At a programme organized by the Chinese Embassy and the Sini- Sierra Leone Alumni Association, on Wednesday 24th August 2016, the People’s Republic of China awarded scholarship to 14 deserving female students. The awarding ceremony took place at the Bintumani Hotel, Aberdeen, in Freetown. Most of the awardees will be going to study graduate courses in the Social Sciences, Public Administration, and Finance.
Dr. Maxim Conjoaha, who is a lecturer and a graduate product of the HuazhongshiFan Da Xue University, said the Chinese are very friendly, but they are also very organized. “The Chinese have a unique culture that can be best described extremely rich.”
He mentioned that Chinese people have unmatched taste for food the world over. “In China, you are greeted with varied cereals, vegetables of all sorts, fruits and soup, which could be spicy or non- spicy.”
Smilingly, he remarked that there are lots of similarities between the People’s Republic of China and Sierra Leone in terms of taste for food. Dr. Maxim highlighted that China has a huge bank of dialects, depending on the area in which one finds oneself. “But there is what is called the clean and modern modern Chinese, which is taught in schools.”
“It is incumbent on every undergraduate student to do Chinese language and to also pass a proficiency exam called – Hanya Shuping Kaushi (HSK) and they are required to pass that exam before proceeding to their major courses.” He encouraged the awardees to be studious, noting that there is the likelihood that they will be faced with distractions.
“I demand that you carry yourself responsibly, you owe it to yourselves and you to your nation as well.”
Another sound product of the aforesaid University, Amadu Fullah, who now lectures Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Sierra Leone, shared his experience of China with the awardees. He underscored that he got to realize the richness of the Chinese culture and the great respect they have for their leaders.
“The most serious challenge foreign students face, in China is with regards languages, the second is whether conditions. Adapting to their four seasons, that is, summer, winter, atumn, and spring can be harsh, as they all require different dress codes.”
