Name:LORRAINE ELLEN

Nationality:Indonesia

College:International College

Major: International Economics and Trade（Chinese Business）

My name is Ellen Lorraine and I am currently in my fourth year of International Economics and Trade (Chinese Business) major in Zhejiang University of Technology (ZJUT). I arrived in China 3 years ago with the other students from Indonesia. Away from my parents and familiar environment, naturally I felt apprehensive but also excited of what's coming next. Over the next years of my life in China, my fear was proven to be baseless. I received tremendous help from my teachers and fellow students to settle in.

School is a place that plays an important role in shaping our personality and perception.In ZJUT, I was put in a class with students from different cultural backgrounds. This experience, which I wouldn't be able to attain in my home country, has allowed me to take on a big-picture perspective. Through interacting with my classmates, I was able to learn their culture and perceive things from their point of view.

With no parental figure nearby, I realized even more how time is an invaluable commodity. We should exercise our utmost care in utilizing our time. Our future can be determined by what we have achieved or what we are doing today. In order to attain achievements, failure is inevitable. There is no successful man or woman who has never experienced failure. True failure is when we stop moving forward due to fear of failure. We can learn from our successes but we can learn so much more from our failures.

I am quite competitive and I love the feeling of winning, but as much as I want to be the best among my peers, I believe that my biggest and only competitor is myself. Each person has different goals, challenges, and motivators. Focusing on other people could easily cause us to lose sight of our own goals and ambitions. Instead, we should focus our attention on striving hard to be a better person each day. In class, I always try my best to stay attentive and inquisitive. I joined an open discussion group with the other Indonesian students and we help each other with our studies and assignments. The assignments and presentations have helped me in developing critical and analytical thinking and improving my public speaking skills. In my spare time, I like to read books and watch educational videos to broaden my knowledge and keep a sharp mind.

Nonetheless, we cannot study from books alone, which is why I take the initiative to participate in extracurricular activities such as sports or do volunteer work.  I also keep myself occupied by joining Hangzhou Indonesian Student Community. Each year, we hold various activities that help Indonesian students in Hangzhou to familiarize themselves with each other and the city of Hangzhou while simultaneously spread knowledge about Indonesia in China. Through my experience in this organization, I was able to obtain and improve different skills that are not taught at school, such as interpersonal and organizational skills.

What I have learnt from my experience and struggles in China is that life is full of opportunities. In order to take full advantage of these opportunities, we should never cease to work hard, stay positive, and be adaptable in all kinds of situations. We should harness our skills and abilities and be the best version of ourselves.