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My Rwandan name is HAKIZIMANA Patience. For I was blessed to learn Chinese language, I got chance to be called 王亮 (Wang Liang) which is now my precious name. I was born in western province of Rwanda, RUSIZI district. I am a student in the University of Rwanda (UR), College of Education (CE). I am in Year two languages (i.e., ENGLISH and KISWAHILI). Until now, I have studied Chinese language about one year and a half from November 2018 up to now.
Latterly many campuses in Rwanda got great chance to have Chinese class that is helping many students to turn their dreams true. Before I attended university, I was not aware of Chinese language. I even had not ever heard any one speak Chinese language except some people working with Chinese people in road construction, who once I heard saying “你好“（Ni hao）to their boss which means “hello” in English, and I did not be aware of what it means until when I first entered in Chinese class.
I remember my first time to reach in my college; I fund some students speaking a language that I was not familiar with, other students explained for me that it was Chinese language. When we were about to finish induction week, I fund everywhere in the college hanged many labels on the wall announcing that Confucius Institute is registering new students who wanted to attend Chinese class and it was free of charge for UR student. I was astonished because it was somehow inexplicable. I wondered myself how any institute could invent its activities of teaching foreign students freely. What is its profit? I was very curious wondering whether it is possible for Chinese teachers to come and teach everyone voluntarily. There is no any other hidden purpose beyond promoting speaking of Chinese language so far.
Although Chinese language is the most widely spoken language all over the world, it is not as popular as western languages such as English, French and Spanish as globally approved means of communication occasionally. This resulted to the current global structural power distribution that benefited countries with system that are closer to international norms. All these opened my mind and swept away all doubts related to the aims of Confucius Institute in Rwanda as long as other countries.
Let us have little about the name Confucius. Confucius is the Western name of 孔丘（Kong Qiu）, an influential Chinese philosopher. It is viewed that He lived around (551B.C.-479B.C.). He was noteworthy educator of ancient China. His ideas and methods of teaching had great influence in development of education all over the world. He was born near曲阜（Qufu）a town in the state of 鲁（Lu）in China. This territory is much known for its preservation of the early Zhou ritual as long as music. I had read little about this man which also attracted me to join in his institute. When I was reading about him, I found he was the man of thoughts especially such of the way education should be provided regarding to different personalities of students.
He was only raised up by his mother in a humble situation of life after his father’s death which led him to set his heart upon learning hard. At the age of 15 in his dreams had to set up a school that offered. Nowadays it is known as “liberal education” in institutional way. Now I can say that his dreams become true from many year in the past. Consequently, all these inspirations pushed me to learn Chinese language vigorously thinking that everything is possible and believe that impossible is nothing.
For me it was not easy to attend Chinese class because it was going to be my first time to meet people who speak this kind of language. Thus, I thought that it would require many years and much effort to have some notion about this language. At the very beginning, we were many students registered but gradually students were reduced in numbers. I tried to ask some resigned students reason why they were giving up. However, their responses were the same. They answered that Chinese language is too complicated to learn. Actually, they liked it. In addition, it is not easy to learn Chinese as a new language with other major courses on the other side. I was somehow pity due to this misfortune. This was the most influence that pushed me about to resign my journey of learning Chinese.
In fact, Chinese is a language that possibly learned. Although it is a long journey to acquire any language, I thought that nothing impossible with a willing heart. Chinese people have some sets of expressions that I like so much. For instance, 精诚所至金石为开（Jing cheng suo zhi, jin shi wei kai）which means that with a will, you can achieve anything. On the other hand It was great opportunity for me because I had some friends who were studying Chinese in upper level and they used to encourage me and it was something amazing to see them making conversation in Chinese language. They told me that learning Chinese requires habit and someone’s persistence and motivation. Thus, Chinese people say ‘习惯成自然’ means that habit becomes nature; in case you get used to certain something, it becomes like inevitable.
