Three Minin university students studied at Xian University of Translation (China) during one semester. They have recently come back and shared their impressions of studies and the country in general.
Anastasia Prokhorova, student of the second year (specialty “Foreign language (English) and foreign language (Chinese)):
“The semester which changed our lives upside down came to an end. The heart is still there with a wish to return back, but in we understand that time came to return to the routine.
Xian is one of the main centers of tourist attraction in China. This ancient city known for more than 3100 years, throughout several dynasties was the capital of the country, and today it became a large modern megalopolis with rich cultural and historical heritage. We were extremely lucky that we got exactly here.
Our training began with getting to know the campus, students and teachers. We loved all of them very much. Absolutely for a short time we managed to become a big and close-knit family sharing the same ideas. Of course, we plunged not only into studying Chinese by means of grammar, speaking and listening lessons, but we also attended the lessons of a kung fu, Chinese gymnastics Taijiquan, calligraphy, Chinese culture and Chinese music. The last two subjects made the biggest impression on us. We did not only steep in the history of China, but also learned a set of the Chinese songs. At the end of the semester we passed examinations in all disciplines and we our results were good enough.
But our semester did not comprise only class periods. We travelled much visiting traditional Chinese villages, various museums and exhibitions. Of course, we visited the well-known Terracotta army — more than 8000 statues of the soldiers and their horses buried near the emperor's tomb. But Xian sights are not limited to this impressive attraction Xian seemed to us quite an interesting and picturesque place in which antiquity and the present harmoniously coexist.
It is a pity that time flies so quickly and soon the moment to say goodbye came. I would love to return there and to be among the Chinese friends, sympathetic and kind teachers in the most beautiful campus we have ever seen.
We are grateful to Minin University for the unique opportunity to spend the whole semester in such a wonderful place!”