Hello everyone ! My name is Sinem Senol, third year bachelor student from Belgium, majoring in Business Chinese. My chinese name is 苏琳琳. I am very happy to be able to share my experience at ZUST. Nice to meet you all !

Since I was a child, coming to China has always been a dream. I have learnt about China through its rich history, every aspect of it made me want to know more: Chinese opera, Hanfu, dynasties, art, Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, etc. left me with stars in the eyes. For all of these reasons, I decided to leave everything behind and choose China to pursue a bachelor degree in Chinese in 2020.

Unfortunately, the first, second and half of the third year were held online, these years were the most difficult, I questioned myself and my choices a lot, but now, that I am here, I can say this was the best decision ever.

Here or back in my country, I tried to grasp every opportunity to do activities. I had the chance to win the My Beautiful Encounter with China Essay Competition back in 2021, and participate in various activities online.

I know I am very lucky to be able to study in China, and it makes me want to study well. I had the immense luck to get the Scholarship for Outstanding New Students of ZUST for two years in a row, which motivated me to keep on working hard.

This semester has been incredible so far: I had the opportunity to be in the ISU Sports&Arts department, volunteer in a museum, sing for the Asian Games and it’s only May ! I have also met amazing people here, which makes the experience of studying abroad ten times more amazing.

I love Hangzhou. It is a beautiful city, full of culture, scenic spots, various types of architecture, vibrant colors and history. So is our campus, surrounded by mountains and water.

I am extremely grateful to be able to live all of this and I try to cherish every single moment.I am thankful for everything; friends, teachers and my family, who have never stopped supporting me. I am full of hope, and ready for the future.I wish everyone success and happiness.