Place Where Dreams Take Flight

Sysoeva, Daria from the School of International Chinese Language Education at Yunnan University. [Photo/WeChat account of School of International Chinese Language Education, Yunnan University]

Hello, everyone, my name is Daria, and I am an international student from Russia. I’d like to share with you the beautiful experiences I have had in China, and talk about how this loving place has helped me follow my dream.

I. Prologue

"Everything in the world is about encounter. When the cold encounters the warmth there is rain, and when spring encounters winter, there is life." For me, encountering "you" is the prologue of our story. China in Russian is "Китай". Ever since I was a little girl, I have been curious about China, but back then I knew little about it. A Russian named Максимович Иоанн once wrote an article about China. It was this article that piqued my curiosity and turned me into a China lover. What Максимович Иоанн wrote was the story of China in the early 20th century. He was a Russian living in Shanghai. He provided shelters for homeless Chinese and taught them Russian and Chinese. He was helpful and people began affectionately calling him "Shanghai Native". The China he described is a persistent nation. He provided the warmth of home and education to children suffering from hardship and with no place to live. Love for peace is a shared value among the Chinese and Russian people. Even though the two nations do not look the same at all upon first sight, we all live under the values of love for peace and mutual support. Максимович Иоанн suggested that this is not odd at all. Love for others should have no boundaries. After reading his article, I became intrigued by China and wanted to see it for myself. To realize this dream, I decided to major in international relations in college, as it could provide me with the opportunity to learn Chinese and study China-Russian relations.

II. Continuation

The story started in September 2023, when I was granted the opportunity to study Chinese at Yunnan University thanks to a scholarship the Chinese government had given me. Lao Tzu said, "A thousand-mile journey begins with the first step". I think everyone has their own path and their own first step. This was my first time coming to China. At the university, I took the first step in learning the Chinese language and culture. When I started learning the language, I encountered many difficulties, such as with pronunciation and handwriting. My teachers and classmates gave me lots of help. They helped me learn the Chinese language and experience Chinese culture. They are the models I learn from.

When I was learning Chinese, suddenly something happened. Within the first month of arriving in China, I had to get surgery done for my leg pain. I faced many difficulties when seeing the doctor and having the operation, such as communication, self-care and psychological concerns. My teacher and friends at the university took me to the hospital, helped me communicate with the doctor and helped me overcome the language barrier; the insurance for international students in China helped me hire a paramedic to take care of me after the surgery; and my teacher and friends provided me with lots of help which facilitated my full recovery and rid me of the concerns of being alone in a foreign country. There are so many people around ready to help me, especially the teachers at Yunnan University and my Chinese friends who are my family in China. I felt the warmth and helpfulness of the Chinese people and was finally happy. In the meantime, after this incident, I learned that we need to care not only for ourselves, but also everyone in need.

III. Growing

I made several Chinese friends in the university's study room: Jinyu, Qiqi and Ruona. They were my first Chinese friends. Jinyu and Ruona are literature majors and Qiqi is a dance major. They are undergraduates in their fourth year, so they come to the study room every day to prepare for the postgraduate entrance exams. The first thing that impressed me was their diligence and hard work. From early in the morning to late at night, they studied earnestly. The four of us are always the first to enter and the last to leave the study room. They taught me to be patient and resolute and showed me how to realize my goals and dreams. We studied together every day throughout the first semester. We shared laughter and sorrow and supported each other. My friends told me to keep learning Chinese idioms every day. At first, idioms were very hard for me. But one day, Ruona told me, "Daria, do you know the idiom 'Ai Wu Ji Wu (love me, love my dog)'? You must know it, as it is perfectly fitting to describe our feelings and attitude toward you." Since that day, I’ve had a deep fondness for idioms.

I remember one day Qiqi told me that staying at school during the holiday was very lonely and boring, so she invited me to go to her hometown for the Spring Festival. It was my first time visiting a Chinese village, and it was quite different from the ones in Russia. Chinese people love spending time together in their hometowns. Though there were not many entertaining places in the village, I still thought it was the warmest and most loving home. Qiqi's family consists of four generations and her relatives are very open-minded and generous, especially her parents. They treated me like their own child, and now I can say with confidence that I have another Chinese family.

Though I am very happy at the moment, my studies will be ending soon. My friends and I will go to different places around China. I realize that it will be hard to say goodbye, but I believe that we will meet again as our hearts are bound together! The most important thing is to share the stories between me and my best friends as it can keep our memories alive. Here I felt the warmth of home that I will never forget. To me, living in China is true happiness. The happy days with my Chinese friends and the warmth of that Chinese village brought me closer to my dreams.

IV. Future

There are so many countries in the world. Why do most students choose China? The answer lies in its unique traditional culture of 5,000 years, especially in Chinese movies, books and drawings. China loves peace and seeks development for all humans through concrete actions. This has encouraged more and more in-depth engagement between China and Russia. We help each other and consolidate our friendship day by day. I think that is what China means when it talks about "a community with a shared future for mankind". In the future, I hope to continue learning Chinese, helping others and promoting close and friendly exchanges between the people of China and Russia. Though time flies, certain memories will stay in my mind forever: those of China, Yunnan University and my Chinese friends. My days here will live on as the most cherished and happy days of my youth. Yunnan University is where my dream continues. I will continue upholding the spirit of "Wisdom from Many, Justice for All" at Yunnan University, as I’m a YNUer forever!

China is the place where my dream started, and Yunnan University is where my dream continues!