Andreea Diana Manolache (蒋语竹), Class of 2022 of the Division of Economics, Finance and Management, from Romania.
Growing up, I have always been challenged to accept new cultural ideas and mentalities that are far from what I am used to. My family moved from Romania to Italy when I was 4 years old. After that, I spent 13 years of my life in Italy. I had the opportunity to be fully immersed into the local culture. I was always encountering new habits because of vast and diverse culture. For these reasons I started being interested in languages as a way to communicate with more people, and in travelling as a way to discover new places.
I entered a language school after junior high school, and since then I started studying German and Spanish. Unsatisfied, I decided to give a chance to the brief afternoon course that my major offered and started learning Chinese. Even though I haven’t learned much during that one hour per week class, I was immediately caught by how beautiful and musical the words sounded. That’s why when I was offered a scholarship to spend one academic year abroad, I chose China as one of my options and was excited when I discovered that there was a host family and a host school waiting for me in Kiamusze, a city in the north-eastern part of the country.
I had mixed feelings about this experience. I was worried that I wouldn’t been able to blend in with the society or get familiar with the language; at the same time, I had a strong desire to make new friends and start a new adventure.
Fortunately I could rely on my teachers and my faboulous host family, who taught me a lot. I would have never thought that I could start calling someone other than my biological mother ‘mum’. Within ten months, I met amazing people that made me feel like at home, and I fell in love with the country, from its spicy food to the cold winter and the picturesque landscapes. Everything became part of my daily life, not only did I learn a new language but I also settled into this society while I grew and changed.
I went back home to my small Italian town with a wider knowledge of who I wanted to be and where I wanted to go. The last two years of high school flashed by very quickly and during that period. I counted the days left till I would have been able to go back to my beloved adoption country, and, as the day was getting closer and closer, I knew that my final destination would be Tsinghua University.
The first three weeks of Orientation Program were an amazing way to get to understand the school dynamics and to meet the ones whom I will spend the following 4 years with.
The first semester really convinced me that choosing to take Economics, Finance and Management at Tsinghua was the right choice for me. All my classmates are very smart and always attentive in the class. This creates a very stimulating learning environment. Thanks to the numerous seminars and lectures given by the smartest scholars in the world, everyone has the chance to learn something new every day.
The University’s facilities are always improving - demonstrating how much Tsinghua is striving to provide the best for its students. The campus is full of beautiful libraries, canteens, playgrounds and green areas where everyone can play sports and cultivate one's passions.
One of Tsinghua’s mottos is “无体育，不清华” - No Sports, No Tsinghua. Every major has its own daily sports activity and its own teams so that everyone can free their minds for a while and enjoy the outside life.
Whether the class is big or small, there is always an opportunity for discussion because everyone is fully involved. My favourite class is “Principles of Economics” which is the foundation for all the students that choose Economics, Finance and Management. Tsinghua also has a wide variety of elective courses so everyone can specialize in what they are passionate about and more interested in.
Tsinghua is very multicultural and each one of its students can enjoy and take advantage of the numerous activities without feeling left out. It’s really the place where dreams come true and you can be the best version of yourself!
