We had the pleasure to attend Hogeschool van Amsterdam thanks to ESIC BUSINESS SCHOOL with all our classmates, we were anxious to meet the other students from the different ESIC sites.We were very excited to get to know the school’s facilities, and willing to learn from the professionals in front of us to learn more about the Chinese economy.
We must say that our expectations were high and the experience exceeded them.
MONDAY
On the first day of class, all the students came in and there was a very positive atmosphere in the classroom. They gave us an introduction about how the week was going to go and what we were going to do that day. The teacher came in and dazzled us with a lecture about Chinese economic development macroeconomic policies. We learned about how China is changing from export-driven to Consumer – driven, we learned about Angus Maddison and Justin Yifu Lin. And the 5 years plan that China Had in Mao’s Era. We found the class very enriching, and felt that we really learned about China’s policies.
We then had a lunch break and rest and then headed to the ABN-AMRO bank, where we received a talk about the bank’s sustainable policies and how China manages its financial assets in the world.
After this experience, the students went to the center to get to know each other better. Then we all went together to the restaurant where a delicious Chinese meal was waiting for us, so that we could get to know Chinese culture better.
TUESDAY
We started the morning attending class and the highlight and enrichment of this day from our point of view were the last 45 minutes of class, in which we had the opportunity to learn the Chinese language. For many of us it was a pleasant surprise as well as a great challenge since, depending on the tone used and the emphasis, we may be saying totally different things. At mid-morning we had the privilege of attending the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, dedicated to art, crafts and history. It has the most famous collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings as well as a rich collection of Asian and Egyptian art. The Rijksmuseum houses significant works by almost all the great Dutch masters from the 15th to 17th centuries.
It is worth visiting the Rijksmuseum, to see all the works of Flemish painters. It is advisable to take the audio guide since with it you can hear the explanation of each work in your language (which is numbered) or choose a tour of the most outstanding. If you want to see the entire museum, contemplate the works and hear the corresponding explanation, the visit can last about three hours. It is totally worth it and we consider it a highly recommended visit.
WEDNESDAY
On this day we had an enriching three-hour class on China’s economic development as well as its thought patterns. In the afternoon we had one of the most anticipated and desired visits by all of us, in which we had the privilege of learning more about the Huawei company. During this experience we had two talks, in the first we were able to learn more about the strategies they carry out and their organization through the company’s own workers. In the second, they explained to us in more detail how the company controls and studies any detail to get to know its client better and offer them a better product. The day ended in the best possible way for all of us who are football lovers. Arriving at the hotel we found an incredible atmosphere, because the A. F. C. Ajax played that same night a match in which in the case of winning they were proclaimed league champion. Many of the Esic students went to the outskirts of the stadium and were able to watch the game in bars in the area, becoming one more fan of the Dutch team.
THURSDAY
In our fourth session, we finished to learn important Chinese concept as “Guānxi” or “liǎn”, that refer to a complex concept of personal relationships and honour, respectively. After that, we continued our Chinese lessons, and we have no need to say more than we finished singing a traditional Chinese song, in Chinese!
In the afternoon, we went to the city centre to make a boat trip through the canals of Amsterdam. We were lucky because the weather was fantastic. A picture is worth a thousand words, so we show you one of the numerous places we saw from the boat. After the hour it took us the trip, we strolled around the city. It was a really nice day.
FRIDAY
In our last day in the morning, we did assessments and reviews about our experience in Amsterdam. It was cool because apart from the tests, we were able to talk with teachers about which things were being good and bad. After that moment we were free to do whatever we wanted, in our case we went to the city centre to buy some souvenirs to our families. Personally, I bought local cheese and some tulips for my family.
In the evening we went to a pub near to the city centre, it belonged to our university, but it was located in another campus. There, each of us had a free ticket of 30€ for food or drink. The music was great, with a DJ playing hip-hop and techno music.
We had the best time in Amsterdam, and we are really thankful to ESIC to let us have this experience