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China: By Journalists Eyes IX: Among Chinese Students Of Czech Or "Around Hradec" China: By Journalists Eyes IX: Among Chinese Students Of Czech Or "Around Hradec"
Published: 14.7.2012
China's hard work and discipline accompanied us at every step and a visit of Beijing Foreign Studies University just confirmed it. Here we had a chance to appreciate even more characteristic of Chinese - adaptability.
The local youth very quickly realized that someone who has a good school and excellent academic performance will have a better job. And that one, who can speak foreign language, preferably several, has the greatest chance. In addition, he can get high social prestige and the opportunity to work abroad.
Chinese and Taiwanese students make up the largest group of universities in the U.S., leading some Americans to fear from"asiasm" of American university education. Often all resources consumed by the family for food and household items, invest in education. Those who can´t reach the study abroad, comprise a very hard test for local universities, of which University of Foreign Studies in Beijing, one of the most desirable.
We were in a vast complex of school buildings, beautiful gardens, pavilions, trails and ubiquitous boys and girls with the necessary smile. We are in the university, which offers 49 teaching foreign languages with an ambition to make it in 2020 to double. Our goal is the Department of Czech language, which is the only resource in the billions across China. The guide introduces us nice middle-aged gentleman who greeted us fluent Czech. As we learn in a moment, he graduated from college then worked at the Czech Embassy in Prague and the Czech Republic to work a few times back. His language skills now passes to local students Czech language.
We are lost in a jumble of corridors and doors we pass a sign with lettering in writing, in Arabic, Cyrillic, Latin ... just a mixed bag. Penetrate to us sounds in language that even we can´t identify. And then there's Institute of European languages and cultures and we find ourselves on "our" department. Enter the classroom classic, which like the spitting image of a typical class at our school - the walls are decorated with photographs Czech sights, there is a large map of the Czech Republic, ice pictures or words listed.
The only difference is that in the pews sat about twenty Chinese students. We welcome the chorus of "good day", students sit for the Department and remains a professor lady - nice lady from the Czech University in Olomouc. She tells us about teaching methods, the ambition and incredible hard work of local students about their interest in Czech customs, traditions, arts, a very severe test, which must consist of each semester, about how to study and volunteer during the holidays ...
Young men and girls are smiling and after a while start in the beautiful Czech "About Hradec in a small garden ..."(text of Czech song). We add to them and we want an encore. Well, we'll have "flipped the rock dove." In secondary classrooms, meanwhile, sound funny "Dance, dance, twist" - and therefore the Slovak colleagues sing. Common musical performance will break the official atmosphere and a number of the students to talk.
When asked why they chose Czech, corresponding to roughly the same. Besides the necessary English wanted to learn another language, they want to see the world, want to see Europe, they want to Prague. "It is so well known and beautiful," John assures me. Czech language studies in the second year and left his master for 4 years. He wants to see as soon as possible to the Czech Republic wants to work in the diplomatic service.
Rene proudly continues that he could dance the waltz and polka, red The Good Soldier Švejk and he looking forward to drink the Czech beer. Czech said certainly applies in foreign trade or to work in the media. Surely she knows that it will have for life and ahead of the advantage which he might some would envy. And inside of me at that moment incubated the resolution that I'll take from China not only an amazing and enriching experience, but also a great lesson. My children will study the Chinese. (This resolution, I really respected and my teenage sons spend week after week 2 hours over the Chinese characters and in leading by a great young student in Chinese, they are speaking in simply sentences, already.)
Text/photo: Andrea Fantová
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Photo: Amy Challen a Jan Lidmaňský