GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH FOREIGN STUDENTS FROM TIANJIN UNIVERSITY

Recently, on a wet, blustery day, Jin met with a group of overseas students from Tianjin University who had agreed to take time out of their busy lives and studies, to chat with us.

When we entered the meeting room at Tianjin University, we were greeted with warm smiling faces. These students ranged in ages from 19 to 27 years old, one female, and the rest males. What a diverse group this was! Also, we found out very quickly that English was not the obvious choice for conversing, but rather, mandarin! With this in mind, we tried our best not to lose too much in translation.

First, we asked them why they selected Tianjin University, and we learned, that with most of them, they typically came on scholarships and/or grants. We also asked them about how many overseas students are studying at Tianjin University and we were told about 600!

Meet Kajia, a beautiful and bubbly 19-year-old, from Russia. Kajia came to Tianjin to study Chinese and Burmese. She has been in Tianjin for about two months now. When asked about one of her very first impressions of Tianjin, she said with a laugh...the sounds of many, many horns honking. We asked Kajia how she gets round town in Tianjin and she told us a funny story about a bike she recently purchased. Just as she was beginning to feel comfortable biking, her bike was stolen, but she said jokingly, "maybe the thief knows I can't ride very well";Ó; and "at least now the bike will be well ridden and not wasted".Ó.But, that does not stop Kajia from traveling on the train to Beijing, every weekend to explore, shop, and just have fun. We asked her about the condition and size of her dorm room. She said it is quite small and she shares with another foreign student. But, she was pleased to report that she recently made Russian soup with an electric oven that was sent to her by her family back home. Regarding her studies, Kajia feels she may want to change her major to Chinese language, because she would like to learn more about China and the language. When she returns to St.Petersburg, she hopes to have more work opportunities. (But a tour guide is her favorite choice).

Meet Mangjia, a calm and warm 27-year-old, from Cameroon, majoring in Electrical Information. Having lived here for three years, he is very familiar with Tianjin now. He sometimes shops at some of the major shopping areas such as DaHuTong, Bin Jiang Walking Street, Home Club, etc. Mangjia commented on the traffic of Tianjin and that there are so many people and such heavy traffic, especially during rush hour. He said although Tianjin is getting better, he didn't understand why the "miande"Ó (yellow taxi) are still roaming the streets, as they create more pollution than other cars. After graduation, Mangjia said he would be open to considering working in Tianjin, or, returning home.

Meet Piao Changyuan, a quiet and interesting 26-year-old, from South Korea, who is studying Law. He has been here for just over six months. After graduating, he wants to help his brother-in-law who deals in architectural materials, and he hopes to immerse himself in the increasing trade opportunities between China and South Korea.

Meet Piao Guangda also a 26-year-old, from South Korea. He has studied here for four months. Prior to studying at Tianjin University, he studied at China Youth University in Political Sciences in Beijing, for one year. He likes soccer but was unable to make it back home for the 2002 World Cup.

Meet Bikashi, an adventurous 26-year old from Nepal, mastering in Biomedical Engineering. Prior to coming to Tianjin University he studied electronics in his home country. When he was asked why he changed his major when electronics is a very 'hot' industry, he said he wanted to study something new and he wanted to study in China. As to his future job, he is undecided and said he would decide after he graduates.

Meet Beika, a very humorous and lively 20-year-old chap from Georgia, majoring in History. He has been studying here for about one year, and enjoys his studies, especially the Qing dynasty, because QinShihuang had united ancient China, and created a prosperous era.. When asked how he enjoyed the food here, he said he enjoys eating hot spicy dishes and that he doesn't care for rice, because it is too difficult to eat with chopsticks. When asked if he goes out at night much, he said he does enjoy the nightlife that Tianjin and, of course, Beijing have to offer. We asked him if there are any pubs on the university campus and he said he had been to one disco club at Nankai University campus, but prefers to venture out into the town. When he was asked if he would marry here, we had to repeat the question in English so to make sure he understood the question. He laughed when he understood. He said that although the women are lovely in China, he would prefer to marry a woman from his native country, as there are equally beautiful women in Russia, too!

Meet Jibila, a warm and intelligent 27-year-old man, from Mali studying for his Doctorate in Financial Management. He has been studying here for one year now. When we asked if he speculated in stocks, he said "no". He did ask us one question, what "saigedaibiao"Ó was, and that he asked many people but no one knew it. So we told him. When Jibili graduates, he wants to return to Mali to become a teacher.

During this interview we shared many, laughs and we hope that the students had a good time, too. At the end of the interview, we gave them each a traditional Chinese gift, laughed some more, and took a group photo!