《Life in China》

Name：CHINEMEREM NORA NNEAMAKA UMEOKWUEGBU
Nationality: Nigeria
University：Shanghai International Studies University
Tutor: Jin Jiyong

It all started like a joke, an imagination, something off a storybook. On the 6th of September 2019, I found myself on Chinese soil. That day marked the beginning of a world I could only dream of, a world I thought was unreachable only a few years ago.

My name is Nora, and this is my campus story. As the first child in a family of four independence wasn’t a new thing, there was moments of cultural shock, the pure love for this culture, the familiarity in an unfamiliar place, the smiles, and friendships I got helped me settle into life here.

My first campus life in China started in the far north of China, in the beautiful coastal city of Qingdao, located at the south coast of the Shandong Peninsula. When I got into the campus, I was struck by how massive it was, so many people coming and going. I looked forward to exploring every nook and cranny of the new world I found myself in. I was able to do so to an extent before COVID-19, I was confined to my room and the exploring stopped. But it wasn’t all bad, this period helped me slow down my pace, and I started taking notice of the little things I ignored I was able to discover what I wanted to do, where I wanted to be, and the kind of life I want to live. This period helped me learn how to better take care of my health, body, face, and hair. I was also able to travel to Shanghai, where the seeds of my second destination were planted. Because of the pandemic, my campus life in Qingdao was a bit retarded but I was still able to enjoy the joys of living near the beach, waking up on the beach with the sea calling, the beer festival, visiting many scenic and cultural sites, climb to the highest peak of the Laoshan mountain, explore the caves and mountain within my school campus, attend a lot of intercultural activities, meet and interact with people from different cultural and social backgrounds, meet great and life long friends, a great supervisor and teachers. I left Qingdao with a full heart, I was in pain knowing I was leaving a wonderful place, it was a place that nurtured me and prepared me for the life ahead.

My life in Shanghai started as the realization of a dream, a dream where I live in a very diverse world. My first impression of Shanghai was HOOOOOOOT, beautiful, diverse, encompassing, modern, tolerant, a dream come true. My first impression of my university (Shanghai International University) was wow, really subtle. It all started with my first call to the International office for inquiry, whoever picked up the call had the most beautiful voice I have ever heard on the phone and was very patient answering all the endless questions I threw to her.

My life at Shanghai International University has been nothing short of perfect, filled with opportunities and challenges. I came in as a caterpillar with potential, SISU gave me the opportunity and environment to grow into a beautiful butterfly, my confidence grew by the day, and I found out I can do anything I put my heart into, the road will never be smooth, there will be bumps, but these bumps aren’t reasons to give up, they teach us lessons on how to makes our lives beautiful and better.

My life in SISU taught me that Shanghai isn’t just an international city, it is like a bulb of onion that has many layers to it. I was able to experience these layers through my daily life in the city, the different trips to many cultural, scenic, recreational, and natural sites scattered all around the city. At SISU I was also able to see different aspects of this city, whenever I am on the Hongkou campus, I can feel the bustling life of the city, while in Songjiang I can live a more slow-paced life, enjoy the quiet and natural environs. SISU is just like the world, it has everything but you have to seek them out yourself, the little joy you feel when you find the little streams that run through different areas of the school, how the school buildings seem to be alive and have different expressions on their face. The peace of the library, the tiny feeling that creeps up on you as you leave the library in the night and find everywhere calm and empty, No matter how late you stay on campus, the lights of the library keep shining, meeting total strangers from all corners of the world and finding out you have so much in common.

My life in SISU grew every aspect of my being, I have the best of lecturers, assigned to the best supervisor ever, and although I am from a different major, I was still able to find a place to research what I am passionate about. I was able to represent the school in various competitions and forums, I was also allowed to grow with study and also share my culture.

I summarize my campus life with this sentence; It is like living in a world within worlds where I can be ME, learn, and share my story and knowledge.