Student’s Reflection

Published： 2023-09-11

I really enjoyed my time at BNU, as only two of us made it to China in my class I found the experience to boost my Chinese language level by a lot. Lectures almost every day paired with being immersed in the language outside of classes meant that within the first few months, teachers were already surprised by how quickly mine and Natalia’s language level had improved. Personally, I feel that my listening skills have improved greatly and at the end of my year abroad I travelled around central China without any language problems. BNU were extremely supportive during the difficult covid quarantine period, and without their support I certainly would not have made it overseas. I loved the internship organised by BNU with China.com, we were able to visit the ministry of foreign affairs and sit with the other journalists to interview people at the China and Africa youth festival. After only leaving China a few months ago, I already miss it and would love to visit again and perhaps travel to more provinces to see more Chinese history and culture first hand.

照片摄于上海外滩（白馨洁，2023年）

我真的很享受在北京师范大学的时间，因为我们班只有两个人到达了中国，我发现这段经历让我的中文水平提高了很多。几乎每天的课程加上课外埋头在语言中，使得在几个月里的时间里，老师们已经对我和凌雅的语言水平感到惊讶。我觉得我的听力水平有了很大的提高，在国内的一年结束时，我在中国中部地区旅行时没有任何语言问题。在艰难的新冠隔离期间，北京师范大学给我们很多帮助，没有他们的支持，我肯定不可能来中国。我很喜欢北京师范大学安排的在中国网的实习，我们访问了外交部并与其他记者坐在一起采访中非青年节。离开中国几个月以后，我就已经很想念中国了，很想再次来旅游，也许还能去更多的地区，看看更多的中国历史和文化。

BROOKES, JESSICA ANNE (2019/20 entry)

北京师范大学-卡迪夫大学中文学院 19级学生 白馨洁

I have decided to study Chinese not only because it is a portal to an amazing culture that differs from my own so much, but also because it creates countless economic opportunities. In many ways, I also believe China is still not fully understood and I desire to bring more clarity on who China is to the Western world and our cultures. So far, I have enjoyed studying not only the linguistic aspect of the language, but also the diplomacy and economics classes. Especially studying at BNU last year gave me more insight into Chinese culture and how the Chinese society functions than I had dreamed of. I am extremely grateful to the School of Modern Languages for providing me with the opportunity to study this language both in the UK and in China. My year abroad in Beijing taught me how to adjust to a different educational system, cultural background, and lifestyle in general. It made me come out of my comfort zone and educate myself on topics I didn’t understand before about China. After I finish my studies, my desire is to come back to China to further pursue my studies in Chinese language on a postgraduate level and subsequently find a job in a similar sector.

照片摄于张家界（高凌雅，2023年）

我决定学习中文，不仅因为中文是一个通向与我自己的文化截然不同的奇妙文化的大门，还因为它创造了无数的经济机会。我也认为中国是一个还未被充分认识的国家，我希望向西方世界的人们展示中国是什么样的。我不仅喜欢学习语言方面的知识，还喜欢学习外交和经济学课程。特别是去年在北京师范大学的学习让我对中国文化和中国社会的运作有了更多的了解。我非常感谢现代语言学院为我提供了在英国和中国学习这门语言的机会。在北京的留学经历教会了我如何适应不同的教育体系、文化背景和生活方式。这段经历让我走出了自己的舒适区，并就以前不了解的中国话题进行了自我教育。完成学业后，我的愿望是回到中国继续攻读研究生水平的中文学科，然后在与专业相关的行业找到一份工作。

KOL' VEKOVÁ, NATÁLIA (2019/20 entry)

北京师范大学-卡迪夫大学中文学院 19级学生 高凌雅