与中文结缘

我叫陆安兰，是一名来自斯洛伐克大学汉学专业的本科生。我之所以选择这个专业, 是因为我的梦想是当翻译，想学好中文后成为斯中交流的使者。我目前正在准备毕业论文，主要内容是研究上海弄堂独特的人文特征。这个题目是我在上海留学时定下来的。我觉得上海的弄堂文化很有意思，希望能把它独特的地方总结出来分享给大家。

作为汉学专业的学生，我一直很渴望去中国留学。一次偶然的机会，我从同学和老师处了解到了可以申请CSC奖学金去中国留学的机会。在父母支持下，我提交了申请，而且很幸运地获得了赴中国东华大学进修一年的资格。

好事多磨

可不巧的是，因为新冠疫情的影响，我暂时无法入境中国参加线下学习，所以我只能以上网课的形式开始我的线上留学之旅。我原以为网课没什么意思，再加上时差，学习效果肯定不好。但没想到东华大学老师们上的直播网课一点也不无聊，每次上完我都意犹未尽，非常期待下一次课。记得开学不久后就是中国的国庆节，老师让我们趁假期拍个视频然后跟同学介绍自己是怎么过假期的。每位同学都精心准备，不但视频拍得好，中文介绍得也非常精彩。有同学拍了旅游日记的视频，我拍了家乡农村苹果节的视频。大家用中文交流自己的假期，这种学习方式很特别，让人印象深刻，还拉近了身处异国的同学们的心理距离。

踏上中国的土地

2023年春季学期我终于拿到了学生签证。刚到上海（学校）的时候，我还有些不太习惯，但在学校老师的帮助下，我很快在宿舍安顿了下来。我遇到的每个人都很热心，一有困难基本上随时都能得到帮助。

第一次到教室的时候我兴奋极了，终于见到了我的“网友”—网课的老师和同学们。线下课堂也非常有趣，我们有很多小组讨论，和中国同学面对面交流的机会，还经常去上海各个地方进行语言实践活动。我也遇到了不少挑战，比如很有挑战性的考试、跨文化的差异等，但我把它们当做学习的机会，促使我更加努力地学习。久而久之，我发现自己的中文水平有了很大的提高。

我非常感谢学校为我们组织各种各样的活动。比如每周定期的文化活动，像包粽子、画国画、体验中国茶道等。这个学期还有两次特别的活动——体育嘉年华和中华美食节。在体育嘉年华活动，我们和中国学生一起组队参加了彩虹绳拔河、旋风跑、跳长绳和呼啦圈一穿到底四个集体项目，充分展现了“友谊第一、比赛第二”的体育精神。我还第一次体验了捶丸、投壶等中国传统体育项目。在中华美食节上，每个班级都参与制作中国某个地方的特色美食。我们班选的是热干面，是武汉最出名的小吃之一。老师和同学们一起现场制作，咸香口味、品质出色，很多其他班的师生都光顾了我们的展台，面条一售而空。活动非常成功，那天我玩得很开心。各班的食物都非常美味，气氛也很愉快。

趁节假日，我还和朋友们一起去中国的大好河山旅行。我遇到的所有人都对我们很友好，他们随时愿意提供帮助，让我玩得既安心又开心。

收获和期望

出国留学最大的收获就是能接触到各种新的文化和观点。在中国的 8 个月开阔了我的眼界，让我结识了许多来自不同国家的新朋友。我看到了不同的生活方式，这有助于我更好地了解中国、了解世界。另外，现在说中文时，我感觉比之前舒服多了，没有了寻找合适词汇和句子的那种压力，能很自然地表达自己的想法。虽然回国以后我接触中国文化的机会少了很多，但我在中国的留学生活让我能不时想起在中国的美好瞬间。跟那些像我一样喜欢中文和中国的朋友们联系也让我回味在中国的幸福感受。我要顺利完成我关于上海弄堂的论文，实现当翻译的梦想，并希望有一天能再回到中国去。

作者:陆安兰（斯洛伐克） Andrea Uhliarikova (Slovakia)

指导老师:鲁洲

Developing a liking for the Chinese language

My name is Andrea, and I am an undergraduate student from Slovakia majoring in Sinology. I chose this field because my dream is to be a translator, and I want to become a link for exchange between Slovakia and China after I learn Chinese well. I am currently preparing my graduation thesis, which focuses on the unique characteristics of Shanghai's longtang. I decided on this topic when I was studying in Shanghai. I find Shanghai's longtang culture very interesting, and I hope to summarise its unique features and share them with others.

