My story in China
By Ali Raza Shaikh | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-08-03 14:26
From childhood, it was my dream to study abroad, to contribute to the world’s economic and scientific development. The dream became stronger as I began excelling academically and became a real possibility when I was awarded an international scholarship by the Chinese government. It was the best moment of my life to be given such a great opportunity to pursue master’s studies in Jiangsu University. I always wanted to be a part of a competitive research environment to develop something novel and that’s how I my life in China began.
In September 2018, I left Pakistan for China and have now completed almost one year in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province. I think it's one of the best cities in the world. The people of Zhenjiang are very pleasant and kind.
The China-Pakistan relationship is very strong and I came to China considering it as my second homeland. Although, I faced many challenges, including language barrier and home food, I faced these challenges head on.
The first time I came to China, I did not understand Chinese, and I missed my family very much. It's hard for me to adapt to a new life in another country, but I've learned how to be independent, how to be responsible, how to remain committed to my goals. For example, I learned to do many things independently, and now I can make my own decisions. Although living independently was difficult initially, it helped me a lot. Not only did I learn to be independent, but I found my special abilities here in China. I began participating in many curricular and co-curricular activities and made a lot of Chinese as well as foreign friends. It was a great fun that whenever I asked any Chinese person a question in English, he/she replied “shenme” and I had to repeat the question. (Shenme in Chinese means what.)