'Enschede is like one big farm because back home all the cities are being modernised very rapidly and one would never see cows, horses, ducks or geese anywhere!,' exclaims Fei Liu of China, second-year Telematics master's student.
Fei came to the Netherlands in August 2002 after finishing her BachelorÆs in Computer Science from Jiangsu Polytechnic University, Changzhou.
'Well, I always wanted to study abroad and I started to prepare for the GRE and TOEFL exams right from the second year of my BachelorÆs. I was accepted at Universities in Norway and Denmark but I compared their programmes with those of the UT and decided to come here. Also, I had visited Amsterdam with my parents when I was fifteen and I really liked it.
'Initially I felt that GRE and TOEFL had prepared me to study in English but reality was drastically different. I used to think and express myself in English in a peculiarly Chinese way - We call it Chinglish! When I had written a paper, my teacher completely misunderstood what I wanted to express.
'Another reality check was with respect to how gruelling studying would be. I was under the impression that studying in an American/European university would not be as hard as in China (let me clarify that is not why I came here!). For my introductory Telematics course, I had to read about a hundred pages every day, that was quite tough. But with practice, now I am able to identify the important parts and know how to 'really read'.
'Communication was the biggest hurdle I had to overcome. One year back I was not comfortable in starting a conversation in English. The words æhow are youÆ completely escaped me! I think that is the case with many Chinese students. We are not confident enough to speak in English and hence we end up socialising more amongst ourselves rather than with others. But I am glad to say that the situation is changing.....last year at a SMIT party there were hardly any Chinese students; this year there were quite a few.'
Fei's project is on networks, both wired and wireless. 'The focus is on computer networks and protocols. I am studying three levels. Firstly, the network concentrating on designing a protocol, building up a network and analysing the quality of service of a telematics system. Secondly, services, this, for example, involves internet services. Thirdly, applications, as in multimedia protocols for mobile wireless systems.'
Shortly after this interview Fei had a nasty fall from the stairs in her house. Here's hoping you get well soon, Fei!
Hometown: Changzhou
Languages Known: Chinese, English, Some Dutch
Favourite food: Chicken Dumpling
Favourite music: Latin music
Favourite movie: Matrix Reloaded, Sleepless in Seattle
Best part of living in NL: the natural beauty
Worst part of living in NL: the bureaucracy
Currently reading: Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix
