The night view of the Great Tang All Day Mall in Qujiang New District, Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (PHOTO:VCG)

By Mwelwa Lombe

I had just finished taking my final exam in college when my family called me and told me that I had been accepted to study in China. With great excitement, I got home and saw my admission notice from Northwestern Polytechnic University (NPU) in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. I could not believe that I would be joining my brother and studying abroad. Not knowing much about China, I put my apprehension aside, collected my visa and flew over on November 13, 2015.

Modern image

The surprise for me was how modern China was. When I arrived at the airport,  I could not believe this was the China I had always imagined. On TV and in movies, China was so traditional, with ancient houses and buildings and people wearing robes. However, to my surprise, everyone was dressed Western-style. The buildings and roads are different from my preconception, with many high-rises and futuristic architecture. China is so beautiful, and I wondered why that was not shown to the outside world. I also realized that Chinese are humble, creative, intelligent, and hardworking.

My campus life

When I first came to China, my fellow international students and I lived freely and happily, traveling anywhere without restrictions. In 2017, I moved to Guangxi province to do my bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. I still enjoyed adventures and international travel. I traveled to many places.

In 2018, I was selected to participate in the Belt & Road and BRICS Skill Development & Technology Innovation Competition in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province and won the Third Prize at the First Mold Digital Design and Intelligent Manufacturing Skill Competition. I interned at the university and worked as vice president and president of the International Students Association for four years. The extracurricular activities were challenging, but they made me learn a lot about Chinese culture, and I started to play the role of a bridge between the international office and international students.

I am currently a master student in Public Management at China Agricultural University (CAU). Studying at CAU is my dream that comes true. I never imagined that I would have such a great experience. After arriving at CAU, I have participated in various seminars, such as the Sustainable Development Forum 2021, Rural Revitalization and Grain Saving S&T Exhibition, and  "1+1+1"' Poverty Reduction Case Competitions the Global A5 Forum and other activities. They provided great chances for me to enlarge my global perspectives. CAU changes my life and way of thinking by broadening my understanding of China-Africa relations and what we as Africans can learn from China.

What I learned from these experiences

If you want to succeed in all that you do in a foreign country, you must immerse yourself in the culture and learn the language. I learned shrewdness, persistence, humility, self-dependence, determination, and consistency from the Chinese people, seeing China as my second home. I have also learned that do it yourself if you want something done. When the pandemic broke out I remained in China. It was terrifying for me at first because I did not know what to do. However, with China's robust policies and optimism in a new era, despite the tough time everyone has gone through, one day, life will return to normal. Our hope and faith will pull us through.

Mwelwa Lombe is from Zambia. This article belongs to the Outcome of 2021 MA Teaching Project "PBL Pedagogy on China Experience Sharing" by Li Li, Associate Professor, CIDGA, CAU.