A Bit About Gefei, But More To Explore

My name is Zhang Gefei. Unlike the Western norm, Gefei is my first name, and Zhang is my family name. My nickname, which is called by my family members and only closest friends, is Feifei. It is very normal for Chinese people to have such a nickname which is made up of the last word of our first name. I also have an English name Susan, which is given by my English teacher. I prefer to be called that way while in Germany since it’s easier for my friends and teachers here to pronounce it.

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I come from China, which is a beautiful country with five thousand years of history. Unfortunately, I think many westerners still do not know a lot about it, only remaining in some superficial cultural symbols like pandas. I hope I can introduce more to my fellow schoolmates about China in the future.

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My hometown Xiamen, which is a coastal city in the south-eastern part of China

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Studying in Germany has always been one of my dreams. Its cultural diversity deeply fascinates me, let alone I am a fanatical football fan whose home team is FC Bayern Munich. As for the school, I believe the University of Munich is my first and best choice. Not only is its comprehensive ranking among the best in the world, but it also has excellent academic strength in media and communication. It is internationally recognized for its excellence in research in a broad variety of areas including media and politics, journalism, public relations, organizational communication, media use, as well as conflict, risk and health communication. What’s more, Munich, as an international metropolis, also allows me to study and live better in English than I do in German.

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For this exchange semester, I hope I can explore some areas that I have not tried out before. I registered for five courses. They point to different fields in media and communication, which enables me to experience more. I can have a chance to learn more about media economics and get to know media analysis, a professional I did not pay much attention to. Making podcasting and digital storytelling are also two skills that are very important in this self-media era. Certainly, Media Institutions in Munich can provide me with an opportunity to get a touch with media business in Munich, helping me have a better understanding of how journalism operates in Germany.

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Munich from a view of the top of the church under my camera

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Back in my home university, I major in international journalism. The reasons behind it are highly related to my interest in journalism and my specialty in English. I gradually develop my interest in journalism through watching movies about this topic. All those plots, including some interpretations of the big events in the field of journalism, such as the Watergate Scandal from All the President’s Men, consist of my initial impression of this subject and even teach me some practical skills like interviewing. Most importantly, it fires me with a belief that a journalist is someone who retains a heart and pure soul, who is willing to speak for others and insist on truth. Even if there is boredom, helplessness, grievance, compromise, hard work and struggle rolling in the long night, there will always be joy, pride, comfort and happiness waiting at dawn. Human beings always have to do something in their life to make it valuable and worthy of living up to. It is the spark that can start a fire, a petrel that flies bravely and proudly above the stormy waves, the first person who dares to shout in silence. Don Quijote’s undying idealism will always be sought after by countless successors. That is exactly the kind of people I want to become and what the world needs nowadays as social problems and conflicts are happening everywhere.

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Meanwhile, I have shown some talent in writing, expressing myself, and communicating with people back in high school, which are all essential skills to be a journalist. What’s more, English has always been one of my best subjects. Therefore, it is quite natural for me to choose international journalism as my major.

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I have rich experience in journalism practice and in-depth writing. I am good at gathering information from archives and published works, mastering basic theoretical knowledge of communication and media, particularly embodied communication. As a member of the newspaper office of the University’s Youth People’s Congress, I wrote and edited several articles, participated in the whole process of pushing nearly ten articles and the production of two newspapers, from topic selection to interview, writing, typesetting, review, etc.

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Some articles that I’ve posted

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So far, I’ve had three internships. One in Strait Herald agency, one in CGTN, and one in Xinhua News Agency. Through my first internship, I luckily had the chance to participate in field interviews, going deep into hospitals, communities and other places to visit people, listen to their voices, and report their demands. While in CGTN, I got into video script writing. At Xinhua News Agency, I was responsible for the editorial work, and I had a deeper understanding of the production of a report. Each internship teaches me new skills and lets me experience different roles of journalists, such as reporter, TV production team, editor, etc., which gives me a clearer understanding of my future work direction.

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As for my plan in the next three months, after talking so much about study and school life, I want to switch the topic to my spare time. I wish that I could travel as much as possible. I’ve been to Europe several times before but there are still some countries and cities I have not explored yet. So far, I’ve planned a trip to the northern part of Italy in May, and also some small trips to east Europe. Since I’m a fanatical football fan, I hope I can watch more football games live, especially the semifinal of the Champions League between FC Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. It is certain to me that not only do I want to learn more knowledge during this semester, but also have fun and relax.

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Ok, that’s the general information about me. I hope you can explore more this semester, and maybe I can know more about myself as well!