My name is Dewi Syaroh Alam, with Chinese name of 阿拉美, derived from my last name. I study in Nanjing Tech University, majoring in Economics and International Trade. I am the youngest of four siblings. One of my elder brothers is also in China, pursuing his bachelor degree in Zhejiang University of Science and Technology. I was born and grew up in quite a rural area in Central Java, Indonesia, but it never stopped me from having big dreams in life: one of them is to study overseas. Though some people said it is impossible, I could manage to prove them that it is not, and here is the story of my dream comes true: living and studying in Jiangsu.

This story began when I was about to graduate from High School and started to think of my future study. I discussed a lot with my brother who has previously come to China. He told me so many things about his life as an international student in Zhejiang. I fell in love with the story as it motivated me to experience overseas study and thus, I was truly interested to follow his paths. However, as time went by, there was always a doubt about whether or not I could really make that dream come true, until I then I received an admission notice from Nanjing Tech University that offered me a full Jiangsu Provincial Jasmine Scholarship. It felt like I was going to have the time of my life, and I said to myself: “Dewi, you’re going to China!”

As I took the offer, I had to prepare everything before my departure to the new city I would be living in. It was so exciting, and at some points tiring. Yet, I kept telling myself that in order to achieve a big dream, every effort would worth doing. My flight for Nanjing was on September 17th, 2018, departed from Ahmad Yani Airport (Semarang), transited at Changi International Airport (Singapore) for almost 15 hours, before finally touching down at Nanjing Lukou International Airport on the next day. From this journey alone, I could observe various things, such as seeing people from different ethnics, their customs and the languages they used, and the advancement of facilities that I have not got in my hometown. Frankly, it was my first time going out of Central Java area.

Arriving in Pukou District, I thought I was in another planet because people talked very fast and all the words just sounded foreign to me, though I previously have got some time learning Mandarin Chinese. That first impression soon moved to many other impressions I found in my first weeks living in school dormitory, including the weather, of which I never had in Indonesia: fall. I was surprised that it seemed to be always cold during days and nights when it came to October, and it got colder and colder until the time of winter. At first, it was quite hard for my body to adapt since we do not have such low temperature seasons in Indonesia.

Time flew fast. It felt like yesterday, but in fact months have passed since I took my first step in the mainland. I love Nanjing Tech University so much because it is so comfortable to study here, and I could say that it even exceeds my expectation of a dream university. Nanjing Tech University is enormous as there are many trees and parks which make the air fresh and cool. I like strolling around my campus and spending my time at a library near the lake located at the center of the campus. Apart from the beauty of the university, I have got wonderful experiences when I visited some beautiful places in Jiangsu, such as 夫子庙 fuzimiao, 老门东 laomendong, 新接口 xinjiekou, and 玄武湖 xuwanwuhu lake. I am very happy to be here for every surprising thing that that it gives to me.

One of my goal to study overseas is to make relations with people from all over the world, so as an international student in Nanjing Tech University, I made a lot of friends with fellow international students and local students. However, because international students are considered minority in the campus, I felt like I built more kinship with them. We help each other, cheer each other up when one is sad, and strengthen each other when facing problems. The first year living in China was difficult for me. I learned to use chopsticks, get used to Chinese food, communicate in Mandarin. Furthermore, l had to hold my longing for my Indonesian family. As a Muslim, my faith was also challenged. In daily life I wear long clothes and hijab (veil) which cover my body and hair, many people often look at me strangely and some of them even ask me if I have hair, why my hair is covered, etc. Luckily, everything was fine after a little explanation is given.

I always dream of having my own business, and I have found hopes in Jiangsu. I saw there are many opportunities that I can possibly take to start a business in China. Yet, I still need to master Mandarin and deepen my understanding on Chinese business atmosphere so I could help myself when dealing with the people. It might be another big dream that others would have some doubt on me, but if I do not have faith about myself, who will? My dream to study in China was achieved by the support of Jiangsu Province, and I believe that, sooner or later, my other dreams would also come true.