“I still can’t believe I gave a graduation speech in Chinese in public,” said Arshad Hussain, a Pakistani graduate who delivered a speech on behalf of the graduating international students at Fudan’s undergraduate commencement ceremony last week.
Brought up in a small town near the Pakistan-China border, Arshad, a clinical medicine major admitted by Fudan in 2016, didn’t know a single word of Chinese before coming to China.
Different from Arshad’s high school years when he could turn to his parents for help in no time, starting a new life in a foreign country and doing everything by himself was at first like “climbing Mountain Everest”, according to Arshad.
The academic pressure and language barrier even made him nervous in the beginning. “I learn side by side with top students from across China and take courses taught in Chinese. It was really tough for me,” Arshad recalled.
However, he soon found the teachers and students in Fudan heart-warming and welcoming. With their help, Arshad managed to adapt to the new life in Fudan and to pick up Chinese in a short time. “That gave me the confidence to go forward,” Arshad said.
To become a doctor is Arshad’s childhood dream. “I have been curious about the human body and I want to help others,” Arshad said. However, it is not easy to be a qualified medical student. Arshad said he had spent much time and effort on his study and medical training. He still remembers how nervous he was when carrying out his first operation as a trainee. Luckily, he made it, encouraged by his teammates.
During the past years, Arshad was also pursuing a second bachelor’s degree in Teaching of Chinese as a Second Language in Fudan to better his understanding of the Chinese language and culture in the rest of the world. For the next step, Arshad will pursue his master’s degree in Dermatology at Huashan Hospital of Fudan University.
“Studying dermatology enables me to assume the roles of clinician, surgeon and dermatologist at the same time. Huashan’s Dermatology is one of the best in China, so I feel very lucky to get accepted there,” said Arshad, who hopes to conduct more dermatological research and improve existing patient treatments.
After five years in Fudan, when asked what his deepest impressions of the university are, Arshad replied with three words. The first is “state-of-the-art”, which refers to the cutting-edge technology and advanced facilities he has experienced on campus. The second is “opportunity”, as Fudan has offered him many opportunities for personal development. The third word Arshad mentioned is “diversity”. The university has a diverse student population as it welcomes excellent students from all over the world.
In Arshad’s free time, he would travel around China. He’s been to many places in China, including Guangzhou, Wuhan and Beijing. “Seeing is believing,” said Arshad, and he believes every city in China is very unique with its own culture and people, and these experience made him impressed by China’s development in different aspects.
The medical student also appreciates China’s effective control over the COVID-19 pandemic. “During the pandemic, China has not only successfully controlled the pandemic, but also provided help to many other countries. ” Arshad said.
