50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 195 Boarding
A few minutes later, they heard gunshots in the distance in the terminal hall, and then everything returned to calm.

After more than ten minutes, security personnel slowly returned to the terminal from the security checkpoint.

Sun Zhiwei guessed that the airport security must have solved the problem, otherwise, the pace of these returning security personnel would not be so relaxed.

He relayed his observations to several people, who immediately looked at the security personnel.

Sure enough, they also found that the security guards all looked relaxed, and some were chatting and laughing with each other, so they felt relieved.

Because of the tension just now, everyone felt a little urgent to pee, so they asked each other if they wanted to go to the bathroom.

Sun Zhiwei looked at the wall clock and found that there was still time, so he went to the toilet with them. The toilet here really was charged, so Sun Zhiwei let them go in first and he paid at the end.

He paid with one of the £2 notes and got some change back.

There were no further incidents and they arrived safely in London that afternoon.

At the London airport, they were greeted by officials from the embassy's Cultural Counselor's Office.

They were welcomed into the embassy and temporarily accommodated, after which they were split into two groups.

Sun Zhiwei is studying a language major. He will go directly to Cambridge to study linguistics at the University of Cambridge.

Shen Xun and the other three were all majoring in science and engineering. Since they already had a university foundation, they could have directly entered the university laboratory.

However, their language shortcomings cannot be made up by just two months of intensive training in China.

Therefore, the embassy has found a language school for them to study English in the ancient city of Colchester, 80 kilometers northeast of London.

The town of Cambridge is located in the east of London, about 70 to 80 kilometers away from the center of London, which is about the same distance as the ancient city of Colchester from London.

On the contrary, the distance between Cambridge and Colchester is only 60 kilometers, which is even closer.

But both places are not suitable for daily travel from London, and they cannot return to the embassy every day after they start studying.

So, the four people who went to Colchester were divided into two groups and arranged to live in the homes of two local people.

Sun Zhiwei was arranged to live in the home of a Cambridge employee, and also ate and slept in someone else's home.

At this time, everyone, including embassy staff, was required to travel in pairs, which means that whenever they went out, they had to go with at least two people.

But they certainly won't be able to meet this requirement after they start their studies. Sun Zhiwei is fine, as there are many more language learners coming later, so he's only one person in the initial stage.

The people from the science and engineering department are not in the same school or workplace, so it is impossible for two people to go together.

They became the most special people in London who did not have to abide by the rule of traveling in pairs. Of course, Sun Zhiwei could also enjoy this treatment in the first few months until the new classmates arrived.

Before leaving for school, the embassy held a meeting with them, focusing on discipline issues.

There are several key points, one of which is the detailed regulations regarding living expenses.

The daily meal expenses are 66 pence (1 pound = 100 pence), breakfast is 16 pence, and lunch and dinner are 50 pence in total. Accounts must be kept every day and the account books must be handed in when returning home.

Accommodation expenses can be reimbursed from living expenses, but transportation expenses can only be reimbursed for the monthly subway ticket between the two stations where you live and where you work.

Their monthly allowance is £6.3, which can buy about a carton of cigarettes locally. Of course, cigarettes are more expensive in London. In fact, according to the agreement, the UK is responsible for the students' expenses in London. These funds are deposited into their bank accounts monthly by the London Cultural and Educational Association, totaling £84.

Whatever they save is handed over, amounting to around £20-30.

Secondly, there are clear restrictions on what kind of TV programs overseas students can watch. They are only allowed to watch news, sports, and political commentary programs, and are not allowed to watch TV entertainment programs.

They didn't care about this. They didn't have enough time to study, so how could they have time to watch TV? International students who had never been tempted by TV programs didn't even think about watching TV.

Third, there are also regulations regarding foreign exchanges. You are not allowed to talk to polar bears or people on the islands. You need to report if you are invited to a banquet by foreigners, etc.

Fourth, regarding the issue of study, everyone is required to return to the embassy once a month for concentrated study and organizational life meetings.

After completing their studies, they went to two different places to start their study life.

Sun Zhiwei's host family is Susan, a single woman in her 50s. She works as a cleaner at Cambridge University and only needs to work two or three hours a day.

She has a daughter who is currently studying in another city. Before Sun Zhiwei, her family already had a boarding student from Germany.

The embassy sent a car to take him to Aunt Susan's house that day. After getting to know Susan, he felt that Susan was a very nice person, very warm and enthusiastic, and did not discriminate against the Chinese.

Of course, this could also be because he gave money.

The tuition for the aristocratic school her daughter attends is very expensive, and Aunt Susan is struggling to make ends meet, otherwise she would not have allowed foreign students to stay as boarding students.

Susan arranged a room with a balcony on the second floor for him. It faced south and had good lighting.

Then Susan introduced him to the household items and some of them he could use freely, but he had to clean up afterward.

For example, kitchen and bathroom supplies, as well as appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines.

What other things require payment, such as televisions and fitness equipment?

Because there was a German student studying at home, Susan allocated one layer of the refrigerator specifically for his use, so they kept to themselves and there was no need to worry about things being taken by mistake.

Sun Zhiwei simply packed up his room and went to the school with his ID to register. Susan's house was almost on campus, not far from the Cambridge University office building.

The procedure was rather complicated. By the time he had completed the admission formalities and been assigned a tutor, it was already quite late, so he had to find a place to eat outside.

Originally, Sun Zhiwei had always thought that the embassy's regulations were not a big problem, but when he learned about the food prices in London, he knew that something was wrong.

The stipulated daily meal allowance of 66 pence is not enough. 16 pence for breakfast is still acceptable, but the money for lunch and dinner is definitely not enough to eat out. You can only eat your fill by sharing a meal with the family you are staying with.

Sun Zhiwei estimated that this might have been a deliberate arrangement by the embassy.

He hurriedly bought two sandwiches and a bottle of Coke at a restaurant in town and returned to Susan's house.

The cheapest sandwich was 10 pence each, and a bottle of Coke was 2 pence. In total, he spent 22 pence, which was almost over budget.

After having lunch in his room, he found Susan and told her that he hoped to have meals with her in the future. Aunt Susan became even more enthusiastic towards him.

(End of this chapter)