Name: ANJALI ROY
Nationality: India
University: China Medical University
Location: Liaoning
I was sleeping on the cushion of clouds, sunlight scattered all over and I opened my eyes & saw that rainbow in the limitless sky expressing the gratitude & welcomed me....then my flight landed in China. They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This was a journey of learning, finding myself, meeting strangers, exploring new ideas & so on.
When I arrived in China and looked around it was fascinating like a reality of a dream. All over china is a mixture of technology and tradition and so is my college china medical university. College life is an integral part in everyone’s life as it is a small world that prepares you for the real world and indeed the best time one can experience.
As a student we are exposed to an ocean of challenges. Each individual learns to accept these challenges, work on them, develop strategies & plans, and motivate themselves to achieve success. My college is the same, it provides the training of the mind to think which helps to grow within ourselves. When I remember my campus, the first thing came to my mind is the love-hate relationship with the morning classes.
Sometimes students would look-like zombies in those early classes which is funny but what else to do, the struggle for attendance was real and inevitable. This battle that every student has to fight, I would love to do that again as those chilly mornings, the breeze touching my face and running into my hair reminded my existence in the campus.
The comfortable and safe environment of my college campus gave me an opportunity to get involved with the chinese students and other international students. Our campus had chinese corner where foreign students used to interact with chinese students which was very fun, we used to play lots of game with our chinese friends. This kind of interaction helped us a lot to learn new things about chinese culture and specially about life of chinese students. Everyday, learning a new chinese word was an accomplishment.
My favourite place was the college cafeteria, where we used to hangout after classes. The ambiance of cafeteria was astonishing. Students would eat, gossip, laugh, and bring a whole new energy in the surroundings. There were people from different origins like China, India, Nigeria, Korea, Thailand, south Africa, America, Egypt, UAE and so many other countries and these students brought their culture, their language, their traditional clothing and their food. The essence of beauty of diversity was all over the place.
I met new friends, they make my college life easier & fun despite of our brain squeezing lessons & busy schedules. People shared their knowledge and made me experience the best of the city. I learned so many new things and the conversations were so engaging. These conversations are what have been on my mind the most as I have looked back on these past 4 years what has brought me the most joy in this reflective period has been these relationships that will last even beyond graduation.
I remember when I experienced my first snowfall, it was pure, flawless & calm. I found a certain level of peace. Peace that tells you, “ you belong here...so, just breathe”. Everyone did accepted me with open arms. People showered the love and warmth. As a foreigner, you want to be loved by natives that is important in our journey.
While talking to my chinese friends I got to know that richness of chinese culture is similar to my home country india which tells us, our roots and rituals are important in one’s life as it keeps one grounded and helps in personal growth because when roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind. By travelling to foreign country, made me realize that the most essential thing we share is HUMANITY.
On regular days we forget these things and its worth but one should keep this in mind no matter where we are, humanity is always within ourselves and it is most powerful. No matter what language we speak, we may have different food, festivals, belief, however heart speaks for itself. Campus life is a journey with so many options.
A world to discover, dreams to chase, goals to reach, people to meet & lot of unexpected events. From my professors, to the staff, to my classmates, & friends that I now cherish so deeply, I am not embellishing when i say that this place began to feel like home once i found my people. It made me more confident with time. College molds you as the person you will be in the future. These SPACES, PLACES & FACES have truly left a lasting mark on me, all I can feel is immense gratitude.
