SAFTAR GASIMOV（赵瑞）
Nationality: Azerbaijan
Grade 2018 student in the Master's Program of Financial Management, School of Accounting
Supervisor: TAN Hongtao
The Winner of the Chinese Government Outstanding International Student Scholarship in 2021
Award-Winning Speech
I think I am lucky to be awarded "the Chinese Government Outstanding International Student Scholarship". 2020 is an extremely extraordinary year, and it is also an unforgettable year for all the international students in China. For this award, I would like to thank SWUFE for its training, thank teachers' guidance and care. I will cherish my time studying in China even more, continue to work hard and strive to become an exchange messenger for the development and integration of the “Belt and Road” between China and Azerbaijan.
My Story of Studying in China
Six years ago, when I was in the Confucius Institute of Azerbaijan and just started to learn Chinese, I never thought that one day I would have the opportunity to come to China to study. In 2016, I was honored to win first place in the 16th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students and the 3rd Azerbaijani University Students "Chinese Bridge" Final. At that time, I began to think that I should study in China. In 2018, with the support of the Chinese Government Scholarship, I came to Chengdu, Sichuan, and started my master's program at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. When I first came to this completely unfamiliar environment, I was very worried about whether my language level could meet the academic requirements, and whether I could overcome cultural barriers and integrate into a Chinese campus. However, after everything started, I could feel the help and support from the teachers and classmates all the time, which made me adapt to the life of studying abroad quickly.
Being studying in SWUFE for more than two years, I benefited from the guidance of my Professors and the help of my classmates in my professional study, and I made great progress. Outside the classroom, SWUFE provides our international students with many opportunities to learn about Chinese culture and social life. The annual “International Cultural Festival”, local community activities, SWUFE Global Academy, etc. not only allow us to experience Chinese culture firsthand, but also enhance the exchanges between Chinese and foreign students, so that each other has increased their knowledge and gained friendship. At the same time, I also participated in many volunteer projects and entrepreneurial start-up activities, which broadened my horizons and deeply understood the changes and development of Chinese society. All these have made me more confident, improved my cross-cultural communication and social practice abilities. I am convinced that these experiences will become wonderful memories in my life.
During the coronavirus outbreak in China, although I was in my hometown, I had been always concerned about Chinese friends and SWUFE’s teachers and classmates, and strived to do something for the prevention and control of the pandemic. Subsequently, the pandemic spread globally. A team of medical experts from West China Hospital of Sichuan University sent by the Chinese government to Azerbaijan came to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. I was honored to be an interpreter to assist the Chinese medical expert team working in Azerbaijan. My translation work was mainly based on medical content. I encountered a lot of difficulties at the beginning, but I supplemented medical vocabulary at home every day to prepare for translation work. When I translated the content that I was not familiar with, I often felt that I was not expressing it clearly enough, but the Chinese and Arab experts understood what I mean and communicated smoothly. It seemed that the previous hard work of learning medical vocabulary had not been in vain. I'm proud of this translation experience for a lifetime. I was very honored to be able to overcome difficulties with Chinese people at such a difficult time! Not only did I make this memorable campus an important experience in my life journey through studying in SWUFE, but also after "hand in hand to fight the pandemic", I integrated into the big family of China. This makes me realize that I will continue to make contributions to the friendship and development of China and Azerbaijan!
(Source: College of International Educaiton)
