Freezing wind was blowing on December 4th, 2016, but it was warm inside Friendship Guesthouse of Jilin University, where the pairing between international students and Chinese host family held by College of International Education officially kicked off.
This event gathered together over 140 people, who were international students and family members of the university’s faculties. Li Meihua, Dean of College of International Education, delivered the opening speech, in which she briefly introduced the non-profit pairing program. Through this program, international students could immerse themselves in diverse cultures and get to know the Chinese culture in Chinese families. She hoped that the international students could cherish this opportunity, have more communications with Chinese families and become friends with them.
Professor Zhang Fengjuan from School of Foreign Language Education shared with others that she also received kindness from local families during her studies overseas. She thanked College of International Education for providing this opportunity so that she could return the favor and give international students in need care and help and treat them like her own family members. She also hoped that Chinese families, children in particularly, could “expose themselves to diverse cultures and be inclusive and open world citizens”. Professor Zhang’s son expressed in English his welcome and best wishes to the international students of Jilin University.
International students Mariia and Bah Boubacar Alpha shared their own understanding of this program and expectation for future interactions with host families. The international students involved in this program were thankful to College of International Education for organizing this series of activities that enriched their life in Jilin University. They also thanked Jilin University for building such platforms. With the constant attention and support from the university, they felt like at home here. They valued this opportunity to know more about China’s traditional culture and improve their cross-cultural communication abilities. They hoped to “improve the friendships across countries amid the warmth and affection of family”. At last, they said that Changchun was a home-like city to them and Jilin University was their sweet and happy home.
Towards the end, paired Chinese families and international students talked freely about the daily life of international students in China, their life and study in Jilin University and their interaction with Chinese families.
This pairing of international students and Chinese families was full of warmth and affection. It ended on a satisfying note with them smiling cordially and not wanting to leave. This was not the end, but the beginning of new journey. It will enable international students to better understand Chinese culture and spread it all over the world.
