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Their new journey starts from Tsinghua
Tsinghua University has welcomed its new international undergraduate and graduate students this semester. Coming from various parts of the world, they share the same identity now : a Tsinghua student.
Sam: I hope to form long-lasting friendships
My name is Sahand Sabour, and you can call me Sam. As my father has been working in China since 2010, I decided to pursue my further studies in China. To my surprise, I adapted to the Chinese lifestyle more quickly than I had expected. I found a lot of similarities in the culture and lifestyle between my country and China, making my journey to China not much of a culture shock. Seeing me comfortably adapt in China, my parents sometimes joke that I am a “Chinese born in Iran”. To help newcomers better cope with life in China, I have been running my own WeChat public account where I write articles about culture shock, sharing my perspectives on a potential fix. I want to encourage students to have conversations, grow closer to each other, and form more intimate and long-lasting friendships.
Alvin: I learned not only how, but also why
I’m Alvin from Palembang, Indonesia. Since I was young, I heard a lot about Tsinghua University, but I never thought one day I would be part of it. Getting into Tsinghua is a surprise, but also a big opportunity for me to move forward in life. This semester, I am taking my courses online, a completely new learning experience. Teachers at Tsinghua are not only teaching me how to deal with problems, but also guiding me how to dive deep into the subjects of my interest. However, I am eager to return to campus and study in the classroom together with my classmates. Having chosen courses such as Chinese Characters and Culture and Understanding of Chinese Social and Cultural Development, I hope I can feel closer to China and Tsinghua so that the charm behind Chinese culture may bring me more surprises.
Yulia: I have found the university I belong to
I’m Yulia, a freshman in the School of Humanities. When I moved to Beijing from St. Petersburg with my parents ten years ago, I couldn't speak a single word of Chinese. Soon, I became obsessed with Chinese cartoons. Watching them became my first step towards learning a new language. Obtaining a new language made a foreign country feel more like home. After watching the Tsinghua Admissions Promo Video, I immediately reposted the video to my WeChat moments. This marked the start of my journey to Tsinghua. From then on, I began to prepare the application materials. I desired to be a Tsinghua student so badly that every single insignificant detail, to me, was an absolute priority—everything had to be done perfectly. Now, I have come to Tsinghua, the place of my dreams. I am nervous about the challenges ahead but I’m prepared to pass them with flying colors. I’m excited to meet the most talented people from all around the world and find out what I can do to contribute to our world.
Miguel: I cross boundaries of discipline here
I’m Miguel. I come from an Asian family but I was raised in Spain. I decided to attend Tsinghua to learn more about Chinese education, philosophy, critical thinking, and China’s adept automation industry. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are yet to return to campus. However, Tsinghua prepared an online global summer school and a transition week so that we can know more about the university life. As I am taking online classes, teachers have been very considerate, asking us regularly if we can hear them, giving us every resource that they have, and providing us with the opportunity to watch replays with bullet screens to ensure that students in different time zones can access the content conveniently. I hope that the pandemic will end soon so that we can go to Tsinghua to start our new journey where our dreams have just started, experience the mix of different cultures in a single class, and join a variety of clubs.
Source: Tsinghua University |
