Holly’s Horizon Hunt: Crossing Cultures and 7 Time Zones

Servus! My name is Cunyu Liu, but feel free to call me Holly, as my friends back home do. I’m 23 years old and from Tianjin, China—a lively city right next to Beijing. Locals here are known for their humor and love of seafood, and people tend to focus more on enjoying life than on making loads of money.

I completed my bachelor’s degree in English at Nanjing University and am now a second-year master’s student at Zhejiang University, majoring in International Organizations and International Communication. Both Nanjing and Hangzhou (where Zhejiang University is) are celebrated as “paradise on earth” in China, but after a while, their beauty can feel distant. Caught up in a constant push to “keep up” with social expectations, I often felt tired,  as if life was sweeping me along without direction. So, I chose to take a year abroad, hoping to break out of this routine and ask myself: Who am I? What kind of life do I really want? What possibilities lie ahead?

I picked Munich over options in the U.S. and U.K., despite knowing no German, because I hope to work with international organizations (IOs) someday, and Europe hosts many of their headquarters. While I’ve interned with three IOs, all my experiences were virtual due to the pandemic. During this year, I hope to find an on-site internship in Europe, although I’m not sure when and where it will begin—it’s all an adventure! Although you know, sometimes one can have more than one dream. Besides my ambition to work with IOs, I once dreamed of becoming a documentary filmmaker. I was fortunate to follow the filming of an urban documentary, working in diverse environments like office buildings, muddy fields, or seaside shores. The freedom to explore these spaces and share people’s stories deeply inspired me. Although I couldn’t pursue this path for my master’s, it led me to choose Ifkw during my exchange, allowing me to continue expressing myself through words and images.

Beyond career considerations, I’m fascinated by European cultures. As a music and museum lover, this place is a paradise! However, due to the distance, Europe often appears to many Chinese people as a homogeneous entity—“Europe is made up of churches, castles, and plazas”—similar to how Europeans sometimes perceive Asia. Although European countries are geographically close, each has its unique charm. I also hope to explore the commonalities and differences across European cultures, learning to appreciate the beauty within these contrasts.

Munich may just be the starting point of my horizon hunt. So far, I’ve been lucky to meet many kind people who have helped me adjust to the cultural shocks. Contrary to the stereotype, Germans aren’t as reserved as one might think. They may not greet you with boundless enthusiasm, but they readily offer assistance whenever I’ve needed it, even if it requires a few repetitions due to accents. So language remains my biggest challenge, and I’m working hard to overcome it. I look forward to the day when I can effortlessly read supermarket discounts and catch every single Deutsche Bahn delay announcement (without missing a beat)!