Dropped out of college for two years to study abroad in Vietnam

Knowing about Vietnam through a History lesson in 8th grade, when he saw a scholarship to study abroad in Vietnam, Oraiden dropped out of two years of university in Mozambique to apply.

Oraiden Manuel Sabonete, 23 years old, a third-year student majoring in Electrical Engineering at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, impressed teachers and friends with his ability to learn subjects about Vietnamese history, economics, and politics .

The Mozambican boy can talk passionately for hours about the relationship between Vietnam and Mozambique or share about the competitions he participated in such as student scientific research or Vietnamese speaking contest.

"Vietnamese history is one of the reasons I came here and I have had interesting experiences as a student at Hanoi University of Science and Technology," Oraiden shared.

Oraiden on the campus of Hanoi University of Science and Technology on November 10. Photo: Duong Tam

Mozambique - where Oraiden was born and raised is located in Southeast Africa. Graduated from Computer Science at a prestigious university in his hometown, Oraiden was fully supported by his parents even though they were divorced, each of whom had to take care of 4-5 children. Not wanting to be a burden to his parents, the male student researched government scholarships to avoid paying tuition fees.

In his second year of university, when he read information about scholarships to study abroad in Vietnam, Oraiden decided to apply immediately because he had learned about Vietnam through the foreign history program in 8th grade. In Oraiden's eyes at that time, Vietnam was "a famous rice exporting country, with very indomitable and resilient people in the struggles against France and the US".

Thanks to his good grades in high school, with near perfect scores in English and Physics, Oraiden surpassed many other students and was admitted to the Electrical Engineering major at Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

"When they knew I was going to Vietnam, my parents said there was war in Vietnam. But I said no, that's just history . Vietnam is one of the safest places right now," Oraiden recalled.

Arriving in Vietnam in 2020, Oraiden spent a year studying Vietnamese at the University of Education, Thai Nguyen University. As soon as he entered the school, Oraiden had to take the lesson "What do you do for a living" because he was a month late. Basic lessons on tones and accents had also been taught beforehand. Having to combine online and in-person learning due to Covid-19 also made it difficult for the young Mozambican.

Fluent in Portuguese and English, Oraiden finds Vietnamese different from grammar to pronunciation. Besides attending school in the morning and afternoon, Oraiden uses all his free time to study on his own.

"Luckily, Vietnamese people love to communicate with foreigners," Oraiden said. The male student often seeks out older people and younger friends to ask questions and receive enthusiastic guidance.

Oraiden believes that learning a foreign language should not be afraid of making mistakes, so he is not afraid to start a conversation. He also applied to teach at an English center to both improve his Vietnamese and earn extra income.

During their time in the dormitory, Oraiden and her roommates continued to learn Vietnamese through quizzes. When it came to clothing, they asked each other "What is an ao dai?" and "When do you wear an ao dai?" and answered together to improve their pronunciation and grammar.

At the end of the Vietnamese course, Oraiden had to take 4 tests in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. He only got 7.5 points in Writing due to confusing tones like the flat and sharp tones, but Oraiden got 10 points in Speaking.

"Nowadays, devices have automatic spelling correction, so I don't have much difficulty with writing anymore," Oraiden said.

Dropped out of college for two years to study abroad in Vietnam

Oraiden talks about the reason for studying in Vietnam. Video: Provided by the character

After completing the Vietnamese language program, Oraiden went to Hanoi University of Technology. Although he could communicate, studying at the university was still a big challenge.

"When I was in Mozambique, learning Calculus was not difficult. When I came to Vietnam, I found this subject too difficult," Oraiden said, adding that he had to ask his friends for extra support. In addition to studying at school, the male student spends 3-4 hours a day studying on his own.

In the second year, Oraiden and his friends participated in scientific research on the topic "Vietnam - Mozambique economic relations from the international economic integration policy of the Communist Party of Vietnam".

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung, lecturer of the Faculty of Political Theory, said that this topic of the Oraiden group has two articles published in scientific journals and has been confirmed for its applicability by the Department of Enterprise Development, Ministry of Planning and Investment, and the Embassy of Mozambique in Vietnam.

The topic also helped the Oraiden group win first prize in the 2021 University-level Scientific Research Student Competition and was nominated to participate in the Ministry-level Science and Technology Award.

"Also from that research, Oraiden was inspired and became more interested in learning about the Party's guidelines and policies, about Vietnamese history and culture. He actively participated in extracurricular activities of the Political Theory Department and the Young Theory Club," said Ms. Dung. The female lecturer also assessed that the Mozambican male student had a high sense of responsibility and actively used digital tools to create good products.

Oraiden said he often learns about Vietnam by reading books in the school library or watching videos on Youtube. This year, Oraiden and Ms. Dung created two works in response to a political essay contest defending the Party's ideological foundation.

The contest entry with the theme "The significance of the Party's bamboo diplomacy in responding to non-traditional security challenges" won first prize in the magazine category and second prize in the video category of the Hanoi Party Committee. The magazine article then won the prospective prize in the national final round.

Oraiden and Ms. Dung received the award for the political contest to protect the ideological foundation of the Hanoi Party Committee. Photo: Provided by the character

At the end of October, Oraiden and two Laotian and Cambodian students representing Hanoi University of Science and Technology participated in a Vietnamese speaking contest organized by the Ministry of Education and Training. In his speech, Oraiden talked about the relationship between Vietnam and Mozambique, the road named after President Ho Chi Minh, and Viettel's coverage of rural areas in his native Mozambique.

In addition to studying and participating in school activities, Oraiden maintains teaching English to preschool children once a week to earn extra income. The student also plays a small role in "Dao, Pho and Piano" - a 20 billion VND film about Hanoi commissioned by the State.

Oraiden said that in the coming time, he will focus on studying because he believes that the knowledge learned in Vietnam is necessary to return and participate in the energy industry in Mozambique.

Duong Tam

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/bo-do-hai-nam-dai-hoc-de-du-hoc-viet-nam-4676529.html