Zambian Girl Charlette: "I Feel at Home Here!"

In her childhood, the Zambia girl Charlette knew of China as the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, which symbolized the friendship between China and Africa. Nowadays, China has been visualized as technological progress, cultural inclusiveness, and approachable people in her eyes.

"Chinese people are very friendly and kind, making me feel at home. I don't miss home all day, for I feel at home here," said Charlette.

"Feel at home" was one of the expressions she mentioned most frequently to the reporter. Charlette was also extremely anxious when she came to China to study and live from Africa. However, her family encouraged and supported her a lot.

As a child, Charlette and her mother traveled to Tanzania to visit relatives through the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, which was built with Chinese aid. A few years ago, Charlette's father went on a business trip to China and described to her what he saw and heard there. She also has an uncle from China, who suggested that she apply to universities in China.

"He said that China has advanced technologies, and studying abroad in China will better expose me to Chinese culture and China. My father told me about his stay in China, where people pay with their phones, and rarely with cash, which was very refreshing for him."

Charlette at Huaqiao University (Photo by the interviewee)

In 2019, Charlette came to study at Huaqiao University in Xiamen, Fujian Province. In the first three years, she devoted herself to studying the Chinese language there. Alone, far from her hometown, unable to speak the language... Looking back on her earlier days in China, Charlette was very grateful to her Chinese teachers and classmates for giving her "family-like" encouragement and support, which helped her get through the initial difficult times.

"At first, it wasn't too easy. I was rather shy and introverted, but my teachers and classmates helped me a lot, especially my Chinese classmates. Sometimes I made mistakes in my Chinese expression, but they always patiently pointed them to me and taught me how to express myself accurately. Learning Chinese was very interesting yet difficult. Fortunately, I have gone through all of these."

Now, Charlette, who has conquered the language barrier, is a sophomore at the School of Computer Science and Technology, Huaqiao University. She named herself Li Yixin in Chinese. Now, Charlette is accustomed to life in Xiamen. This beautiful city with blue sky and sea, red tiles, and green trees gradually gave her the feeling of "home".

"Xiamen has beautiful scenery and food to my liking, for I can't eat spicy dishes. The friendly and comfortable city features moderate prices and convenient living conditions."

During her stay of more than four years in China, Charlette also yearned to visit and explore more places in China for the diverse customs of this vast country abundant in resources. During the past summer vacation, Charlette went to Shanghai.

"I went to Shanghai for my friends have described it to me many times. It is very beautiful! I saw the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Shanghai Tower. I have only seen them in movies before, but now I have the opportunity to see them with my own eyes. I am very excited and very happy."

Charlette (third from right) and other international students (Photo by the interviewee)

China and Zambia are traditional "all-weather friends", and Zambia is the first country in southern Africa to establish diplomatic relations with China. "Driven by the 'Belt and Road' Initiative, China has helped Zambia build roads and airports, and invested in agriculture and manufacturing... These efforts have promoted Zambia's economy. I found many Zambian students studying in China, a people-to-people exchange conducive to mutual understanding between the two countries. I expect Zambia to learn more technology from China. Chinese goods have been sold around the world, and Zambia should learn from China in this regard."

Charlette comes from Ndola, the third largest city and industrial hub in Zambia. She hopes to bring back the knowledge and skills she learned in China to hometown, and to build her hometown better.

"I have experienced a new way of life in China and learned a lot. I hope to graduate smoothly and bring back the knowledge and skills I learned in China to Zambia."