Nihao Munich: My Second Exchange in Europe

My name is Xinyi Zhang. I come from China, and now I am a master student in the School of Journalism and Communication at Beijing Normal University. I am always interested in how people tell stories and how information travels between different cultures.

My hometown is Wuxi, a beautiful city in the south of China, near Shanghai. It is famous for Taihu Lake and also delicious food, especially the sweet pork ribs. But to be honest, I have spent a lot of time of my life away from my hometown. I went to Beijing for my bachelor and master study, and I also lived abroad. So sometimes I feel a little homesick, but I also enjoy the feeling of being in a new place.

This is my second time to be an exchange student in Europe. Before, I studied in Sevilla, Spain for one year. My bachelor major was Spanish, so living in Spain helped me improve my Spanish a lot. I still remember the sunshine, the flamenco and the very late dinner time. That experience made me more open-minded and more independent.

For this semester, what I am expecting is to know new people from different countries and to know more about Germany and the northern part of Europe. Compared with Spain, I think Germany is very different, people here are more organized and serious, and I want to understand this culture more deeply. As a journalism student, I also want to observe how local media report news, and maybe compare it with Chinese media.

Before I have organized interviews for foreign students who study aboard in China. The aim was to create a platform for they to tell their own stories: why they come here to study, how do they like this new country, unexpected experiences and their future career plans and so on. If it is possible, I also want to do something similar here in Europe.

About my plans, I really want to visit Norway and see the aurora. It is one of my dreams since I was a child. I also hope to travel to some other cities, take many photos and maybe write some stories about my trip. I hope this semester will be full of new experiences and good memories. Thank you!