When we were about to start Chinese class, our teachers called us to main hall to meet our director. They introduced their selves and finally director took time to explain everything about learning Chinese for foreigners. He attracted many students to join Chinese class by talking about scholarship provided by government of China as long as Confucius to foreigner’s students. I listened to him a while paying much attention until when he mentioned something like flying in the aircraft to China to study, my heart jumped as if it was me who was being addressed to. I felt like being burned by fire of desire asking myself when it would be possible for me to fly to china for further studies. I would not get answer except for setting goals in my heart. He also talked about the nature of China, its capital city Beijing and its great roads and high and huge mansion that motivated many students to join Chinese class. Though many students listened to him and enroll, they attended few days and start to abandon one by one in the succession. At the beginning level one we were about hundred students in each class and there were two classrooms, and by now, you cannot understand what happened in order to remain with only ten students in combination of both classrooms.
On the following day, it was our first class that everybody was punctual waiting our laoshi (teacher) with great curiosity. When teacher entered classroom, everybody was staring at her asking himself what she was going to start with. She started by introduction after all ask everybody to introduce himself, due to that we were so many, it was not possible for everyone to introduce himself in two hours we should use to study in every Monday and Wednesday a week. Therefore, the teacher decided to stop this at only twenty students. She started writing some words that no body of us were familiar with them. She read and ordered everybody to read after her that was not easy to pronounce as good as she did. This was our first journey of studying Chinese language. The next day of class was on the Wednesday and students were punctual in the classrooms until teacher enter and learn in vein. Our teacher helped us how to pronounce Chinese word by drawing some kind of lines on the whiteboard explaining that are called Chinese shengdiao (tones) which used together with Chinese pin yin(Chinese Romanization or phonetic writing).
Studying Chinese was my objective no matter how it was complicated since I set in my mind. I studied hard until our teacher started to draw new kind of lines explaining that are called Chinese characters. Everybody astonished and wondered whether it is possible for other people beside Chinese people who can write Chinese character. Everybody was afraid and had doubts that it was a waste of time studying impossible language. Actually, we were not wrong due to the inspiration we have had from some students who passed HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) before with high grades. The majority of people in the world likes living easy life, and sometime it is taken as laziness that finally turns into harsh life resulted from impoverishment. Chinese language is even complicated for native (Chinese people) and many people become nervous when it comes to the matter of Chinese characters. Even though it is not easy for everyone, we should know that no pain no gain as English saying says.
However intrinsically I was motivated, challenges were not far. The most influential challenge I faced regarding time because there was no any free time beyond academic scheduled that helped in fulfilling all assignments. On the other hand, there were other several external factors that had great influence in my journey of learning Chinese. Our teachers was one of influential in my learning of Chinese as well as in real life. I remember how it was not easy to pronounce some Chinese words, when we were competing in classroom, I tried to pronounce some of them as well as possible teacher approved by nodding her head and ask other classmate to clap for me. I felt warm and full of zeal led my heart to beat in racelike. Not only our teacher motivated us by clapping but also she used to attach some prestigious labels in our notebooks symbolizing excellent. These made a great impact in our learning of Chinese and helped many students to persist as well as becoming optimist. In my journey of learning Chinese, I discovered that learning does not require excessive rewords but small one is enough for intrinsically motivated person. In case a learner does not motivated himself or herself, cannot see any interest in learning and it is useless to motivate someone who is not motivated intrinsically. I liked the way our teacher used to enforce students in exercising taichi. Occasionally we expected our teacher to take us to the playground to exercise a soft form of martial art developed in China known as taichi. Although everybody was interested in this art, it was somehow difficult to perform and it was only require teacher’s enforcement.
Languages have a great role in the development of the world and act as the junction of people from different corners of the world. Besides learning Chinese language as means of communication, I expect to achieve different goals such as travelling the world, making exchanges with various people especially people who speak Chinese language and it is a great pleasure to share ideas with people from different places around the world. For me it is opportunity to learn Chinese language as the most used language all over the world. You cannot forecast who will employ you in the future. By prediction, I possibly expect to work with Chinese people or anyone else who speak different languages in which Chinese language is one of them. When I am studying Chinese language, I believe that it is a tool that can be used to make friends. I learn Chinese language intentionally as an international language wishing to make more friends from everywhere in the world. Making friends is an important in our daily life because friends have a portion of individual’s lives. And this is very relative to Chinese saying, “在家靠父母出门靠朋友” means “individual depends on his/her parents when at home, on his/her friends when away from home”. Thus, I vigorously study Chinese language because I forecast to make more Chinese freinds as well as people from elsewhere in this village like world.
