我与中国的缘分是命中注定的事

[布隆迪]

我叫Hilaire Nkunzimana，中文名字是龚泽马，1975年9月20日出生在布隆迪的中南部Ryansoro区。我的家中一共有9个孩子，值得庆幸的是，我们都拥有温暖而快乐的童年。我的母亲和善慈爱，父亲为了维持生计在首都布琼布拉工作。

我与中国的缘分是命中注定的事。记得1995年的一天，我躺在布隆迪穆坦加大学卧室的床上，听到大学电台的通知：有意愿的同学，可以前往教育部注册并于2月28日参加考试，将有机会获得中国奖学金。第二天，我去教育部总部提交了所需的文件，开始准备相关考试，包括数学、物理和化学等学科。

这是许多人梦寐以求的机会，大使馆只征招6名学生，但报名参加考试的同学却有300余名，我满怀信心参加了考试。幸运的是，1995年6月，我被中国驻布隆迪大使馆邀请前往领取签证申请表和录取通知书。在那一刻，这次旅程变得真实，我随即将这个好消息告诉了我的亲人，并踏上了留学中国的路程。

1995年9月3日，在途径比利时、巴黎之后，我来到了中国首都北京。眼前的这座城市华灯齐放、辉煌灿烂，在我这个来自布隆迪贫穷乡村的男孩心里留下了深刻的印记。在北京的日子，我深深地感受到北京人的谦虚和睿智，以及中国文化的魅力。

随后我在南京接受了为期一年的汉语学习。在那里，遇到了我的中国朋友潘。她是一个美丽而有爱心的人，她向我请教法语，同时教我汉语。

1996年，我不得不离开南京，前往无锡江南大学，开始专业课的学习。最开始我的专业是食品工程，但我不太喜欢这个专业。与此同时，我遇到了顾老师，他曾经在贝宁担任外交官，对非洲人非常友好和尊重，在他的帮助下，我被成功录取并进入计算机科学系的信息与控制工程学院学习。

坦率地讲，在中国学习非常不易，首先是因为语言这一大障碍。我每天都要去中国朋友的宿舍寻求帮助。我在布隆迪学习的时候，同学们时常请教我学习上的问题，现在却颠倒过来，让我一度感到沮丧。然而，我明白，学习需要一个过程，在坚持不懈的努力下，我的语言能力渐渐地增强，努力也得到了老师的肯定，我在2000年获得了外国留学生奖学金，这亦使我能够继续攻读计算机科学硕士学位。

龚泽马（右一）与其他汉学家在洪崖洞。 图片/重庆文化职业艺术学院提供

另一个障碍便是资金短缺。那时的奖学金不足以支付往返机票的费用，这使得我无法回国探望亲人。因此我便利用周末的时间打零工挣钱，同时也丰富我的生活体验。除此之外，我还为大学开发网站，虽然不是一个很完善的设计，但是学校依然将它采纳，并给予奖励。

2005年，我返回家乡布隆迪，希望进入布隆迪大学教授计算机科学课程，但却遇到了一点阻碍，因为学校要求其岗位教师拥有博士学位。于是我寻求中国驻布隆迪大使馆的帮助，在获得奖学金的同时，2014年，我回到中国在湖南大学开启博士阶段的学习生活。

在中国，我参观游览了许多美丽的城市，从东到西，从南到北，那些美丽的风景：平原、山脉、绿地和湖泊等等，都给我留下了深刻的印象。我在中国拥有很多美好的回忆。在这里，我不仅学到了很多文化知识，例如，中国文化与汉文学，同时还掌握了计算机科学的技能。

十分感谢中国政府给予我们这些宝贵的学习机会。同时，感谢我的中国老师们，他们给予我们帮助、信任和尊重，没有他们的努力，就没有我们的今天。现在，我的国家也积极开展国际合作，为实现世界和平，人类稳定和可持续发展，让这个世界变得更加美好而努力。

China and I: A Predestinated Story

Hilaire Nkunzimana[ Burundi ]

My name is Hilaire Nkunzimana and Gong Zema is my Chinese name. I was born on September 20, 1975 in the Ryansoro district of south-central Burundi. There are 9 children in my family. Fortunately, we all have had a warm and happy childhood. My mother is always kind and gentle,and my father is working in the capital Bujumbura to make a living.

My stories with China was predestined. I remember one day in 1995, when I was lying on the bed in the bedroom of Mutanga University in Burundi, I heard the news from the university radio station∶ Students who are willing to go to the Ministry of Education to register and take the test on February 28 will have the opportunity to receive a Chinese scholarship. The next day, I went to the headquarters of the Ministry of Education to submit the required documents and began to prepare related examinations, including mathematics, physics, chemistry and other subjects.

This is a really exciting opportunity that many people dream of. Only 6 students can be recruited by the embassy from even more than 300 applicants for the exam. I took the test with full confidence. Fortunately, I was invited by the Chinese Embassy in Burundi to receive a visa application form and an acceptance letter in June 1995. At that moment,I believed that the journey has become a reality, and then shared the good news to my loved ones and embarked on a journey to study in China.

Via Belgium and Paris, finally I arrived in Beijing, the capital of China on September 3, 1995. The city’s lanterns in front of me were so brilliant and splendid, which has much impressed me, a boy from the poor villages of Burundi. In the days of Beijing, I deeply felt the modesty and wisdom of the locals and the unique charm of Chinese culture.

Since then, I have had a one-year Chinese study in Nanjing. There I met my Chinese friend Pan, who is really beautiful and caring. She asked me for advice on learning French and taught me Chinese.

In 1996, I had to leave Nanjing and go to Jiangnan University in Wuxi to start my professional courses. At the beginning, my major was food engineering, but I didn’t like it very much. At the same time, I met Mr. Gu, who once worked as a diplomat in Benin and was very friendly and respectful to Africans. With his help, I was successfully admitted to the School of Information and Control Engineering at the Department of Computer Science.

To be honest, learning in China is very difficult, because the language has been the first obstacle in front of me. I had to go to the dormitories of my Chinese friends every day for help. When I was studying in Burundi, my classmates often asked me for help. Now it was just the opposite situation,which made me depressed. However, I began to understand that learning requires a process. With the unremitting efforts,my language ability has gradually improved and my efforts have been affirmed by my teachers. I won a scholarship for foreign students in 2000, which enabled me to continue my studies for Master of Science in Computer Science.

Another obstacle facing me is the shortage of funds. The scholarship at that time was not enough to cover the cost of a round-trip ticket, which made it impossible for me to return home to visit my relatives. Therefore, I spent the spare time on weekends in working to earn some money, which also richened my life experience. In addition, I also developed a website for the university. Although it was not a perfect design, the school still adopted it and rewarded it.

In 2005, I returned to my hometown Burundi with the hope to enter the University of Burundi to teach computer science, but encountered a few obstacles, because the school required that the teachers must hold a doctor’s degree. So I sought the help of the Chinese Embassy in Burundi. In addition to receiving scholarships, I returned to China to start my Ph.D. study life at Hunan University in 2014.

In China, I have visited many beautiful cities and landscapes from the east to west and the south to north. All the plains, mountains, green lands and lakes have impressed me deeply. I have many wonderful memories in China. Here, I not only learned a lot of cultural knowledge, such as Chinese culture and Chinese literature, but also mastered the skills of computer science.

I am very grateful to the Chinese government for giving us such valuable learning opportunities. At the same time, I want to thank my Chinese teachers for their help, trust and respect. Without their efforts, we would not be here today.Now, my country is also actively engaged in international cooperation for world peace, human stability, sustainable development, and an even better future.