Cross-cultural learning experience

I am a fresher majored in economics at SIAS University in Henan Province of China. My new Bangladeshi name is 'Bably'. It was an honour to participate in the Daffodil International University (DIU) Winter Camp from January 16 to 21, 2019 with SIAS's teachers and students. There were 39 people in our team. I like to go to different countries and experience different cultures very much. I had been to some countries before, but this trip to Bangladesh is the one that surprised and moved me much.

On the way to Dhaka, we had a problem. Our flight from Zhengzhou to Kunming was delayed due to the weather, which caused us to miss the scheduled flight from Kunming to Bangladesh. In the end, we chose to change our tickets and took the fastest flight to Dhaka in three batches.

 I was one of the first batch to arrive in Dhaka. All the anxieties were dissipated by the enthusiastic students who came to greet us, and joy and excitement followed. In the two days waiting for the arrival of other students, DIU's students took us to visit many places-- travelling by rickshaws and shopping at supermarket was a pleasant experience. We visited the memorial of the founding father of the country Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, where I learnt more about Bangladesh.

After our team gathered at DIU, we began our wonderful trip together. First, we listened to the history of Bangladesh. We went to the National Museum of Bangladesh. We saw many historical relics of Bangladesh, and learnt about the past and present life of Bangladesh. We went to Dhaka University and felt the strong atmosphere of knowledge. In the rose garden, we felt the breath of nature. We visited local families and experienced and tasted local cuisine. We attended the Financial Forum by Professor Muhammad Yunus, world famous Nobel Laureate, and felt the friendly cooperation from Asia. All these are unforgettable to us.

We were busy in varieties of activities.  Together we enjoyed colour painting. We  played basketball, football and golf. Volunteers designed local traditional henna on our hands. Meals were delicious. We sang and danced together. Music made us feel we live in a land without borders and barriers. We wrote Chinese songs for DIU.

 I really appreciate DIU's warm hospitality. Their thoughtfulness and company make us feel the warmth of home in a foreign country, which cannot be expressed in words. We will also tell our friends in China what we have seen and heard in Bangladesh, so that they can have a better understanding of this beautiful country.

I hope SIAS can have more in-depth exchanges and cooperation with DIU, and I believe the friendship between the two universities will last forever.

Gao Ziqi is a student of SIAS University, China