Ifeoma Amuche, a Nigerian and student of Southwest University, China, who emerged as one of the best-graduating students of the school shares her experience about learning Mandarin language and settling down in China

Ifeoma from Oko Local Government Area of Anambra State who graduated as one of the best-graduating students at Southwest University, China, where she studied Chinese Language and Literature said she was happy to be one of the best-graduating students and her four years of hard work at the university paid off.

“Coming online to see that my phone was buzzing and everyone was speaking about me, I was thrilled. It was surreal and overwhelming because I never believed the speech I delivered here in China would travel back home before me. I thank God for that.

“It was not easy for me, especially living all alone for the first time. I had to start adjusting to a life I never experienced. So, it wasn’t very easy but I soon learnt to adjust. Also, for the meal times, there were times I missed lunch especially because here in China, their cultures are different. They have stipulated time for eating, unlike Nigeria where you eat at your disposal. Breakfast is taken around 5am or 6am, lunch is taken around 11 am or 12 noon.

“The beautiful thing about it is the fact that at this period, there is a cluster and a good number of people at all of these restaurants, but this is not the case back home. So, it was not easy to adjust. It wasn’t too difficult for me. We had other international students and some understood English which made it easy. We had people from Thailand, Ethiopia, Madagascar, etcetera. I had to learn what to say and what not to say to them, but by the time I was in my Part Two, I already learnt all of these and it became easier,” she said. (Story adapted from The PUNCH)

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