Ailsa Brown

• Name

Ailsa Brown

• Age

20

• Current Degree/Job

Oriental Studies Chinese @ Oxford University

• How long have you studied Chinese?

2 and a half years

• Have you studied any other languages?

French and Spanish at Advanced Higher

• Describe your 天津 experience in one sentence:

My experience in Tianjin shaped the rest of my life (without being too dramatic).

• What do you love about China?

This is always one of the most difficult questions to answer because I can never put into words exactly why I love it so much!  It always seems that while living in China the most amazing and unexpected things happen – the other day I met up with my  language partner and we ended up at a fashion show! I love learning about Chinese history – in high school I never had the  opportunity to learn about history that wasn’t Western which is crazy because there is so much to learn about! China has so  much to offer and learning Chinese allows you to travel much more easily and see a country which has so many amazing  places to see. The kindness I have received from Chinese people will never be able to be repaid.

• Best opportunity learning Chinese has given you?

I started learning Chinese at high school and had never studied anything that I enjoyed as much as I enjoyed studying  Chinese. I think it is because of this that I applied to study Chinese at Oxford, somewhere I never would have dreamed of  applying to before. My thought process was: if I could move to China at the age of 18 then I could at least apply to Oxford?

• Do you have future plans involving Chinese?

I plan on coming back to China to work but I haven’t decided what type of job I want. I am currently considering coming back to do a business-or-politics-related-masters at Peking University or doing a law conversion degree before coming back. I see myself working in China for a long time after I finish studying.