Wudaokou Watch: "One Thing I Miss About Home is Kenyan Coffee, the Best in the World!"

Welcome to Wudaokou Watch, where we profile a different Beijing-based international student each week (we eventually aim to feature a student from every country in the world) to hear about their life in China's capital. You can read the whole series here.

My name is Peter Ltekunoi. I am from Kenya, a country in East Africa, famed for its scenic landscapes and vast wildlife preserves. The country's diverse wildlife and panoramic geography draw large numbers of European and North American visitors, which leads tourism being an important contributor to Kenya's economy.

I am an undergraduate student studying political science and public administration at the China University of Political Science and Law. I've got great passion for leadership.

One thing I miss about home is Kenyan coffee, which is among the best coffee in the world. Many people around the world don't know that the origin of the coffee they consume is Kenya. Especially the Kenya AA (a coffee grading term), as it's used to increase the quality of other countries' coffee varieties.

One long-held belief of mine that has changed since I have moved to Beijing is about the supposedly fake Chinese products. Before I came here I used to believe that everything that came from China was fake. I was in for a rude shock, as I came to release that it was the opposite; everything depends on your pocket, and quality goes with price.

If I could become a Chinese citizen, I would not, as I am very patriotic to my country; I came here to study, and nothing else. I will never trade my citizenship for anything whatsoever.

One great Beijing thing that everyone should experience before they die is visiting the Great Wall, one of China's wonders of the world. It's the best and first place to visit in China, especially for people staying in Beijing. One of the most interesting things about it, I read in a love story of a Chinese girl who had lost her lover during the construction of the Great Wall.

The best thing about Beijing life that I'll miss back home is school football games. I will miss that feeling of competition, representing our college of international students and also enjoying the weekends with my country mates cooking our Kenyan food.

A custom, policy, or law in China that I admire, and would like to enact back in your home country is Chinese public services. As a political science student, I just admire how the Chinese public service especially public offices and health facilities, services deliverance are systematic, no long queues. I also wish my country people could adapt the kind of patriotism and love for your own country, being a collective instead of individualistic.

One custom/policy/law from my home that China could benefit from is the law that bans the usage of plastic bags. This law protects the environment, especially the waterways because the plastics papers are non-biodegradable, and it does not decompose in the soil.

One Beijing mistake I'll never make again is accepting any present or a drink from an unfamiliar Chinese person, especially a lady, around the Tiananmen Square area. They have conned a lot of people.

Five years from now, if everything meets my expectations, I hope that I will be finishing my doctorate in the field of political science and law. That has been my dream since childhood.

If I could give my pre-China self some advice, it would be to learn the Chinese language before coming to China and a bit of their culture because it helps you to integrate into Chinese society.

READ: Waimai and Kuaidi Delivery People are My Chinese Unsung Heroes!

Images courtesy of Peter Ltekunoi