Oh! 2015 my journey in Shandong University (SDU), what a memorable experience. Coming to SDU as a language student from Cameroon with my main goal being to study the Chinese language, little did I know I will be caught up with the blooming life style of both international and Chinese students, the attractive sceneries of Jinan City. Having only the cultural life style of my home country, encountering different aspects of the Chinese culture like music, food, education and way of life is one that I will never forget till dearth. The beautiful and interesting 2015’s four months journey in SDU and Shandong province as a whole is that which would always be told everywhere I go.

This whole journey started back in my home country in August when I decided to come and study the Chinese language and culture. Reason for studying this language was as a result of the growing Chinese businesses in my country. I made a decision to work in a very big hospital after my medical bachelor focus and one of the biggest hospitals was the one jointly own by the Chinese and my home governments. Applying to two different universities at the same time, SDU quickly gave me the admission notification which I also gave it a priority of choice. I was expecting to meet a university size like that of my home town not until the 31st of August 2015 when I arrived at Shanghai international airport and realized that it was bigger than my home town. Immediately off the plane I noticed speaking the Chinese language is a necessity for your daily life in China. While at the foreigner control desk I met a Ghanaian student who could speak English. After introducing myself to her, I am going to Shandong University I was on holidays she said. This brought a great relive to me knowing that I was going to miss my flight to Jinan because I could not speak the Chinese language to ask for directions since it was my first time to come to China. We both arrived at Jinan late in the night. During our ride to SDU, I saw the beautiful night time streets of Jinan and the sparkling traffic and street lights. Moreover, the warm summer breeze dashed through my face giving me the impression of meeting a new land and life. Hoping to meet everybody at slept, I was amazed to have met the receptionists at the central campus awake at 2 am and checking inn international students to their different rooms, what an organised university! Exclaiming in my mine.

While in the morning I discovered that I was totally wrong with my imaginations comparing my home university to that of SDU. Amazingly, SDU central campus was the size of my entire university with all faculties combined. This already gave me the feelings of how studious SDU’s lecturers and its students were. With the aid of some old students, a phone number was obtained. I arrived earlier before other students and this again fooled my thoughts as I believed SDU had only few international students. Not until the early days of September, hundreds of international students started flowing inn at the SDU central campus. Before I notice, I started acting like the old guys by assisting newcomers and showing them around.

Registration of international students started on the 7th of September 2015. This was an incredible day for me because I realized that SDU was a melting point of international students. I saw students from more than 60 countries of the world. Immediately, I had the feelings of calling SDU my home since I also met some of my country mates. Some of the international students could not speak English. Being excited with huge diversity of cultures and students I started assisting in the registration process by translating to those who could not speak English since I could speak English, French and German. Still in the early days of September all the international students had the orientations of life in SDU and Jinan. This was very helpful to me because almost everything was discussed which for one more time an applause was given to SDU for it standard way of organising events. We began classes by mid September. This was when I realized the Chinese language was indeed difficult, writing characters different from what you pronounce unlike in English and French. However, even as troublesome as the language was at the beginning, I saw the expertise of the language teachers, their patience, and techniques in encouraging and teaching students.

Photo 1.Writting the Chinese character gave me sleepless night, since it appears to be more of drawing than a hand writing to me.

My September month was spent by practicing how to say “ni hao” meaning hello. So many other expressions were practiced this save my daily activities of pointing with hands mostly when visiting the RT mart and shops.

On the 25th of September 2015, SDU organised a wonderful event, the international food festival. This brought out so many students. I was so glad to have started making new friends while going round and eating the diverse Chinese foods which I don’t even know their names. Since I was not yet use to with the different types of food, I suffered from diarrhoea the next day because it was my first time of eating Chinese food of different kinds.

Photo 2: The international food festival at SDU brought out hundreds of international students who ate the Chinese food for their first time.

On the 1st of October 2015, it was declared a 7- day national holiday. This gave me the opportunity to experience different Chinese cultures around the city of Jinan. Firstly, some of my friends and I went to the thousand Buddha mountains. We met hundreds of people as we climb and descend the mountain, also seeing the Buddha gods; male, female and the sleeping Buddha for the first time in my life. It was an unforgettable encounter. We spent about seven hours around the parks of the mountain talking and taking a lot of photos with Chinese citizen and other foreigners. This gave me the insight of how friendly and welcoming the Chinese could be and abolishing the mindset I had from my home country. We also went to different restaurants eating the different kinds of Chinese cuisines.

Photo 3: Making my wishes to the Buddha gods as I sat in a Carrousel flying over the parks for my first time. This experience was a remarkable one from such a great height.

Photo 4: From different types of delicious Chinese meal to types of tea was a great pleasure.

Another great place we visited was the Baotou spring and the Jinan city centre. One of my Chinese friends took us there for us to see for ourselves why Jinan is call the City of springs. Before going there we went to the Daming Lake and had a boat ride, more to that, talk to so many Chinese students and foreigners. Moreover, we went to the Furong Street where I saw about 50 persons in every ten meter. This has been my first crowded experience in China confirming the facts about the Chinese population on earth. Also on this street I ate the first Chinese hot pot in my life time. It was an astonishing encounter.

Photo 5: Our encounter with the Chinese cultural costumes on the 11th/10/2015 at the Baotou Spring made us felt like one of the Chinese Emperors under the sun set.

The 29, 30, and 31 of October 2015 was full with a lot of cultural activities. First it was the international cultural festival which I had the opportunity to talk about my country to so many foreign students and learnt about theirs. These activities showed how dynamic SDU is, allowing students to display their different cultures.

Photo 6: The Chinese cultural festival on the 31st/10/2015 was full with music and display of the Chinese dance culture.

One of the most striking and breath taking moments was the visit to the Confucius centre at SDU. Here, we were told of the Chinese history, literature, language, calligraphy and the four dynasties. We played games as taught by the Confucius himself.

Photo 7: Greetings as taught by Confucius himself did not only give me the excitements of being one of SDU students but as one of the Great Confucius’ students.

From beautiful encounters and life style experienced to the beginning of the winter season made me at one point to even forget to call my family back home for about 2 months, wow! What an incredible distraction! Besides, telling my moments without talking about the first time I saw and touch snow on the 24th/11/2015, and the frequent exposure to the high level of atmospheric pollution in Jinan would have been unwholesome.

Conclusively, the journey drove to an end with me having so many friends from kids to professors and leaving a full life like a Chinese citizen and speaking Chinese language too. I became use to with all types of Chinese food using chopsticks like a born Chinese and wishing the year never came to an end. Moreover, making and eating my own dumplings made me to understand why my Chinese name! “马文” is a typical Chinese and my likes for the culture.

Photo 8: The journey took me to the 30th/12/2015 where I made and ate my own dumplings and event organised by the language college. SDU, Jinan and China are not only a place to study but a place to be.