Nguyen Thi Phuong[Vietnam]

In 2009, I won a scholarship of 165 projects in Vietnam’s Political Department to study in China for three years. From September 2009 to July 2010, I studied Chinese at Guangxi University of Nationalities. From September 2010 to July 2012, I studied at Guangxi Normal University for master degree. For me, three years of studying in China is the best and most unforgettable time of my life. After graduation,those tough but happy days in China always pass through my mind, and I miss the kindness of Chinese teacher education and the help of Chinese friends so much.

In September 2009, I came to Guangxi University for Nationalities for studying Chinese. All 16 students in our class were Vietnamese cadres who were sent to China for Chinese learning by the Organization Department of Vietnam and they prepared for further study to gain the master degree and doctoral degree in China. Our class is a special class,because the age of the students in our class is more than thirty years old. For most students, Chinese is a relatively new language, so the leadership of Guangxi University of Nationalities particular concern for our class. Our teachers are very experienced in the Guangxi University of Nationalities. We have classes every morning and afternoon,and sometimes teachers arrange us to have the evening class. In order to improve the level of our Chinese and our HSK scores, two months before we took the examination of HSK, the university divided our class into four groups, and each group was tutored by one teacher. In addition to formal lessons every day, we all attend tutorial with tutors. Thanks to the hard work of teachers and our own efforts, our class got very good HSK scores that year, and the whole class got the HSK level 4, and some of the students were able to pass the level 6 or 7.

In order to give the warm and happy life to foreigners,sometimes teachers took us to visit the night scenery in the center of Nanning, go to watch the performance of Zhuang’s traditional culture and experience the Guangxi countryside farmer’s production and life. Sometimes the teachers cook Chinese food for us, teach us to make dumplings, and tell us the custom and origin of Chinese people eating dumplings on New Year’s eve.

Nguyen Thi Phuong (the third from left) and the Students TookA Group Photo with the Liziba Station.Pictures are provided by Chongqing Culture and Art Vocational College

Guangxi University for Nationalities, I was deeply impressed by the experience that once when I was hospitalized with a fever. During the hospitalization, the Dean of College of International Education, my class teacher and all the teachers instructed me often came to visit me. This incident made me particularly moved, and that warm feeling will be remembered for the rest of my life.

In September 2010, I came to Guangxi Normal University to study for a master’s degree in sociology. I was deeply impressed by the first day when I came to the school. I remembered that the teacher from the law school sent a sister who shares the same major with me to help me deal with the admission procedures, clean up the apartment, and take me to get familiar with the school environment. Along the way, the enthusiasm of the sister deeply warmed me, a student from a foreign country, which suddenly increased our intimacy.

Since I am the only international student in my class,and my Chinese is not very good, the teachers are very concerned about me when lecturing. During the learning,my classmates also gave me a lot of help. They not only helped me correct the mistakes in the papers, but also often came to my room to cook Chinese and Vietnamese food, and taught me the Chinese tea culture.

In order to let me better understand Chinese culture,my classmates often send me specialties from their hometown. What is still memorable is that a student from Gansu Province sent me youcha(fried teas boiled with bovine bone marrow) and told me the difference between that (tea with fried rice) from Gongcheng of Guilin and that from Lanzhou of Gansu. My monitor is from Henan, so I got the opportunity to taste the special roast duck. A girl from Anhui gave me the tea produced in the former Taiping County. Before returning to Vietnam,the whole class went to Yangshuo for sightseeing. We went shopping, climbing, cycling, and appreciating the scenery of Yangshuo and the beautiful night scenery...The beautiful and unforgettable memories are impressed upon my mind.

My master’s supervisor is a young teacher. It is quite painstaking to give guidance to me because of the language barrier, but the teacher is very patient with me,by not only helping me find learning materials, but also often discussing with me about the academic issues.With his help and support, I topped in the thesis defense within the class. It is unforgettable that before I returned to Vietnam, the supervisor and his family specially invited me to have a farewell dinner. The kindness of Chinese teachers and students offered to me will always be remembered by me.