我與中國的緣分是命中注定的事

[布隆迪]

我叫Hilaire Nkunzimana，中文名字是龔澤馬，1975年9月20日出生在布隆迪的中南部Ryansoro區。我的家中一共有9個孩子，值得慶幸的是，我們都擁有溫暖而快樂的童年。我的母親和善慈愛，父親為了維持生計在首都布瓊布拉工作。

我與中國的緣分是命中注定的事。記得1995年的一天，我躺在布隆迪穆坦加大學臥室的床上，聽到大學電臺的通知：有意愿的同學，可以前往教育部注冊并于2月28日參加考試，將有機會獲得中國獎學金。第二天，我去教育部總部提交了所需的文件，開始準備相關考試，包括數學、物理和化學等學科。

這是許多人夢寐以求的機會，大使館只征招6名學生，但報名參加考試的同學卻有300余名，我滿懷信心參加了考試。幸運的是，1995年6月，我被中國駐布隆迪大使館邀請前往領取簽證申請表和錄取通知書。在那一刻，這次旅程變得真實，我隨即將這個好消息告訴了我的親人，并踏上了留學中國的路程。

1995年9月3日，在途徑比利時、巴黎之后，我來到了中國首都北京。眼前的這座城市華燈齊放、輝煌燦爛，在我這個來自布隆迪貧窮鄉村的男孩心里留下了深刻的印記。在北京的日子，我深深地感受到北京人的謙虛和睿智，以及中國文化的魅力。

隨后我在南京接受了為期一年的漢語學習。在那里，遇到了我的中國朋友潘。她是一個美麗而有愛心的人，她向我請教法語，同時教我漢語。

1996年，我不得不離開南京，前往無錫江南大學，開始專業課的學習。最開始我的專業是食品工程，但我不太喜歡這個專業。與此同時，我遇到了顧老師，他曾經在貝寧擔任外交官，對非洲人非常友好和尊重，在他的幫助下，我被成功錄取并進入計算機科學系的信息與控制工程學院學習。

坦率地講，在中國學習非常不易，首先是因為語言這一大障礙。我每天都要去中國朋友的宿舍尋求幫助。我在布隆迪學習的時候，同學們時常請教我學習上的問題，現在卻顛倒過來，讓我一度感到沮喪。然而，我明白，學習需要一個過程，在堅持不懈的努力下，我的語言能力漸漸地增強，努力也得到了老師的肯定，我在2000年獲得了外國留學生獎學金，這亦使我能夠繼續攻讀計算機科學碩士學位。

龔澤馬（右一）與其他漢學家在洪崖洞。 圖片/重慶文化職業藝術學院提供

另一個障礙便是資金短缺。那時的獎學金不足以支付往返機票的費用，這使得我無法回國探望親人。因此我便利用周末的時間打零工掙錢，同時也豐富我的生活體驗。除此之外，我還為大學開發網站，雖然不是一個很完善的設計，但是學校依然將它采納，并給予獎勵。

2005年，我返回家鄉布隆迪，希望進入布隆迪大學教授計算機科學課程，但卻遇到了一點阻礙，因為學校要求其崗位教師擁有博士學位。于是我尋求中國駐布隆迪大使館的幫助，在獲得獎學金的同時，2014年，我回到中國在湖南大學開啟博士階段的學習生活。

在中國，我參觀游覽了許多美麗的城市，從東到西，從南到北，那些美麗的風景：平原、山脈、綠地和湖泊等等，都給我留下了深刻的印象。我在中國擁有很多美好的回憶。在這里，我不僅學到了很多文化知識，例如，中國文化與漢文學，同時還掌握了計算機科學的技能。

十分感謝中國政府給予我們這些寶貴的學習機會。同時，感謝我的中國老師們，他們給予我們幫助、信任和尊重，沒有他們的努力，就沒有我們的今天。現在，我的國家也積極開展國際合作，為實現世界和平，人類穩定和可持續發展，讓這個世界變得更加美好而努力。

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.