Ermias Yirgalem is a student at Sichuan University, a national university located in Chengdu, the administrative centre of Sichuan Province in Southwest China. He shares his experience of living and studying there.

It is now almost a year and a half since I was admitted to Sichuan University. I am studying Medical Sciences there. The university is located in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, and a large central city within the Sichuan province not far from the Tibetan plateau and the Himalayan Mountains. The area has wonderful scenery and a relatively tranquil way of life compared to other rapidly developing parts of China. But compared to Ethiopia it is way too much advanced in terms of economy and infrastructure. There are three flights per week from Addis Ababa to Chengdu.

Understanding and embracing the Chinese culture was a totally new experience for me but I am taking the challenges enthusiastically. I feel that I am becoming more and more culturally aware and open every day.

In Addis Ababa, I studied at the British International School. After finishing high school, I wanted to go somewhere where I would have a different culture and study experience. I had been looking at different European and American universities but I was offered a scholarship to China, which I accepted happily. I did not speak a word of Chinese when I went there. The first few days at the university were overwhelming, exciting, and hectic, and included meeting dozens of people in a short space of time.

I soon discovered that people are open, friendly, and welcoming. I love the academic environment and the amazing academic facilities, standards of education, and research. The school is reputed for clinical medicine.

I first took intensive Mandarin classes for about two months; it was supposed to be a one-year study. But I decided not to continue, being sure that I would manage to improve my proficiency outside of the classroom. We were also given books with CDs. So I embarked upon the study of medical studies right away, as the study would take me eight years and the lesson is given in English. Of course, the Chinese teacher’s way of speaking is not always comprehensible but you got to understand them using the textbook.

 My classmates come from different parts of the world. Some are from different parts of Africa and others from Europe, which allows mixing and exchanging with a wide range of people.

In my everyday life, on some occasions I get stares, and people will come up and ask me to take a picture with them. When some ask me where I am from and when I tell them that I am from Ethiopia, I get different reactions. Some say they know it is in Africa but can’t say more than that. Others happen to situate the country and eagerly share what they know about the country’s potential and challenges.

There are not many Ethiopians living there, in fact, on my campus, I am the only one. To find an Ethiopian restaurant, I should go to Guangzhou, a city known for commercial trade and culture and which is also a hub for Ethiopians and Africans abroad. But to be there, I have to make nine hours of travel by train and pay about 750 Yuan which represents around 4000 birr. So I rarely go there.

My overall experience in China so far is good. I have loved every minute of my studies, the teachers and students are full of hospitality, cooperative, with a welcoming nature.

Published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. Please cite Ethiopia Observer prominently and link clearly to the original article if you republish. If you have any queries, please contact us at ethiopiaobserver@protonmail.com. Check individual images for licensing details.