MY EXPERIENCE STUDYING WITH SNAI
I am Jonisia Mwasheka Nghede, from the class of 2020. I was born in Namibia, a small populated country in the southern part of Africa. Our country is known as the "Land of the Brave," and we are known for being humble, peaceful, and kind people. In my country, I work for the Ministry of Finance. I chose to pursue my master's degree at the Shanghai National Accounting Institute (SNAI) because, of all the universities that offered scholarships through MOFCOM, SNAI was the only one that offered a unique Master's degree in Professional Accounting, which really interested me. I was also moved by China’s ideologies and work ethics and by the impact they are making around the world, especially in Africa. I was looking forward to networking and learning a lot about China and its culture too. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, we were not able to travel to China to attend out first academic year which I was saddened by massively. So, we had to take our classes online, which was challenging at first because of the time differences and also connectivity issues. Online learning is not as interactive and competitive as face-to-face learning, so you need to be self-motivated, disciplined, and committed to keep up with studies. Furthermore, if you are determined to do something and you put your heart to it, it is possible. The Gensee platform was great as it made the journey easier because you could always go back to rewatch lessons for better understanding of what was taught in classes.
The hardworking and knowledgeable team of SNAI professors and teacher assistants made my journey exciting, and their influence is commendable. I can say without a doubt that so far in my academic life, this has been the best team I have worked with. The team's abilities in the areas of communication, planning, organization, and time management are exceptional. Even though the journey was not pleasant, coming to China has been a great and memorable experience. When I got to the SNAI campus, I forgot about everything I had to go through during quarantine because the place is so beautiful and learning conducive. All of the staff members, including the local students were extremely friendly and helpful. The education I received at SNAI has completely changed my life for the better. We had to do a lot of presentations and theoretical work, which gave me more confidence and taught me team work. I am not a fan of reading lengthy things, but the assigned articles helped improve my reading comprehension and writing skills. On the other hand, it is mind-blowing learning about how innovative and futuristic China is. Lastly, MOFCOM gave me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a life-changing experience that I will always be grateful for. The language skills acquired as well as my colleagues turned friends will be forever cherished in my future endeavors.
