GDUFS was really a nice place to study. The accommodation was really satisfying, as it had a wardrobe, desk, boiler for hot and cold water, and so on. Apart from the dormitory itself, the environment outside the dorm’s windows really touched me a lot, because the green mountains and many huge trees were nearby where we slept. That made my every breath healthy. The gym, running tracks, basketball courts and swimming pool are also available for everyone to use. Everything was so convenient for me and the other students. Because the food in Guangzhou is delicious, it made me gain weight here too, but last semester, because of the exercise equipment in the gym and the running track, I could exercise almost every evening, and I finally lost some weight before the end of semester that I went back to Thailand.
In terms of the studying style and materials, I found that most of the Chinese language teachers had demonstrated a strict teaching style. For instance: doing the name check, assigning homework and/or class activities every day, and they also tried hard to clearly explain and demonstrate both Chinese grammar and Chinese vocabulary. The benefits of this were clear from the interaction between students, for example in my class Intermediate Chinese class (中一 A班)2015/03 to 2015/06. The advisor teacher in our class demonstrated that he really cared and was always responsive to any inquiry that we had – both inside and outside of the classroom.
Activities that were arranged by the university students were professionally prepared and executed, such as: international culture smalls; international cultures booth exhibition, and the GDUFS 50th anniversary contest activities, which were all really impressive. Other activities, such as the Chinese speech contest and the Written Chinese essay contest, allowed international students to directly compete against each other through a test of their Chinese proficiency.
Regarding life on campus, I consider GDUFS as a great place for better social cohesion between Chinese and international students. The main inspiration and motivation actually came from a Guangwai Chinese student and other international students, who usually came together to discuss and exchange the languages with one another, which certainly led to together progression in languages and friendship. Through these valuable activities, I got more opportunities to practise the language and more friends every day. Although there were certain difficult situations, that day made me so proud of being a Guangwai University student, which I will never forget.
Huge thanks to GDUFS for letting me have such precious memories.
