FROM CHINA TO ARMENIA: FOLLOWING ARMENIAN TRACES

With its uniqueness this language also interests foreigners who study the Armenian words and expressions, literature, preserved values and peculiarities of language and thought.

Shi Khingyu, who is Chinese by nation, is a student of YSU Faculty of Armenian Philology. She has been in Armenia and studied Armenian for a year and a half. The Chinese student told us about her student life, the difficulties she faces while studying Armenian and her further plans. “I have been in Armenia for a year and a half, everything is beautiful here, and people are friendly and hospitable”, tells Shi and added that she always shares her impressions with her friends.

“Before my coming here my friends haven’t even heard of Armenia, but now I’ve told them so much that they want to visit Armenia themselves”. However, Shi encounters some difficulties, for example with food. She doesn’t like Armenian cuisine and she gets her favourite food products from China. She also has difficulties with the Armenian language but she doesn’t lose hope to master it. “Armenian is a very special language, and few people can master it perfectly”.

Shi outlines the peculiarity of Armenian alphabet and Armenian literature, particularly “Sasna Tsrer” epos (“Daredevils of Sassoun”). Shi says that her father has read the epos too and thinks it’s very interesting. Shi is a first-year student of Master program. Shi lives alone, often treats her friends to Chinese cuisine and certainly tastes Armenian cuisine.

Speaking about her future plans Shi says that her wish is to master Armenian perfectly and to study Armenian history.