26. Finding my happily ever after in China. By Khola

26. Finding my happily ever after in China. By Khola

My China journey began in the year 2015 when I came to China for the first time with a tentative plan to spend one semester here, and then decide if I wanted to stay longer. I had come to China on CSC scholarship for my PhD, but at that time I also had another scholarship offer from a university in another country. The semester there, however, would have started in the year 2016 in February. So, what initially started out as a one semester plan, turned into almost 7 years and counting.

Representing the green flag on various platforms

If I were to pen down one single reason of why I chose to stay, it would not be possible. Was it the people, the opportunities, the city itself, I could not pinpoint, but what I can say for sure is that it was definitely more than one reason that extended the China chapter of my life. One big reason was me having another home away from home in Shanghai as my sister also had started her PhD at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. And oh, did I mention I also met my now husband in China, for that this country will always have a special place in my heart.

I got enrolled at University of International Business and Economics for the International PhD program. I went through all the emotional highs and lows that come with moving your life to another country altogether. I already had done it one time at the age of 16, when my family made the move from UAE to Pakistan, but nothing could have prepared me for how different the life in China is compared to the other two countries I had experience of. Little did I know that the differences would become the reason for me wanting to extend my stay.

Pictures from various student associations events

Upon arrival, I immediately found myself caught in the whirlwind of the crazy Beijinger life as a Laowai. I was not familiar with the culture, hardly spoke a work of the language, got lost every single time I went out. Consequence: the very third day in China which happened to be my birthday I sat in front of my dormitory building and cried because I was feeling overwhelmed. I got a call from my mum, and she gave me all the courage that I needed to take this as a challenge and enjoy every second of it. I took the advice to heart and from the very next day I started immersing myself in the life around me as much as I could. I would randomly take a bus and get off at any station and try to navigate my way back with the help of people on the street. I joined all the student activities that were happening on campus. I still have very fond memories of the first big competition called “hanyu qiao” (Chinese Bridge) I took part in. In the competition you compete against 9 other teams comprising of one Chinese and one foreign team member. Me and my teammate ranked second in the competition and won the title of the most popular team.

Memories participating in hanyu qiao (Chinese Bridge)

The second year in China I joined multiple student associations. I joined the Publicity Department of International Student Union (ISU), which next year I became the head of department and ultimately, got elected as the vice president of the whole ISU. The second association I joined was the International Alumni Association (IAA). I started out as member in the Branch Management Center (BMC) and handled the 5 country branches that were assigned to me, later I got promoted as the Director of the BMC overseeing the work of the 27 country branches under the IAA. Currently I am linked with the association as an advisor. I also joined International Volunteer Association through which I got a chance to further immerse in the Chinese culture, as some of the volunteer program would allow us to visit old home, schools in small towns, this gave me a chance to get a glimpse of not only how the life worked for the people my age but to also see how the old and young generation are living their life in China. It is with the help of these association that I was able to experience Beijing, forge lifelong friendships and carve my little home in the crazy big city.

Hosted multiple events and won many awards.

In my third year I wanted to extend my reach to youth lead and youth leadership association existing outside of my university. That is when interviewed to join the SCOLAR Network. The reason I had chosen to associate myself with SCOLAR was based on having attended one of the events organized by them. After joining I got the opportunity to attend/organize multiple events.

My journey with SCOLAR Network

2019 was the year which put a hold on the life of so many people. I went back to Pakistan at the end of the year to spend my semester break, little did I know that I will not get a chance to return back to campus to attend my graduation. This time was the hardest in my China journey, as I had to coordinate all the details of my final thesis online, attend my graduation online and even pack the whole content of my life in Beijing: my dorm room all the way from Pakistan via video call. It was a sad thing to be robbed of the chance to wear the red gown and be at the front of the graduation ceremony, but like the rest of the world all I could do was to sit and wait for the situation to get better. As I had intention to continue my life in China even after graduation, so I started applying for jobs online instead of just waiting. I was very fortunate because after only two interviews I landed my current job. Returning however was another struggle because embassies were closed and there weren’t any flights. It took me half year to process my visa and relevant documents to be able to fly back. Currently, I am working as a process manager in Shanghai and awaiting the next adventures in my new home away from home. To sum it all up it sure was one hell of a ride with multiple ups and downs, crazy adventures, and lifelong friendships.

Thank you China for all the memories!