Wudaokou Watch: "I'm Now a More Confident, Creative Problem Solver"

Welcome to Wudaokou Watch, where we profile a different Beijing-based student from abroad each week to hear about their life in China's capital. You can read the whole series here.

My name is Vera. I am from Coimbra in Portugal.

I was lucky to get a scholarship to come to BLCU for two years to improve my Chinese. 

Beijing has given me many opportunities to work and deal with people from different nationalities, cultures, and statuses. It also gives me the chance to speak Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, and Mandarin on the daily. For this reason and due to the fact that I like to communicate with people, I have had the opportunity to be a KOL or KOC for many products and services; I try them and if I like them I promote them on my social media. 

I honestly think Beijing is an amazing city and has a lot to offer but there is also a lot of competition. In my case, I rely on my family and close friends to give me the strength to keep on working on the projects that I started and that I love.

One of my favorite hangouts is the Lama temple. I don’t know why but every time I feel down, homesick or just that I need to find some peace, this is my place to be. On the other hand, I also like to go to Mix because I love to dance and I also enjoy hotel bars like Beersmith, Centro or Mei Bar. I love to enjoy live music and the bands are top quality and honestly the best places to meet up with other business people. 

When I'm feeling homesick, I love to cook Portuguese food but if I want a Portuguese restaurant, then I can also go to the one at the Legendale Hotel, Camões. I can find all the foods I miss there.

What I love most about Beijing is that it has a mixture of cultures and for this reason, you can access many different cuisines and work with people from literally any country. 

My most memorable Beijing experience has been working with amazing teams to make amazing events happen. I was lucky to work with Great Wall Music Festival and Grammy Music Festival. I have also planned and coordinated events that have become a brand such as Ink Festival at Beersmith, which has been happening once a month for almost a year. 

Since coming to Beijing, I am more confident and communicative and have learned how to be a more creative and immediate problem solver. I have grown to love Beijing and I can now proudly say that I am a Beijinger.

Smart, funny, easy-going, and creative people inspire me to keep up focusing on my goals. I would definitely love to keep cooperating with companies that trust my communications skills to help their businesses to grow.

READ: "Beijing Has Opened My Eyes to Opportunities"

Photos courtesy of Vera