Study choice pays off:
When 21-yearold Robin Craig decided to pursue Chinese and Classic studies just after high school, she was entering enchanted lands, unsure what she was about to get herself into.
AS TIME progressed, she began liking the subjects and what was supposed to be an academic discipline became a way of life.
Her open-minded approach to learning a relatively unpopular discipline in the Zimbabwean context opened up opportunities for her.
She emerged with flying colours at the University of Zimbabwe with a first class degree in Chinese and Classical Studies.
Craig is representing Zimbabwe at a prestigious event in China.
Her mother’s advice led her towards a path that is reaping gleaming dividends.
“I got advice from my mother to try something unique. That is how I ended up settling for Chinese and Classic studies,” she said.
After a year, she was fluent in Mandarin and fully conversant with Chinese culture.
“When we were about to finish we wrote a Chinese proficiency examinations known as HSK examinations. I passed with flying colours. Luckily I managed to go for summer school in China,” Craig said.
Her passion increased with the visit and she saw an opportunity in what she had been exposed to.
“As soon as I came back from China, I started hosting Chinese functions and connected with the Chinese community in Zimbabwe more,” she said.
The increased familiarity prompted her to try her luck at a competition that celebrates the growth of Chinese culture across the globe.
She entered the Chinese Bridge Proficiency Competition Zimbabwe edition in 2015 trying to rank her grown abilities against peers of common interest.
“I entered the competition for the first time in 2015. However, luck was not on my side and I came second. However, I was lucky to get an opportunity to travel to China to observe the grand competition,” she said.
When she came back she focused on her skills and honed them to ensure that she got it right next time.
“I re-entered the competition when I was sure that I could get something out of it and I came first on the second attempt,” said Craig.
Her victory against other Chinese enthusiasts and students meant that she would represent Zimbabwe in China at the annual event.
Craig becomes the first female to triumph in the local competitions since they were launched by the Confucius Institute in Zimbabwe six years ago.
“Since the Chinese Bridge Proficiency Competitions started in Zimbabwe I am the first female winner and I hope my victory will inspire more lady contestants,” Craig said.
She is optimistic that her form will extend to the global stage when she meets other competitors from different countries across the world.
“In the competition, you are supposed to strictly speak in Mandarin. The components of the competition include language, culture as well as modern culture,” she said.
There is a long list of activities she will endure and her proficiency will see her either being listed among the top 30 or getting eliminated.
If she wins she will be in line to get a scholarship to further her studies, inching closer to her dream.
Craig says she intends to use her experience at the competitions to battle misconceptions about Chinese culture held by Zimbabweans.
“One thing I admire about the Chinese is how they have their work in order. They value time and are very punctual. Sometimes it comes off as arrogance to someone who does not understand how they do things,” she said.
Her new found love for Chinese culture has not diminished her preference for the Zimbabwean way of doing things. As a student of the world she believes the merging of the two cultures makes her a better person.
“Chinese people I have interacted with also enquire about the Zimbabwean way of life. During my semesters at school I taught my Chinese lecturer how to cook sadza,” said Craig.
Her former lecturer at UZ, Zhang Ming Yu, is doing a Masters Degree in Chinese-Shona translations and her topic speaks to Craig’s observation about cultural tolerance.
Now that Craig has completed her studies and is awaiting graduation later this year, she hopes her audacious study choice pays off.
“My aim is to become the first Zimbabwean and black person to work at the United Nations as a Chinese to English translator. I intend to break bounds and make history,” she said.
Craig says there are similarities between Zimbabwean and Chinese culture.
“There are other things that have a striking resemblance between Zimbabwean and Chinese culture. For instance, the importance of natural herbs in their health and well-being.
It is my wish that more people would be conversant with more cultures so as to benefit,” she said.
As she carries the country’s hopes going into the competition whose winner will be known on August 12, her journey exposes a gap that new students can exploit.
Majoring in exotic cultures like Chinese creates opportunities as the jobs are not congested in comparison with other disciplines such as Marketing, Accounting, among others.
Besides the economic value, getting an insight into a new culture broadens a person’s intellectual horizon creating a mind fit for critical thinking and productive engagement.
Craig has already shown initiative by pursuing an unconventional degree by Zimbabwean standards where most high school leavers jump into the narrow pit of traditional study disciplines.
According to www.hanban.org, the “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition is a large-scale international contest well-known in the cultural and educational exchanges worldwide.
It consists of 3 events: “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign High School Students and “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Students in China.
The competition is held yearly and is broadcast on China’s leading television station CCTV.
Robin Craig will be looking to make her mark among 705 contestants from 60 countries.
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