As a Sinology major, I have always longed to study in China. By chance, I learnt from my classmates and teachers that I could apply for a CSC scholarship to study in China. With the support of my parents, I submitted my application and was lucky enough to be accepted to study at Donghua University in China for one year.

A journey with obstacles

Unfortunately, I was unable to enter China for offline study because of the pandemic, so I had to start my study abroad journey by taking online classes. I originally thought that the online class would not be very interesting, and with the time difference, the learning effectiveness would surely not be satisfactory. However, I was surprised to find that the live online classes taught by the teachers at Donghua University were not boring at all, and I was looking forward to the next class.

I remember that shortly after the start of the school year, it was China's National Day, and my teacher asked us to take advantage of the holiday to make a video and introduce to our classmates how we spent it. Every student prepared well and not only did they make a good video, but they also narrated it very well in Chinese. Some students made a video about their travels, and I made a video about the Apple Festival in my hometown. This way of learning was very special and impressive, and it also brought students from different countries closer to each other.

Setting foot on Chinese soil

I finally got my student visa in the spring semester of 2023. When I first arrived in Shanghai, I wasn't quite used to it, but with the help of the teachers at the school, I quickly settled into the dormitory. Everyone I met was very helpful and I was able to get help whenever I needed it.

The first time I went to the classroom I was so excited to finally meet my online friends - the teachers and students of the online class. The offline classes were also very interesting, with lots of group discussions, face-to-face interaction with Chinese students, and frequent trips to various places in Shanghai for language practice. I also encountered a lot of challenges, such as very challenging exams and cultural differences, but I regarded them as learning opportunities that pushed me to study harder. Over time, I found that my Chinese language skills have improved greatly.

I am very grateful to the school for organising various activities for us. For example, there were regular weekly cultural activities, such as making dumplings, drawing Chinese paintings and experiencing the Chinese tea ceremony. There were also two special events this term - the Sports Carnival and the Chinese Food Festival.

In the Sports Carnival, we teamed up with Chinese students to participate in four group events: Rainbow Rope Tug-of-War, Cyclone Running, Long Rope Skipping, and Hula Hoop to the End, which fully demonstrated the sportsmanship of Friendship First, Competition Second. I also experienced for the first time traditional Chinese sports such as whacking balls and throwing arrows into pots.

In the Chinese Food Festival, each class participated in making a speciality food from a certain region of China. Our class chose hot dry noodles, one of the most famous snacks in Wuhan. The teacher and students worked together to make the noodles on site, and the savoury flavour and quality was so outstanding that many teachers and students from other classes patronised our stand and the noodles were sold out. The event was a great success and I had a great time that day. The food from all the classes was delicious and the atmosphere was very enjoyable.

I also took the opportunity to travel around China with my friends during the holidays. Everyone we met was very friendly to us, they were always willing to help and made me feel at ease as well as have fun.

Gains and Expectations

The best thing about studying abroad is the exposure to new cultures and perspectives. The 8 months I spent in China broadened my horizons and allowed me to meet many new people from different countries. I saw different ways of life, which helped me understand China and the world better. In addition, I feel much more comfortable speaking Chinese now than before, without the pressure of finding the right words and sentences, and I can express myself naturally.

Although I have had much less exposure to Chinese culture since I returned back home, from time to time I remember the wonderful moments I had as a student in China. Connecting with friends, who love Chinese and China as much as I do, has also made me reminisce about how happy I was in China. I want to successfully complete my thesis on Shanghai's longtang, realise my dream of becoming a translator, and hopefully return to China again one day.

 

本文发布于CSC校友栏目 https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/JvKfbe67w69_5DhAiWWMBg