My China journey: From Conakry to Hangzhou

On November 11, 2018, I went to the international airport of Conakry, the capital of Guinea, to take my flight to China.

At 8:15 am I was on the plane looking at the city on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and other parts of the city. The next day I landed at Hangzhou airport in Zhejiang province. It was the beginning of a new life and a new adventure.

It was beautiful but there was a communication shock When I presented my passport and the student visa, the immigration officials took good care of me. A police officer helped me get a taxi to take me to train station from where I was taking a train to Jinhua city. When I reached the station, the taxi driver helped me buy the ticket. Since I did not understand Chinese language, I showed the ticket to my co-passenger as I was afraid of missing my stop. When the train reached Jinhua, the co-passenger told me through gestures that my stop had come. At the station once again a police officer helped me when he called my friend and asked him to pick me from the train station.

This helpful gesture on the part of Chinese police left a deep impression on me. There are still many international students. I have a positive memory of their behavior and their actions. Little later, my friend picked me from the train, and on reaching the main gate of Zhejiang Normal University, I took a photo of the big east door as a memento.

After spending a week obtaining the residence permit, I attended my first Chinese language class on November 22, 2018. When the teacher called my name, I did not understand it as she was calling me by my Chinese name. When she saw the look of puzzle on my face she told me that she has given me a Chinese name, 开心 (Kai Xin).

Initially the language class was very difficult as everything was Greek to me, but slowly I began to get the hang of it, especially the numbers. My biggest motivation behind learning the language was the fact that it’s impossible to survive in China without knowing Chinese.

As China is the second-largest economy in the world, knowing Chinese and studying in China will without doubt help me in future endeavors. The opportunity to study in China has also helped me understand and appreciate Chinese culture. Since Jinhua city is famous for its ham, the first thing my Chinese friends ask me is whether I have tasted Jinhua ham.

But what has really impressed me in China is the helpful nature of Chinese people, the peace and security and the chance to meet students from all across the world.

China is a land of many dialects and cultures, and the opportunity to experience all these different cultures and customs will broaden my horizon and help me grow intellectually.

Nankouman Keita, student enrolled in a master's degree in political science and law at the Zhejiang Normal University.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.