Wudaokou Watch: "I Only Miss My Wife and Kids"

In this Wudaokou Watch column, we'll profile a different Beijing-based student from abroad each week to hear about their life in China's capital.

What is your name and where do you come from?
My name is Zachary Omariba, a student at USTB doing my doctorate degree in computer science and technology. I'm from Kenya.

Why did you come to Beijing?
I got a scholarship through the Chinese government to pursue my PhD.

How is life in Beijing different from your home country?
Life in Beijing is a very fast-paced city but attractive to live in. This is one of the fastest-paced metro cities in the world and indeed, you can be caught up with time if you are not careful. In many instances, if you are traveling around the city, you can get lost and it is up to you to navigate your way out, as natives cannot help you since there are usually language barrier issues. I can say that my life in Beijing is full of ups and downs. You can be made happy by many of its attractive infrastructures but the climate is shockingly bad. The air quality is so poor that you cannot dream of bringing a younger family member here. The cold and hot seasons are equally intolerable if you are not used to them.

What are the biggest challenges for you here?
At first, it was rough communicating with the locals but nowadays I am used to the system. However, I can profess again that still I get lost in this city if my mobile data bundle goes off or if my phone runs out of power or whenever I have no Wi-Fi connection. This can become expensive, to the point where I must look for the nearest subway or take a taxi back to school. Another challenge here is that to buy things online you must own a bank account and maybe connect to WeChat money or Alipay, which deters many of my friends who visit me from doing any business transactions online.

What are your three favorite hangouts here?
I often visit Indian Kitchen and Eden Restaurant in Sanlitun and the Western Mahua branch in Wudaokou.

What do you do when you are feeling homesick?
I have been away from home and have traveled to a number of other Asian countries where I have stayed for some time. So I don’t feel really some homesick. I only miss my wife and kids, but thanks to technology we video chat almost daily and that makes me feel closer to them. However, as one old adage says, 'East, West, home's best.' I miss my local cuisine, and it is what prompts me to visit the abovementioned restaurants to eat some meals close to my local Kenyan cuisine. Eden’s Restaurant makes many dishes which are purely African, although not very close to my cuisine.

What do you love most about Beijing?
I love Beijing because of its planning and modern infrastructure. The transport system and buildings are so nice and well maintained, and so efficient unlike many cities in the world. The spacing of these facilities is also up to the mark. The security system is so efficient that it even deters criminals from joking around or committing a crime. In fact, if you commit a crime you can be assured that Big Brother is watching.

What is your most memorable Beijing experience?
My memorable experience is when I first used the subway from Wudaokou to Wangjing South subway station. I spent four hours and I did not reach my destination. I was going to and from, and the journey required me to change the subway lines. But on alighting I thought I had changed the line, only to realize that I had taken the opposite train back to where I was coming from. I kept on doing that until I was tired, hungry, and angry with the system.

How has the life in Beijing impacted you?
Life in Beijing has taught me the lesson that every penny counts. If you misuse the little money you have, be prepared for the worst. I like to take good care of myself with hope not to fall sick because if the worst happens, the cost of medication and hospitalization is very high in Beijing.

What are your future plans after completion of your course here?
I am planning to enroll in Chinese lessons so that I can perfect the language with the hope that one day I can come to look for greener pastures here.

READ: China to Relax Employment Laws for International Students

Are you a student in Beijing? Let us profile you and your unique experiences here. Drop us a line at editor@thebeijinger.com and we’ll get back to you to schedule an interview.

Photos courtesy of Zachary Omariba