Living in Europe, makes you dream of moving somewhere far away, in another continent, in a place where time changes, culture, language and way of living also. I believe that facing a completely different reality, makes you a better person, as it helps you grow up. While I was following my pre-university course in St’ Clare’s College, Oxford, I choose to study, among other subjects, Religion. At that time, I was first introduced with the meaning of Buddhism, Taoism and so on; topics which made me promise to myself that one day I was going to learn about such beliefs at the very foundation of them, in China. I made that dream come true, by choosing to study at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Politics is my passion so I do what I love to do most, working for the local government in my own country, Albania. As a consequence, I wanted to further develop my studies on the field by applying for the Master of Public Administration in International Development and Governance. The experience of this programme so far is extraordinary. I am overwhelmed by the exchanged values between students and professors. It feels like the entire world is gathered within one auditorium, class and environment. Each one of the students has a story to tell. Their academic and professional background is unique and to be admired. There is a countless opportunity to learn as much as we can not only from the programme and great academics, but also from each other. The entire development process, in terms of economic and social progress, is my greatest challenge. I am aiming to learn what I still don’t know and deepen my academic as well as professional skills in order to get back home and do my best for my society to advance even more.
It was a strong feeling leaving home and your life behind, in order to start from the beginning, all over again. Two years are a long time yet not that long as to not feel confident, strong and open minded enough alike willing to work hard. However, everything in China and particularly in Tsinghua, was highly welcoming and not difficult to get used within first days. There are so many things to see and do as well as so many places to visit. There is a good feeling about Beijing and I am happy to be here. Every detail of this country is of unlimited interest, the culture though most of all. It is beautiful how you can travel through time and make good use of every minute spent here.
Living and studying in China is one in a life time experience. I deeply believe that education is what brings people all together, no matter the culture, language, beliefs and geographical differences. The way of thinking, from one person to another, is quite different and diverse. At the same time, we are all curious to the unknown we face day after day and turn that into something familiar, thus we would perfectly fit in this new life. All this transformation process brings people closer and makes the world a better place. That’s a way of traveling and getting to know the world better, from North to South and from East to West. Nothing is impossible anymore. Dreams do come true.
