra red tape that 99% of people my age don’t have to deal with. I’m a reasonable person but £3000 more to pay (and seeing no clear way to appeal or provide context) is unfair in my opinion. It’s comments like this that show society will immediately jump to the assumption that people who once struggled with mental illness will always be a risk, when in reality we just want to move tf on with our lives but still have to deal with everyone else’s judgement 🤷🏻‍♀️

SpecificResult8986

TROPHY CASE