Two months ago, the 22-year-old sunny boy Jelle Kies from Vrije Universiteit in Netherland boarded a plane and came all the way to Wuhan University for a 5-month exchange program. He said that he didn’t prepare much in advance, and that he even did not know a single Chinese word, so he felt a little bit lost when he actually arrived in China. He said “Wuhan University arranged a pick-up service for me at the airport and helped me to settle down, which was very considerate.”
This is Jelle’s first time to China. When asked about whether he has experienced a “Culture Shock”, a thing many foreign exchange students go through upon arrival, he said that he got over it quite smoothly, “With the help of a friend, I got a scooter, bought things necessary for life, and got to know people. So for me, it’s quite okay. I can adapt to the new environment quickly and people in Wuhan University are really awesome.”
Jelle has been in Wuhan University for only 2 months, but he fits in well. He has already got a part-time job as an English teacher in a foreign language training institute and also performed as a DJ at Radio&Rock. Speaking of the balance between study and work, he noted the courses were not difficult for him, so he could spare more time to explore and experience the Chinese culture.
Jelle is also a huge fan of sports, in particular football and table tennis. Not long ago, he participated in a football match between the African Team and the WHU Team.
He said he loved Wuhan University for its beautiful and vast campus where there are many places for students to work out.
In addition, Jelle is also a traveler who has made plans to visit Zhangjiajie, Shanghai, the Yellow Mountain, Philippines and Malaysia in the months ahead. He offered some suggestions to the foreign students struggling to get accustomed to Wuhan University: be open-minded, flexible and adaptive to a new environment.
Finally, he mentioned that he would definitely recommend Wuhan University to his foreign friends showing the intention to enroll in exchange programs, saying that “Wuhan University is a wonderful destination for a brand new experience!”
Wuhan University has established partnerships with over 400 universities in about 70 countries and regions. It receives about 100 exchange students every year mainly from Europe and Asia to study for one semester or one year at Wuhan University. Wuhan University held an orientation for exchange students every semester to answer their questions about study and life at Wuhan University so as to help them better adapt to the new environment.
(Edited by Diana & Sijia Hu)
