Naser is a doctor candidate from Iran. He just came to UPC this September. During the interview, he said “I don’t have a Chinese name yet. Because I think Chinese culture is extensive and profound, I want to give a Chinese name by myself after learning Chinese culture.” Chinese culture is one of reasons that he came to China for study.
Before coming to China, Naser didn’t learn Chinese at all, so communication is a worry and puzzle for him. “ I only can speak ‘你好’，which was also learned from a guy who actively to say hello to me in the airport. Confronted with an unknown environment and strange language, I was depressed immediately when I got off the airplane. How can I spend the following three years without the ability to understand and speak Chinese？I really want to escape to Iran, I was wondering at the very moment. But all worries disappeared at the moment of friendly ‘你好’spoken by a young handsome boy”, he described with excitement, “ The feeling is beyond expression, it makes me at home immediately.”
He now has been well settled in the campus. “I have been here for 58 days. I have adapted to the environment of the UPC. My Chinese friends are very enthusiastic and supportive. I like Qingdao very much, especially its rainy days.” he has made many friends who are helpful, supportive and considerate, which has gave him a lot of help. “A few days after I came to the UPC in September, an embarrassing thing happened”, he said. The water heater was broken and didn’t work. Without friends and fluent Chinese, he didn’t know to whom he could seek help. Thus he didn’t take a shower for a week in the sweltering summer until his new Chinese friend help him to find a repairman. He realized the importance of friends again and also felt the enthusiasm of Chinese friends. As he said ‘It makes me at home with Chinese friends. They are real friends who are helpful supportive and considerate”.
“It’s an excellent choice for me to study in the UPC,” Naser was very excited when talking about his major, “Petroleum is an important industry for a country. I am keen on studying this field, and in my opinion, this industry will have a promising future. To make things better, teachers in the UPC are distinguished and professional. My supervisor can speak fluent English, which is amazing and a great help for me when I can’t speak Chinese.”
About future, Naser is determined to be a teacher, “I want to be a teacher, which is my dream for a long time. Teachers can not only convey knowledge and thoughts to others, but also can improve with students together by communicating and doing researches. I am not sure whether I will stay at China or return to Iran, but my dream to be a teacher is unshaken. Therefore, I determined to learn Chinese to prepare for my research in the coming future.” About the learning of Chinese, he said it is not very difficult but interesting and attractive. About language learning, he not only shared his own experience, but also was very enthusiastic to teach us to learn English.
