Rekindle 2003

Chapter 1182 Dumplings, no matter how powerful you are, you must dip them in ketchup!
Charlize Theron in Hollywood is known as the "Goddess Theron", and Imanda Theron in front of us is no less beautiful than Charlize Theron.

Her facial features are delicate, her eyes are big and bright, her eyelashes are thick and curled, like two small fans, and her lips are slightly pouting with a hint of natural redness, which makes people want to take a few more glances.

Her skin just became a little darker, but it shone with a pearly luster in the sunlight.

What a beautiful black pearl!
The cautious and nervous demeanor of Imanda Theron in front of him made Kong Ziqian suddenly feel a desire to protect her.

He realized that the girl might not be popular in school because of her appearance and identity.

And the glances she gave him from time to time revealed a desire to be accepted, which made Kong Ziqian more determined to get along well with her.

He smiled and extended his hand to Imanta Theron, saying, "Hello, Imanta Theron, I am Kong Ziqian. I am very happy to be your study partner."

Imanda Theron raised her head and looked at Kong Ziqian's sincere smile, with a hint of surprise and gratitude in her eyes.

She carefully extended her hand, shook hands with Kong Ziqian, and said softly, "Hello, Kong Ziqian, I am also very happy to be your study partner."

Imanda's Mandarin accent was a bit strange, which made Kong Ziqian feel somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where this strange accent came from for a while.

But it does not affect communication.

After all, his Fujian Mandarin could easily mislead people if he spoke a few more words.

After Kong Ziqian and Imanda greeted each other, Professor Bondi saw that Kong Ziqian's expression did not seem fake and he seemed very satisfied with Imanda, so he asked Imanda to help Kong Ziqian get books and decorate the dormitory.

"In order to facilitate the care and communication with Kong Ziqian, Ms. Sailong, you can live in Kong Ziqian's apartment. I will give you a separate room."

Professor Bundy's sudden addition made Imanda sigh and blurt out anxiously, "Professor, I can't afford the accommodation fee of the apartment."

Kong Ziqian raised his eyebrows when he heard this.

It seems that it is the same both at home and abroad.

In China, dormitories are divided into two types: apartments and dormitories, while abroad there may be even more than a dozen types.

The more capitalist a country is, the more obvious and detailed the stratification of accommodation conditions in its universities is; it is a naked class division.

Seeing that Imanda was in a dilemma, Professor Bondi said unhappily, "You are lucky, Imanda. Your accommodation fee is free."

At this point, he glanced at Kong Ziqian quietly, and then said, "At the same time, the school will also give you free access to the international student restaurant."

When Imanda heard this, she felt relieved, but at the same time, a hint of doubt arose in her heart.

What she was puzzled about was Kong Ziqian's identity.

The treatment I enjoy is something the school has never had before.

I have only heard of study partners living in the dormitory of international students because of their relationship, but I have never heard of study partners enjoying the same treatment as international students.

Although the University of Dar es Salaam has a history of several decades, its dormitories have never been able to accommodate all students. Resources are very tight, and many local students are day students or live off campus.

Even international students from Europe and the United States can only live in a nine-person suite with three bedrooms and a living room. Only self-funded international students from China can enjoy double rooms.

However, this specification is a dormitory, not a student apartment, and it does not have a private bathroom or a kitchen.

The student apartments at the University of Dar es Salaam are en-suite rooms. Each room has an independent toilet and shower, but the kitchen is shared.

Usually 4-8 En-suites are combined to form a whole apartment (Cluster Flat), with multiple people sharing the living room and kitchen.

Not only is the cost of this type of apartment ridiculously high, but only government-sponsored students from China can live there.

As for government-sponsored students...

Imanda felt that her brain cells were not enough.

She knew very well that all the Chinese government-sponsored students studying in Tanzania were there to learn Swahili at the graduate level.

However, Kong Ziqian was an undergraduate student, in fact even younger than her. According to the Chinese school system, he was just a sophomore.

China sent a student to Tanzania to study economics?
Is she crazy, or is the world upside down?

Kong Ziqian on this side was also feeling a little embarrassed.

He came to study this book just to get credits so that he could graduate. 99% of his energy is still focused on work.

At this moment, he was enjoying his work. Why would he want to come here and squeeze into a classroom with these black kids?
So he originally didn't plan to live on campus.

Anyway, the company is not far from here, only about ten minutes' drive away, so I can just come here if I have something to do.

but……

Looking at Imanda's face that was slightly nervous and expectant, Kong Ziqian felt a trace of pity in his heart.

Well, there is still one more secret intention.

Living next door to a bunch of grown men, how can it be as pleasant as living next door with a beautiful woman?
After all, having such a study partner by his side will not only help him adapt to the environment faster, but also enable him to better understand Tanzanian culture.

Anyway, it’s only about ten minutes’ drive in both directions, right?!

Emmm...

The main thing is that it is obvious that senior sister Imanda is not well off financially.

Kong Ziqian could even see that when she heard Professor Bondi talking about the issue of exemption of accommodation and canteen fees, Imanda's deep big eyes even lit up.

