Bayarsaikhan Mandukhai comes from Mongolia, and is a graduate student at Huaqiao majoring in Chinese International Education.

The fast development of China’s economy, urban prosperity as well as profound traditional culture have made Bayarsaikhan greatly interested in the customs and conditions of China, which made her determined to study in China. Now, she enjoys her life at Jilin International Studies University (JISU)

Huaqiao, a place for dreams to come into being

Bayarsaikhan didn’t know about Chinese characters and China until she becamea Chinese translation major student. She fell in love with Chinese quickly, and in order to learn Chinese well, she decided to come to China.

However, she knew that she was not prepared enough to study in China while so many people all around the world have the same idea.

Bayarsaikhan tried her best to learn Chinese, and after 4 years of study, she had progressed a lot and passed the relevant certification examination of Chinese. Finally, she came to study at Huaqiao after lots of research and inquiry on the internet.

Travelling abroad alone was a challenge for Bayarsaikhan. Although she was interested in all new things, she felt lonely and helpless in regards to the unfamiliar environment. Bayarsaikhan told herself that she couldn’t give up. She said that “being relaxed and brave toward difficulties is the first lesson for her in China as well as the belief she must follow throughout her life.”

Learning to adapt and grow

In regards to her experience of her studentlife, she is highly proud of being a student at Huaqiao for the blooming lotus, fresh air as well as the blue sky around the campus.

Since coming to China, Bayarsaikhan realized that she had many difficulties in communicating with teachers and classmates. In Mongolia, she was confident in her progress in Chinese, but being immersed in the language atmosphere at Huaqiao, she began to doubt her Chinese level and her choice.

Bayarsaikhan said that she didn’t understand what some of her teachers said in class during the first two weeks, which made her homesick and depressed. Luckily, she cheered up and tried to find a solution.

Bayarsaikhan began to preview each lesson, recall and deeply think after class about the points the teacher had said. She also caught up with her classmates and communicated with them more fluently. She thanked her teachers and classmates for encouraging and helping her make such great progress in Chinese.

Concerning the difference between eating habits of Mongolia and China, Bayarsaikhan joked that at first she couldn’t adapt to the environment very well. She enjoys meat very much, just like many people in her country, however, Chinese people seemed to eat more vegetables and fruits so there was less meat in the restaurants. But when Bayarsaikhan was asked whether the restaurant should add more meat or not, she shook her head and said, “Chinese eating habits are so balanced that she wants to have a further comprehension of Chinese culture so as to quickly adjust to her new life.”

Bayarsaikhan could organize her life and study better in her second semester at Huaqiao. She said that she enjoyed the atmosphere and environment in the International Exchange Center, enjoyed the time with work and coffee, the movies and TV shows in her spare time, and she even found her favorite Chinese singer. Bayarsaikhan has learned more and more about China and now she is trying her best to study and learn at Huaqiao.

Best experiences and memories 

For Bayarsaikhan, she has had lots of fun at Huaqiao. Each activity, challenge and experience is an opportunity for her in her academic career. It seems that time flies, and she deeply loves Huaqiao and China.

“In order to help us experience a good atmosphere and know about the deep cultural traditions and customs of Chinese festivals, teachers used a lot of different methods to celebrate the festivals with us,” she said. Among them, she likes Spring festival and Mid-Autumn festival most.

Spring Festival is the grandest festival in China, and Bayarsaikhan said,“During Spring festival, people play and have dumplings made by themselves in China, she enjoys it very much, and at the same time, the joy reminds her of her family and friends in Mongolia. Mid-Autumn Festival is also a reunion festival and she received mooncakes from her Chinese friends, which made her warm and happy.

At Huaqiao, Bayarsaikhan has taken part in many contests. She takes pride in gaining the second prize in the Chinese Reading Contest. She thanked her classmates who provided great help for her preparation in selecting reading material and making relevant background information as well as music.

Bayarsaikhan was busy having classes during the contest, however, the love for Chinese language and literaturedrove her to practice from time to time, and in return, she achieved success in the end.

Bayarsaikhan is also interested in Chinese Tai Chi. “I practiced Tai Chi with my classmates, and we took part in a Tai Chi contest. At first, I didn’t know about Tai Chi, and felt that it was so difficult to practice. I felt excited and joyful after I was familiar with it.Therefore, I hope I can take part in many more parties and activities with Chinese characteristics,” she said.

Bayarsaikhan said, “I have enjoyed myself at Huaqiao by learning traditional Chinese culture and customs, and I would like to bring them back to my hometown. In the future, I hope to be a teacher in order tolet more children know about the profound Chinese culture and learn Chinese.”