Now I am one person among peoples who believe in Chinese sayings. In my life I experienced that everything has the starting point. Chinese people believe in this saying which is very comprehend “千里之行始于足下” (qian li zhi xing shi yu zu xia). Literally, it means a thousand miles journey begins with the first step. And figuratively it means a huge accomplishment comes after an accumulation of little achievements made one by one and slowly by slowly. In addition, this saying is very similarly to the Rwandan’s common saying “ntamwana uvuka ngo ahite yuzura ingobyi”. Means that it takes a certain interval or period for neonate to have a certain ability. This is to say that he/she grows slowly by slowly and systematically.
Therefore, everything must have the beginning. My beginning of studying Chinese was very hurried but it was due to my desire of becoming Chinese speaker in short period of time. Learning a language is a long journey which done systematically as days go by. We cannot forget that every beginning is difficult and it only requires much effort and persistence. Many people wonder what it is to be a hero or brave; nothing more than only to try to achieve what is possible in your position no matter how it is complicated because we all know that nothing easy on this spherical world.
I cannot forget the days we were preparing Chinese Proficiency Test level (HSK3). I was with my classmates and we used to work together to help each other preparing examination. In the same vein, our teacher was very interested in our preparation and she used extra times so that we could pass exam with high grades as we wished. She attached important to our preparation explaining every crucial point in relation to Chinese Proficiency Test level three. Everybody had got ready before the period of the test even if my heart stirred up when my thoughts pushed the recall of the following test. The day to sit for exam came and every candidate was ready for the first section of exam and should be listening part, one of three parts of the Chinese test. When the exam was over, everyone should wait in vain for results to come out after one month. After one month our scores were published and it was bad news for me to hear that I scored only two hundred and fifty four over three hundred. It was not my estimation to score in this range; I wish I would at least score two hundred and eighty and above. Due to this result, I felt humiliated and discouraged that I was about to decide not to persist. I wondered what to do until I decided continuing and remember that failure is the mother of success.
Many people in this world laugh at you when you tell them something beyond their thinking. For me I have learned how hard working and persistence are to success. Furthermore, it is not possible for all people to have the same common sense and views about same thing. I like the story of Li Bai; He was famous poet in Tang Dynasty of China. One day when he was still young boy, he went out playing as was usual. He sow an old woman grinding an iron pestle by the river. Li Bai was very curious so he went to ask her what she was doing over there. He was surprised to hear the old woman replying that she was making a needle for her granddaughter to learn embroidery. Having heard this, he laughed as most people would do especially kids. Li Bai laughed because he was thinking that the old woman was wasting her time to grind an iron pestle into a needle. The old woman told him with confidence that “as long as you work hard enough, an iron pestle can be ground down to a needle.” And by then the needle was made. At that time, Li Bai realized that persistence would help one in everything. Due to this, Li Bai began to study hard and accumulate more knowledge. He finally became the man of poetry with many poems. Consequently, I learned that nothing impossible with a willing heart and the more one work hard the more leading to the success.
Unfortunately, when we were about to sit for HSK4, symptoms of a severe disease caused by a virus known as covid-19 manifested themselves in China and spread quickly in the other countries. At the very beginning, many people died especially in China and 广东 (Guangdong）province was locked down firstly as the way of preventing the spread of new cases in the other provinces of China and all over the world as well. The virus was spreading in high speed and did not take long time for it to be found in all five continents of the world because within thirty days was already became the epidemic of the whole world. Consequently, many schools were closed and we could not continue to have class and other large number of movements and services were not allowed as well. In our country, some activities were opened and the prior request is full filling the strategies of fighting against covid-19. Not with standing our opportunities were ruined, there is no need of being pessimists. We are to work together as the world in whole to overcome this hardship situation. We expect that schools are to be open within short period from these days.
In a nutshell, I have experienced a lot since I have started a journey of studying Chinese language and no doubt that my mind has begun to change as well as my life. However, learning and acquiring Chinese language is challenging and complicated, giving in is taken as a crazy and kidding play that will be regretful.
作者简介：HAKIZIMANA Patience（中文姓名：王亮），卢旺达大学教育学院学生，卢旺达大学孔子学院2018级学员。