He didn't want to disappoint the girl, nor did he want her to give up this opportunity because of financial problems.

So he didn't say anything, just smiled, said goodbye to Professor Bundy, and followed Imanda out.

Kong Ziqian followed Imanda out of the office building. The sun shone on them. Imanda suddenly turned around with a nervous smile on her face.

"Thank you, Kong Ziqian, for choosing me as your study partner. I will do my best to help you spend your time in Tanzania smoothly."

After a pause, she said softly, "Actually, I heard what Professor Bundy said before I entered the room."

At this point, she raised her head and smiled at Kong Ziqian, "So, thank you very much."

Imanda knew that because of her unpopular appearance in the environment, she would definitely not be the first candidate recommended by the school.

But she doesn't feel inferior to anyone.

Because she knew very well that she was not ugly at all, but rather very beautiful.

In other words, the perception and definition of beauty and ugliness are different among different races.

It’s not like the University of Dar es Salaam only has African students.

She was well aware of how popular she was among those European students, but she was even more aware of what those European students' attitude toward her was.

Because this is the reason why she came into this world.

It is recognized by the world that mixed-race children are beautiful.

But I just think it's beautiful.

When it comes to marriage, mixed-race children are like bastards, especially in European countries that attach great importance to bloodline.

They don't mind having some romantic affairs with a beautiful mixed-race girl in a foreign country, but they would never be responsible enough to bring a mixed-race child back home.

It will only leave more illegitimate children, certain diseases, and even unpaid rent bills.

She could tell good from bad. The look in the eyes of the little fat boy from China in front of her, although a little vulgar, was mostly full of normal appreciation.

Kong Ziqian was slightly stunned, and then he responded with a warm feeling in his heart.
"You're welcome, Imanda. I'm glad to have a study partner like you.

and……

Regardless of what other people think, I personally believe that study partners are about companions and a relationship of mutual help, rather than a commodity where one party picks and chooses the other.

In Chinese terms, it is the selection of a book boy. Uh... you should understand the concept of a 'book boy', right?"

There was a flash of surprise in Imanda's eyes, as if she didn't expect Kong Ziqian to say that.

She nodded, then lowered her head and said softly, "You...are a little different from others.

To be honest, on the way here, I was... I was worried that my happiness would be in vain...

Because being a study partner not only gives me extra points, but the school also gives me an extra subsidy, which is very important to me."

Confucius asked curiously: "Subsidy? Why is it so important?"

It’s not that he doesn’t know the sufferings of the world.

But in China, subsidies and grants are two different concepts.

"Tie" means subsidy and "zhu" means help.

This kind of thing called "subsidy" is usually very small.

This is especially true in college, where the monthly allowance is usually just a few dozen yuan, which is not without some small contribution. Imanda raised her head and said softly, "My family is not well off, and I have two younger brothers who are still studying, so the burden on my family is very heavy.

I was able to go to high school and college by working part-time to earn about 80% of the money..."

Kong Ziqian was very puzzled, because according to his common sense, Tanzania's basic education is well-known even internationally, and it is 11 years of compulsory education.

And like China in the past, Tanzanian universities implement elite education. The gross enrollment rate is less than 10% of the number of people taking the college entrance examination. Those who can be admitted to university, especially this one, are the elite among the country's elites.

In other words, those who can go to college must come from a fairly good family.

Families that are so poor that they can't even make ends meet will never have a college student.

Why do you need to earn your own tuition and living expenses in high school?
This made him a little confused.

Seeing that Kong Ziqian was a little confused, Imanda explained the reason in a low voice.

Only then did Kong Ziqian understand that Tanzania's 11-year compulsory education actually consists of 7 years of primary school and 4 years of junior high school, and does not include high school.

But the tuition for high school is not high, and the so-called fees are symbolic, just like in China.

Under the elite education model, the Tanzanian government does not charge high university fees.

However, the dropout rate among Tanzanian college students has remained high, exceeding 40% every year, and the most important reason for this is family economic factors.

The tuition fees are indeed not high, but the fragility of Tanzania's national economy means that people do not have many stable jobs.

Moreover, the country’s education assistance mechanism is almost non-existent. Once the breadwinner of the family becomes unemployed or has an unstable job, the family will be unable to support him or her and the child will drop out of school.

Of course, the most deeply rooted is the poor mindset.

Supporting a college student who needs to be unproductive for four years has never been an easy task, both in ancient and modern times, in China and abroad.

In a country where primary agriculture, primary handicrafts and primary manufacturing are the main industries, college students are indeed scarce, but you will not starve to death without this degree.

When a family is facing a crisis, letting children go to college and support themselves with their own hands is the last resort for the poor and is also the main opinion of public opinion.

In the 1980s, a large number of people in China did not go to high school but went to technical secondary schools or normal schools. There was a reason for this.

Especially for girls here, studying is even more difficult, and the idea of ​​favoring boys over girls is the same everywhere.

Imanda was lucky that her mother did not force her to get married early.

Of course, it is also because her mother is the first generation of college students in Tanzania.

