Subarna ，monitor of 2012 autumn A section ，vice  chairman of international student union，Indian.

When I decided to pursue my medical undergraduate study from China, I was excited with the fact that I was about to enter a new world of cultural diversity and yet sceptical about the challenges one faces in a foreign country. Prior to this, I never traveled to any place outside my state in India and had my own reservation of thoughts about china from what I had learned from articles and textbooks.

After my 12th grade, I decided to pursue my undergraduate medical study from a country abroad. Also I had limited knowledge as to which country would be good for this purpose. After around a month and a half of research on internet and feedback from some people, I shortlisted China as the preferred destination of my undergraduate study.

I did all the necessary workups - applied for a new passport, contacted an official Chinese university admission advisor and shortlisted Taishan Medical University for my study. The university admission advisor guided and assisted me with through the entire admission process.

  I still remember the day when I received admission letter and JW202 letter from the university which basically meant that my admission was confirmed.Little did I know that i was about to enter a journey or a phase in life that would cast me into an independent, confident and skill full person that I am today.

  The first time stepped in the college campus; the temperature was -15 degrees. It was chilling cold and much colder than what we generally witness in our country. Yet the critical reception was warm & there was a lady dormitory in charge waiting for me and who allotted me with room and all necessary items.the campus was beautiful filled with greenery and scenic sites. The most exciting experience was that of the snow fall that I witnessed in-person, which was something that I saw in movies earlier.

  Our college had some of the excellent faculty members and teachers. They were supportive and always motivated us to work hard and succeed in life. Their lecture presentations use to make some of the most complex medical topics seem easy. There were frequent vivas, test, quizzes conducted by the teachers and this just made us work harder and led to the better understanding of the core medical topics.

I am thankful that I got opportunity to work as a SRC (Student Representative Council) Leader and class monitor from the beginning years of my study. I got and opportunity to collaborate with like minded peoples and organize various activities in the campus. Among them Quiz Competitions, Sports Tournament, Presentation and Seminars, Cultural and Dance Activities, College magazines and journals are to name a few. All these activities help me immensely to develop my leadership skills, which is an important thing to have in real world scenario.

The university Office members were helpful and supportive. They did frequent quality checks of the undergraduate study program and ensured that the things were functioning smoothly. Our batch had a good strength of students making the study environment competitive. All these factors created and atmosphere that prompted me to study and work hard. Not only did I excel in studies but also got frequent scholarships from the college and Chinese government.

The office of international students arranged various trips and recreational activities for us. The most notable being the free passes and to trip hot spring, Trip to mount Tai. Officials from Embassy frequently visited our college and the Office of international affairs provided me with opportunity to represent our college during those visits. Moreover I got opportunity to Visit beautiful places in china. Be it Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao or Jinan cities, I travelled them all. The exquisite beaches, and underwater world in Qingdao are a must visit locations when travelling there. Similarly the Great Wall of China in Beijing and Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai are attractive tourists destinations.

I got to experience the Chinese culture more closely and made many Chinese friends. I would definitely recommend people to have some of the delicious Chinese foods. Among them Malataang was my favourite. I learnt the Chinese language during my 6 years stay in china. When you are on a land far from your home country, you make friends which end up being akin to your family.I also made friends which will remain an integral part of my life in years to come.

The practical training part of the study was also good. We were placed for compulsory one year of rotational internship in the affiliated hospital of my university. The patient load and variety was good in the hospital. The consultants and professors were eager to teach us with the necessary core practical skills.

The most memorable period during my stay in china was that during my internship in which I cleared the FMGE (Foreign Medical Graduate Exam) . I still remember those sleepless nights when I used to study with the aim to clear the Licensing exam of my country.

I still remember the day when I was informed that I cleared the FMGE exam from my friends. I was delighted as Iworked hard for that exam. This is definitely one of those moments that I will remember for the rest of my life.When I came to China for my undergraduate study, i was just 18. And this was the first time that I witnessed an environment that was devoid of the protective shell of my parents. I learnt some important life lessons during the 6 years of my study and also the skill to survive in such an environment.

Lastly I would like to point out that the 6 years which I spent in china during my undergraduate medical study will be the most valuable and cherished days of my life. It is practically not possible to summarize those moments here.