Canying Ren, a Chinese student, has been living in Belgrade for several years. She initially came to Serbia for her studies and soon fell in love with the country, its people, culture, and way of life. What started as an academic journey turned into a deep connection with a new environment that has become her second home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ren arrived in Serbia as a student seeking further education, intending to stay only for a few years. When she was choosing a country for her academic adventure, Serbia stood out as the best option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn 2015, I was in my final year of university. In China, there are scholarship programs with Eastern European countries, and the universities in Serbia have the highest level of cooperation. I looked at the list of countries and found Serbia the most appealing. I read information about each country, and since Belgrade was the center of the former Yugoslavia, I wanted to see what that Yugoslavia was like,\u201d Ren began her story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She is now pursuing a PhD at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, having previously completed a master\u2019s degree at the Faculty of Political Sciences at the same university. Ren explains that the decision to move far from home wasn\u2019t easy for her parents. They were puzzled by her choice and questioned why she wanted to go so far, but they have since grown more accepting and now visit her regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEveryone asked me: Where is Serbia? They weren\u2019t exactly thrilled. My parents asked, \u2018Why are you going so far away?\u2019 They told me at the time, \u2018If you want to study abroad, go to America.\u2019 I had already been to America during my undergraduate studies through a student exchange program,\u201d Ren said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also shared what she likes most about Serbia. Like many foreigners, she is delighted by the relaxed pace of life here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn China, people don\u2019t have the habit of sitting in caf\u00e9 gardens and drinking coffee. But Serbs are very hardworking; when they need to work, they work overtime\u2014I know that,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ren also highlighted Serbian hospitality, something that reminds her of home, as this virtue, she says, is characteristic of both nations. While there are many similarities between Serbs and Chinese, she believes hospitality is the foremost among them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n