Wudaokou Watch: "Nothing Is Difficult in Life, What Matters Is Time and Concentration"

Welcome to Wudaokou Watch, where we profile a different Beijing-based student from abroad each week to hear about their life in China's capital. You can read the whole series here.

What is your name and where do you come from?
My Name is Theon Nshimirimana. I am from Burundi.

Why did you come to Beijing?
I came to Beijing in 2017 to study. I am doing a master's in finance at the Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE).

How is life in Beijing different from in your home country?
Compared to life in my home country, Beijing life is pretty good because it is a big city with beautiful buildings, trains, and other many innovative technologies that we don't have back at home. Transportation is very easy and the purchase of goods is very quick because of WeChat pay. On the other hand, Burundi is also a beautiful country with a stable climate (there is no winter season), a clean environment (no pollution compared to Beijing), and of course, Burundi is also a peaceful country!

What are the biggest challenges for you here?
The biggest challenge since I arrived has been communicating in Chinese. I was even scared that I will never know how to speak Chinese, but now I thank god that I can speak the basics. Now I can go to the market and buy everything by myself, but in the beginning, I would look for someone to accompany me and translate for me. I cannot forget the first time traveling from Beijing airport to my school – it was very hard to take a taxi.

Name three of your favorite hangouts and why.
I like playing football and running because it's good for health. I love also to sing to free my mind. Whenever I have time, I visit concerts and have fun.

What do you do when you are feeling homesick (are any of your local foods or cultural activities available in Beijing)?
When I am feeling homesick, I try to imagine something to do related to my country's activities. There are many local foods that I can find here in Beijing like beans, corn, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, etc. Regarding cultural activities, I like to celebrate New Year, Christmas, the international Labor Day, etc.

What do you love most about Beijing?
The things I love most about Beijing are the beautiful places for tourism like the Great Wall, Shidu, different parks, etc. I also like the hardworking nature of Chinese People and the technology – there are so many innovations in the city.

What is your most memorable Beijing experience?
My most memorable in Beijing experience is the difficulty of the Chinese language; that was very hard for me to understand, but now I can understand some even though not too much. Nothing is difficult in life, what matters is time and concentration.

How has life in Beijing impacted you?
Living in Beijing has impacted me positively by opening my mind. I see that to develop my county we have to work hard and have courage.

What inspires you and what are your future plans?
What inspires me is to help my family first, and to do as much as I can to help my community by serving my country. I have so many things to learn and want to continue to explore different techniques, especially in financial development and economics here in China.

READ: "Beijing Has Made Me a Far More Resilient and Open Person"

Photos courtesy of Theon Nshimirimana