SDU, THE ALLURING!

No man is an island! And as such, he isconstantlyshaped and influenced by his experiences. School is likeanursery of life atvariouslevels. What I learn in school has great influence on my life shaped by theexperienceofthe “school life” and carried beyond the scope of its setting.

Personally, most of the days spent in school are the happiest and best days of my life. The very memory of school straight from kindergarten, primary, high school, Chinese language year up to datetake uomy mind with nostalgic memories of the mostly happy days ofthe pastyears.

Here, I am a second year scholarship student majoring in International Trade and Economics. During my time here, I could say so far so good.

Firstly, utmost importance is given to academic pursuits in the school. Classes are held regularly and are interspersed with assignments, homework, and examinations at least twice every semester. I was always told that once I got to university, I would be on my own in the sense that the lecturers wouldn’t care for you whether or not you attended class and passed or failed exams as long as they taught and gotten their salaries in the end of the month. This is indeed true based on testimonies from friends in different cities, countries and back home.

However, in Shandong, the concern that the academic and non-academic authorities show and give towards their students is mind boggling.

They would ensure that homework is checked and marked. They constantly remind us of deadlines for assignments and even better, the lecturers are patient with during presentations. Since I study in Chinese, there has been several times I have made grammatical and oral mistakes while delivering my presentation but the teachers have encouraged me, cheered me up and corrected the mistakes. Like a parent!

Shandong University has been following the mission of“Reserve talents for the world, and seek prosperity for the nation”.

For this aim, besides academic excellence being the hallmark of Shandong University, the diversification in co-curricular activities that are conducted and organised by the school come in vast ranges. It’s like the school is always up to something. Shandong University has a very creative team in the Department of International Affairs that has excelled in making international students feel more at home with opportunities like the ability to have an African Students’ Union Shandong University (ASUSU) which has in one way or another united us, celebrated our achievements and taken care of us!

In my opinion, this team (the department of international affairs) is among the most active on in school. They had the course arrangement ofTaijiBoxing, a trip toQianFoMountain, registering students for the Shandong International Youth Culture Tour, the international cultural festival.

Today they have gift us with“Touch Shandong”giving us the chance to have a hands on experience of the Chinese culture in various fields such as“Guqin”, Sand Painting,Tai chi (Taiji)and more.

The biggest highlight outside of the academic field is the huge opportunity of annual recruitment for the Belt and Road study groups.

I have personally had the opportunity to partake in this thrilling event. The first time I applied, I did not qualify but on the second try, I participated as an individual representing Uganda and won the first place with my academic paper. As an undergraduate, this was one of the most exciting times of my school life.

Shandong is a colourful campus. It’s very green, and has water fountains, beautiful scenery especially by the south gate, the sitting area between the South and West Gate provides a shed condusive lighting and a breath-taking view during the autumn season.

At this shed I met my three of my best friends张慧,小寒and嘉源during one of the Shandong English Association meetings.

With such attributes, you cannot fail to feel at home in school.The non-individualistic culture in school and all through China has taught me to live a more inclusive life and that with collective cultural morals within the society we can stand.

I have found family in Shandong! Yes, there are frustrating politics and perhaps frustrating individuals, but the bigger picture is that you spend your day in a place where people care about the students and are doing their best to support them as they grow. There are people in the buildings like teachers, custodians, librarians, administrators who, seen or unseen, are doing extraordinary things for us.

In the end, one thing is clear; mistakes do far more to help us learn and improve than successes. And during the time I have had at Shandong University so far, through various applications for the opportunities provided by the school, I have learnt that if we treat each mistake not as a misstep but as a learning experience, the possibilities for self-improvement are limitless.

A wise man once told me, the sky is only the beginning and at Shandong, this has been made possible as I have had the opportunity to soar with the wind like the birds in the sky. I will always be grateful.