The College of Media and International Culture, Zhejiang University has recently interviewed Donaev, an Uzbekistan student at ZJU for the PhD degree.
Interviewer (Int): How nice to meet you! I’m with the news body of CMIC to interview you about your life and study here. Would you please brief me on yourself?
Donaev (Don): Hi, my name’s Donaev, and you can simply call me Don. I come from Uzbekistan. I’m doing my PhD here, and my major is Global Communication, which is a newly opened program in the School of Media and International Cultures, and I’m the first international student of this program. This major is mainly about media theories, communication theories, globalization, and so on. As we are living nowadays in this information age, information communication theories are becoming increasingly important. My study mainly focuses on globalization and current trends in communication.
How & Why in China?
Int: Do you have many exchanges with other international students at the university?
Don: Yes, I first came here for my master’s degree. There were 10 people from 10 countries in the program called Asian Future Leaders. The environment was multi-cultural, and the atmosphere was so good. Every time I talked to my groupmates or friends, I learned something new about their cultures. All of our gatherings were full of friendly talks and discussions.
Int: You must have learned and experienced a lot during your master's degree. How about now?
Don: In my current program, there are two students from Pakistan and one from Afghanistan currently on campus, and some others studying online due to the pandemic. Therefore, we haven’t had that much interaction.
Int: I’ve noticed that they all come from the stan-countries.
Don: That’s interesting, isn’t it! As we all know, China is nowadays initiating One Belt One Road, and China and Pakistan and many other stan-countries have a good relationship. Maybe that’s why the number of stan-students compared to that of other countries is a little bit larger.
Int: Perhaps there is an emotional linkage, or economic one, so that people in those countries are attracted to China. What’s your reason for your coming?
Don: Actually, after finishing the bachelor’s degree in my country, I used to work in a TV company as a broadcaster, and one of my responsibilities was to prepare for and report some TV programs about East Asian countries, including China. The themes included climate, geography, culture, language, history, and food. For example, I prepared for broadcasts about Terre Cotta Warriors in Xi’an, tea plantations in Yunnan, Skyscrapers in Shenzhen, and the Great Wall in Beijing. This experience aroused my desire to see all these things by myself.
CMIC, ZJU as a bigger start
Int: That must be very exciting when you did get off the plane and step on the ground. Then why do you choose this very Zhejiang University?
Don: When I had the idea of going to China by myself, I started searching for ways to get here. At the same time, I wanted to pursue my master’s degree in politics and international relations, as I was then interested in that major. So, I applied for this very good program—Asian Future Leaders. The program selects only one student from each country, so it would be a great honor if you can achieve that. Before my application, I didn’t know Zhejiang University well, but I knew it ranked 97th in the whole world, a really high ranking. I was called to the interview and then, fortunately, I came to China.
Int: We might go into the details about your study and life here at CMIC. How do you like the hardware and software in this college, like the teachers, the students, and the facilities?
Don: The staffs here are highly qualified in terms of academic achievements, as most of them had obtained their PhDs in foreign countries. There are no language barriers or obstacles, because they already have this international study background. And they are quite professional, so I would like to fully appreciate their efforts.
Int: What about your dormitory? Do you find it comfortable? Or is there any huge difference from that in your home country?
Don: In my home country, I used to live in my home, as it was close to the university, so I know little about dormitory conditions there. I think China is taking good care of international students, and there are different facilities for local students and foreigners accordingly.
A trail-blazer in Global Communication
Int: How do you like your current program?
Don: Actually, I have made a shift in terms of major, because this Global Communication also has some relations with Public Administration and International Relations. Then I applied for this, and I was accepted. The courses are really interesting, such as Immediate Globalization, Information Society, and Frontiers of Journalism. If I were to get back to my previous job, what I learn about the theories and news in this science sphere would be an extra advantage for me. Therefore, I chose this major and currently I am asecond-year PhD student.
Internationals who graduate from ZJU
Int: Would you like to share with us some of the most impressive memories on campus?
Don: It was so interesting during my master's degrees here. At that time, together with my friends, like 10 people, we had a lot of interesting activities, and we had many trips, maybe once a week. When you study something in the classroom, and then you experience it outside, that would feel quite different—that would create some kind of memorable events and long-lasting memories, and that kind of trips used to be really good for us to get interacted with each other, to get to know the classes well, and to get to know China well.
Int: This is what we Chinese hold, that frequent traveling is as important as reading ten thousand books. How about those friends you have made in your master’s degree? Are you still in contact now?
Don: Yeah, we are very close friends still. Some of my friends are still in China, but in different cities—one is doing his PhD in Chongqing, one has opened his company in Xiamen, and two of my classmates get married to each other, and now they are living in Singapore. We still keep in touch with each other. Not only with them, but also with other international students. At that time I had friends from almost every country, because there used to be some clubs among all the international students themselves. Zhejiang University has more than 60,000 international students, and you can find anyone from any country here. Therefore, the study environment for international students is quite good here, because it's diverse and multicultural.
Int: The next topic is about your career. What’s your plan for the future? As you mentioned before, you would go back to your country as a journalist again?
Don: You see that sometimes unexpected things happen, and what you’ve planned just completely changed. My plan was not PhD before, instead, it was work. But now I'm in the PhD out of nowhere. At that time, after my master’s degree, I wanted to immediately start my carrier back in my country, and maybe I would start my career in an international company. And I indeed had many good offers. But I chose to come to China for PhD, a visit planned for only one week believe it or not.
Int: There must be a kind of chemistry between you and Zhejiang University.
Don: Well, I think so. So with all these chemistries, I can't exactly say about my plans for the future. So far, I plan that after completing this PhD, I would go back, either working in the public sector in the government or the media sphere again.
Int: I think the knowledge you obtained here must be very helpful. And you are now a truly internationalized talent. Wish you good luck, and thank you for your time.
