《My incredible experience in China: Transforming my life》

Name：JUAN DAVID FIGUEROA CABRERA
Nationality: Columbia
University：Wuhan University

Studying in China was one of the most important decisions I have made and one that generated the greatest uncertainty in me, not only because of the enormous distance between this country and Colombia, but because of the great change in general that it would represent for my life and my future.

During the pandemic I had the opportunity to apply for the scholarship awarded by the China Scholarship Council to pursue a master's degree in e-Commerce at the University of Wuhan, with enthusiasm I remember the feeling it generated when I received the news that I was officially admitted to this prestigious university with the support of the scholarship.

I arrived in China on November 16, 2022, to the city of Wuhan, and the first thing I was able to experience was the use of technology in China. Given the pandemic, I did a short quarantine in a hotel, and at the time of paying for the hotel, that was when I discovered for the first time the world of Wechat and Alipay as means of payment for practically everything, given that cash is no longer usually used, but technology is used. Luckily for me, I already knew a person from this country who helped me by paying the hotel rate since despite having the money, I could not make the payment through these means, so one of the first tasks when I arrived here went to use the country's systems and technology, over time I realized that it is quite advanced compared to my country and that it makes people's lives easier, you just scan a QR code and the payment is made in less of 3 seconds, and this applies to practically all businesses in China, it works to make a market, pay bills, pay subway fare, pay for courses, in general you can pay for practically everything with these applications where they only scan your phone with a laser. cell phone and the payment is made in 1 second, incredible.

So basically Alipay and Wechat are apps that have a large number of functions, there are so many that I couldn't mention them all, but they are the most common to pay in China with the cell phone, easily and quickly, I even showed that some People use their Smart Watch to make payments through these apps, I was simply amazed by the technology used in China.

Once the quarantine was over, the university ordered transportation to pick me up at the quarantine hotel to take me to the university, where I completed 7 extra days of quarantine, which were easier since I was inside the university and could have contact with my Chinese teacher in charge, who was basically the person who helped me manage the trip from Colombia to China. Once the quarantine stage at the university ended, a few weeks later the fight against Covid was over and the restrictions were eased, so I was able to begin to experience life in Wuhan in its full splendor.

Returning to the topic of the apps mentioned above, Wechat and Alipay, I discovered that they use them not only for purchases in the markets, but they can buy their cell phone plans, or use public motorcycles or bicycles, here at the University of Wuhan there are some bicycles electric ones that cost only 1 yuan for 20 minutes, and to use them you must scan the QR that they have with Alipay or Wechat, and they start working to be able to transport yourself within the university. Here comes another interesting topic and that is that the university, and in general the universities in China are considerably larger than the universities in Colombia and Latin America in general, within the universities there are banks, supermarkets, soccer fields, basketball, badminton, ping pong, gyms, among many other things, so it is practically a small city, where you can find all kinds of things, many times you don't even have to leave the university because everything is within it.

One of the processes at the university is to have a medical exam, and at the hospital I met a Colombian woman married to a Chinese man (married in Colombia), and in just one day we got along very well, to the point that a few weeks later I invited him to his wedding here in China, so I also had the opportunity to travel to Zaoyang to witness a Chinese wedding for the first time in my life. I met many people that day and made new friends, since the husband's relatives were at the wedding. Chinese with whom we sympathize a lot, and the wedding in general was very beautiful given that the wife was Colombian so at the wedding there was Mandarin and Spanish, they were all very kind and gentle, they taught me many things about weddings and the culture in China.

Clearly, this whole experience motivated me to continue learning Mandarin, since it indeed gives many opportunities in China and also facilitates communication with the local population, however, even though the Chinese can be somewhat shy, I always see that they are open to meet people from abroad and also to learn a lot about ourselves, which is why I have a perception of people in China as friendly, intelligent and open to learning from other cultures. Here at the university I share a class with some Chinese, they have always been kind and show interest in getting to know others, they are also fun and make the classes more interesting compared to if they were only with international students, definitely having an academic experience with students young Chinese also greatly enriches my academic, personal and professional experience in the country.

On the other hand, I have been able to see with my eyes the great biodiversity and beautiful environments that China has, not to go too far I can talk about what I have been able to see here at the University of Wuhan, they are known for having a spectacular environment in the first and in summer, since they have some very, very famous plants that they call Cherry Blossoms, or in English “Cherry Blossoms”, where people pay just to see the atmosphere inside the university, it is a unique experience and both Students and people from the city or even from other cities come to take several photographs as memories, naturally, I was not left behind and also took my photographs of this wonderful place.

Since I am in Wuhan, I have been able to see a little about how beautiful this city is, I was able to go to the Yellow Crane Tower which is one of the most famous tourist sites here in Wuhan, but I also had the opportunity to go to Mulan which is located on the outskirts of the city, are experiences that are highly recommended in this city, without forgetting that this city is also known for its gastronomy and that there are always activities to do.

Finally, I am still here taking my classes to complete my master's degree, and I can say that my experience has been quite enriching in different aspects, learning about the culture, language, customs, gastronomy, among other things, and I want to continue learning even more about others. cities and provinces, because I am convinced that this country is very enriching and has a lot to offer, I consider that every day I want to learn more and learn more about China and its culture. There is no doubt that coming to study in China is a unique opportunity and although it was a difficult decision at the beginning, I think it was the best decision I could have made.