Brunei students set for journey of culture

By Zhang Jin (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-08-10 10:28

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei: When Dk Nuraffilah Pg Raffee received a scholarship from the Chinese ambassador on Aug 8, she became an ambassador too - an ambassador of culture from Brunei to China.

The 19-year-old is one of the five Bruneian students who will leave this month for higher studies at Chinese universities. Four will enjoy scholarships from the Chinese government and one is sponsored by the Bruneian government.

Brunei students set for journey of culture

Nuraffilah

Nuraffilah can use chopsticks skillfully, but she said her knowledge of China was no better than any Bruneian.

Claiming herself a fan of Taiwan singer and actor Wang Lee-hom, Nuraffilah said the only Chinese she knows is "wo ai ni" (I love you), a phrase she learned from a Taiwan TV drama.

However, she is confident that five years in Beijing will make her a China hand. She will learn Chinese for one year in Beijing Language and Culture University before pursuing a Bachelor's degree in tourism management at the Capital Normal University. Both universities are in the Chinese capital, Beijing.

"I'm eager to know as much as possible (about the country)," she said. "I want to go to the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube and make friends with locals and let them know more about Brunei.

"The Bird's Nest and Water Cube were stadiums hosting last year's Olympics. When she comes back to Brunei for holidays, she would like to "tell Brunei people more about China".

Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Tong Xiaoling said: "I hope you (the students) could mingle with local Chinese people and bring friendship to Brunei."

The Chinese government has been sponsoring Bruneian students for several years.

But this year saw more Malays than Chinese getting the grant. Four of the five scholarship recipients are Malays.

Ambassador Tong assured the students of their life in China, as halal food will be served and their religious beliefs would be met. But she reminded them of the cold weather. One student plans to go to snow-capped Jilin province, where the mercury could plunge to as low as -30 C.

The students said they are prepared for a cultural shock and a different lifestyle, but they regarded language as the biggest worry.

Norhafizah Hj Mohd Taha, 19, another recipient of the scholarship, said her China trip will begin with Chinese characters. She will spend her first year on the language at Nanjing Normal University in East China's Jiangsu Province, before taking a Bachelor's degree in psychology in Southwest University in Chongqing.

Norhafizah took Chinese courses in Brunei in 2004 and continued learning the "difficult" language in the following years. She was confident that she would be able to write in Chinese in a year.

Both students said that they were planning, if possible, to visit Xinjiang to meet local Muslims. The northwestern Chinese region recently hit the headlines of global media, after a riot on July 5 killed at least 197 people in the region. "I'd like to see with my own eyes the life of locals," Norhafizah said.