A few years ago, I never thought I would come to China. I remember how the whole China idea began. It was in January 2012. One evening, as I was talking to my eldest sister, who was doing her masters degree, I had a thought to do my masters degree too. I shared the idea with her and she was very excited about it. She helped me through my application process. When the list of names came out, I had been selected to study my masters degree in Petroleum Engineering in China. That is how my China story began.
I prepared for my journey for weeks. There was so much to do. After the tedious (單调沉闷的) preparation, the long awaited day arrived.
On the first of September 2012, I arrived in China. I was very excited. It was my first time to visit the Asian continent. I remember walking out of the airport in Beijing. It was such a wonderful site.
I stayed in Beijing for a short time before moving to Wuhan city, where my university was located. Beijing was a very busy place, with lots of people and so much traffic. There were very many foreigners too. After the short stay in Beijing, I travelled to Wuhan by train.
I had a big problem while trying to settle down: language barrier. I had a lot to buy and many places to go to, but I could not even ask for directions. I was lucky there were some friendly people who helped me.
Every time I called my family back home, there was always something interesting to share. The beautiful scenery, the different cultures, the people, the weather, the dressing, the food; so many things were different. Back home, it isnt usual to see a lot of aged people in the city, unlike here, where the grandparents stay with their families in the city to take care of their grandchildren. My family always wanted to know if I had got a chance to meet the legendary “Jackie Chan”.
My school work was going on very well. I learnt my major in English, but some of my foreign friends were studying in Chinese.
I graduated after two years and then applied for a doctorate degree, for which I am currently studying.
So far, it has been a special experience for me. I have three more years to stay here and I hope I will enjoy them all.