My name is Elizabeth Natasha Mwambela. I'm 23 years old from Zambia. I'm a fifth year student in Xuzhou Medical University. I'm going to share my personal experiences in China for 4 years.

FIRST YEAR 2015-2016

I arrived in China on 28th September, 2015. I honestly had a lot of mixed feelings about coming to China. I didn't know what to expect and it was my first time to leave the country by myself. When I got in Xuzhou, the first people I met were very friendly and they helped me through the registration process.

The first days in China were exciting but challenging. Exciting because I was finally in university and about to study the course of my dreams. Challenging in that I could not understand the widely spoken language in China; Chinese. The food was different and spicier than my country food. All in all, I experienced a lot of culture shock.

First Year School Events

The first activity we had was the sports meeting. We represented Africa through dance. It was a very fun experience. The other event was the cultural food competition. People showcased their different dishes and it was very interesting to know how vast cultures are. We had a lot of fun events such as the welcoming ceremony and the Christmas gala and I participated in both events.

Personal first year events

A deep dive in the Chinese culture; I attended my first Chinese wedding and was so interesting. It was different from the way weddings are done in my country but it was a good experience.

I also had the privilege to attend a Chinese birthday party. It was very fun and exciting. We had a large variety of good food.     

The first football match I attended was in China University of Mining and Technology. It was very fun and thrilling. 

Heading to the football match

My Personal Thoughts on my First Year

I had the time of my life. I made a lot of new friends and I was taught a lot more about different cultures not only China but other countries too. It was also a very interesting time because I learnt a little bit of Chinese that enabled me to easily communicate with Chinese people. This made my life in China better.

SECOND YEAR (2016-2017)

Second year started out with so many expectations. It was the year we started learning serious medical subjects. This meant I needed to apply myself more and work harder than I did in my previous year. In all honesty, second year came with a lot of stress for me. I didn't have much time for myself as I decided to devote my time to my books. Not only was I facing challenges in my studies, my social life was falling apart too. I didn't participate much in school activities because I was trying to find myself. That year was an emotional roller coaster for me. Due to the challenges I was facing, I started being homesick and spent much time by myself. I wanted to be with my family so bad and this made me very sad. Eventually, I went home during the summer vacation and I got better with time.

My Personal Thoughts on My Second Year

Academically; this year was more challenging than my first year. I had a hard time balancing my time and working through the pressure of school. However, this challenging moment allowed me to find myself and learn to love and appreciate everything around me. I personally appreciate that moment because I got to grow and it made me stronger.

THIRD YEAR (2017-2018)

This academic year was better than the previous one. I had adapted well and I managed to make a lot of Chinese friends. In this year, I traveled to different cities in China. The experience I had in these cities was exciting. These cities are bigger than Xuzhou and have more foreigners. China has a lot of different sites so each city has something different to offer. I started to enjoy Chinese delicacies more than I did before.

I was also active and participated in school activities. I modeled for the farewell party for the 2012 batch and for the masters’ graduation.

My Personal Thoughts on my Third Year

It was a very fun year as I got to see new places and I managed to balance my academics and social life.

FOURTH YEAR (2018-2019)

This year felt short for me. It moved very fast. Academics were okay and life was just fine. Everything was moving smoothly. I did have ups and downs here and there but I managed to stay strong through it all.

My First Summer Vacation in China

For the first time I spent my summer vacation in China. I decided to use that vacation to travel. I first went to Shenyang for a week to visit my best friend. I then went to Qingdao with my friends. We saw the Qingdao Beer Museum, the Pier, the Beach and the Olympics Sailing Place.

In conclusion, China is generally a good place to study and also a fine destination to visit because this country has a lot of things to see.