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Vietnamese Student Sport Competition
Asia » China » Beijing » Haidian district
March 28th 2009 by Peanut goes to China
Videos in the Playlist:
1: Thanh Hoa 1 34 secs
2: Thanh Hoa 2 20 secs
3: Thanh Hoa 3 37 secs
4: Thanh Hoa 4 60 secs
5: Thanh Hoa 5 60 secs
6: Thanh Hoa 7 15 secs
1: Thanh Hoa 1 34 secs
2: Thanh Hoa 2 20 secs
3: Thanh Hoa 3 37 secs
4: Thanh Hoa 4 60 secs
5: Thanh Hoa 5 60 secs
6: Thanh Hoa 7 15 secs
This will be replaced by the player.
Today, I got the opportunity to participate in a Vietnamese student sport competition in Beijing. It was unbelievable! I definitely did not know what to expect when the day started, but it was more than I ever imagined. The competition was held at the Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). At the event, there were so many Vietnamese students from all sorts of schools in Beijing. I could not believe that I was in Beijing surrounded by hundreds of Vietnamese students. Each school had their own sign which they proudly carried.
In the sport competition, I got to represent Tsinghua University (also known as Thanh Hoa in Vietnamese) in badminton. I played in a singles match and a male/female doubles match. We had a great team cheering us on and giving us a bunch of "加油" (cheers). It was a good bonding experience. I was probably the only Vietnamese American at the event, but there was just something special about hanging with people who share a common language and culture. We won second place in the two events I participated in: doubles badminton and three-legged race. As a result of placing, we got two really cool plaques and a total of 200RMB. After the event, everyone went out to a Chinese-Muslim restaurant and celebrated the day's events.
During my time in China, I have found that in addition to the Syracuse Abroad students the Vietnamese students at Tsinghua have become sort of a family for me. In times of need, it's nice to know that there are people who understand my two-cultured world. It's particularly comforting to know that I can partake in both worlds and have the best of both worlds. I'm studying in China to improve my language skills, but in more ways than one I feel as if my Vietnamese language skills have strengthened and I feel even more connected to my Vietnamese culture. I would have never imagined that I would have the opportunity to hang out and learn from Vietnamese students studying in a country outside the U.S. It's a unique experience and one that I am grateful for.
Words can't express enough the feelings of the day, but I hope you enjoy the pictures!
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The text and photos of this article remain the copyright of the Author (Kristina Doan). Under no circumstances should the photos or text be used without the express written permission of the Author (Kristina Doan). If you wish to use or publish photos or text from this article - please
Contact Kristina Doan.