But it is even more difficult for women to work in Africa. How can Imanda's mother, who has already dropped out of school, had a child out of wedlock and suffered social discrimination, find a good job?

It's nothing more than working a lot of odd jobs to support the whole family.

What Imanda is facing now is the problem that her two younger brothers have entered college one after another and the family can no longer afford the expenses.

What made her unwilling was that she would graduate in just one year.

At this moment, although the subsidy for being a study partner is small, for her, it is money that can save her future. Without this money, she can't continue her studies.

The tenacity and self-reliance in Imanda's words made Kong Ziqian feel a lot of sympathy and goodwill towards her.

He couldn't help wanting to know more about her. "Then why did you choose to continue studying? Don't you want to work earlier?"

At this moment, a hint of determination flashed in Imanda's eyes, "I want to change my destiny through education.

I want to go out of Africa and see the world, like going to China to be a Swahili teacher or something like that.

Although it is difficult now, I believe that as long as I work hard, there will be a better future. "

Kong Ziqian smiled when he heard this.

This bird song...

In China, it is probably only available in certain universities.

However, people who have dreams and are willing to pursue them are beautiful.

He spoke seriously, "Imanda, I believe you can do it."

Imanda, who had been observing his facial expressions carefully, also showed a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Kong Ziqian. I will try my best."

Kong Ziqian didn't say anything more, but just asked Imanda to take him to get the book.

On the one hand, he did feel sympathy for Imanda's experience, but on the other hand, he felt that this African girl was too naive.

Talking about family difficulties so easily?

If she met someone with bad intentions, they might use this as a breakthrough and threaten her to do something dirty by exchanging her study partner.

If what Imanda said was true, then there was a problem.

In a country with an elite education system, the possibility of college students being silly and naive cannot be said to be very low.

But Kong Ziqian didn't think that the girl who had been admitted to university through work-study program in recent years would be so naive.

Otherwise, he would have been beaten and eaten long ago.

This does not fully explain that the black pearl in front of him has a tea heart dipped in the Indian Ocean. It can only be said that the other party is quite wary of him.

Just like playing a game, if the opponent deliberately exposes a weakness, it is definitely not a weakness.

It's a trap.

Following this line of thought, Kong Ziqian seemed to understand a little bit.

Obviously, this senior sister Imanda is not as weak as she appears at this moment, and is even a little cowardly.

But it is a rose with thorns, full of evil intentions.

Imanda's approach is equivalent to a conditional judgment.

If I were to take advantage of this point, she would definitely be on high alert.

But on the other hand, it also indirectly proves the kindness in the heart of this black pearl.

If there were bad intentions, the trap wouldn't be so obvious.

Instead, he will treat herself as prey and wait for himself to dig it out.

A smile appeared on Kong Ziqian's lips.

He, Kong Xiaopang, is a well-known gentleman who would never bully others in secret!
Well, mainly because as a rookie, he didn’t know how to bully, and even if he wanted to, he didn’t have the courage.

Imanda took Kong Ziqian to get books and apply for a meal card, and was busy helping him deal with the admission matters for new students. The two young people were also communicating along the way.

"Kong Ziqian, do you know that I was really amazed when I ate dumplings for the first time?"

Imanda said excitedly as she helped Kong Ziqian organize the books he had received.

Imanda said that her favorite food is Chinese cuisine and she happily shared her favorite food with Kong Ziqian.

"The delicious taste and unique texture made me fall in love with Chinese cuisine right away."

Kong Ziqian responded with a smile: "Dumplings are indeed one of China's traditional delicacies, and many people like them.

But I didn’t expect you could eat authentic dumplings in Tanzania.”

He felt that was a bit bullshit.

Kong Ziqian dared to gamble his life, and Imanda must have never eaten authentic dumplings!
It must be dipped in vinegar, soy sauce, sesame paste, garlic, or chili oil!

These are all heresies!
Dumplings, no matter who comes, must be dipped in ketchup!
On the other side, Imanda nodded, with a hint of pride in her eyes.
“Yes, there are some Chinese restaurants here, although not many, but the taste is very authentic.

I once worked in a Chinese restaurant, and I learned how to make dumplings myself. Although my skills are not very good, they taste good. "

Kong Ziqian asked curiously, "You can also make dumplings? That's amazing. By the way, what kind of Chinese food do you like the most?"

Imanda thought for a moment and said, "My favorite is the spicy soup, the spicy and fresh taste is really unforgettable.

Every time I drink Hu La Tang, I think of the street food in China and the lively atmosphere. "

When Kong Ziqian heard this, he was immediately surprised, "Have you been to China?"

Imanda shook her head and said, "I haven't been there, but I saw your place on TV and it felt really good.

There is also a place similar to Chinatown in the center of Dar es Salaam, which we call Chinatown. It is the most prosperous neighborhood in the city.

When I was little, what I looked forward to most was your Spring Festival. At that time, Huaguocheng would worship Guan Gong, perform fireworks, lion dance, Yingge dance, and set off fireworks at night..."

(End of this chapter)