When Ajayi-Olowo Precious Demilola first arrived at Wenzhou University from her home in Nigeria, she felt deeply homesick. But with each passing day, she felt more and more comfortable. The friends she made and the support she received from her professors made Wenzhou feel like a home away from home.
“Living far away from home, it’s not easy. I’m living abroad with no blood family members,” Precious says. But now, after five and a half years in China, Precious feels that she has found a second family. After graduating from Wenzhou with her degree in biotechnology, she is planning to pursue her master’s degree in biotechnology in another country, but she has found herself wishing to stay in China for as long as she can.
“For some reason, I just can’t leave Wenzhou University,” Precious says. “I have been here five and a half years, and I’ve grown so attached to this place. It’s so hard to leave. There’s so much beauty. I built my family here. So, leaving? I’ll get to experience a different place, but I’ll have to leave the place I’ve built a life in for the last five years.”
Taking the Leap
While she was growing up, Precious was always fascinated with China and Chinese culture. She had a teacher who studied in China and recommended that she apply to Wenzhou University.
“I applied just for fun, hoping I would get in. And then I got in and decided to attend. And I do not regret it one bit,” Precious says.
An adventurer at heart, Precious loves exploring new countries and cultures. At first, she didn’t know the language, and the foods, customs, culture, and art were still unfamiliar, but she quickly got acquainted – and inspired.
“I was enthusiastic to go to a new country, and it got better and better. I am adventurous, and a social butterfly. I love to travel to new places and experience new things,” Precious says.
Precious believes that if a student is open to change, growth, and meeting new people, they will enjoy their experience as a student at Wenzhou University.
“If you’re going to adapt to a new environment – a new school, a new country – you’ve got to learn how to tolerate things. Just chill. Don’t take things too seriously. You’ll do fine.”
Artistic Influence
Experiencing a new culture inspired Precious to innovate in her art-making process. Her passions for arts, aesthetics, graphic design, and music came with her to China, and she says studying Chinese art has influenced her greatly.
“I do not like to be stagnant in a place where everything around me is moving,” Precious says. “Being in China has made me progress, especially in my arts. When I first came, I was doing very basic things. But when I saw the way Chinese culture and art was progressing, in conceptual arts especially, I had to get moving. It really motivated me.”
Precious finds herself drawn to traditional Chinese art. She appreciates the depth, simplicity, detail, and colors that she notices in the art that makes use of traditional motifs like umbrellas and dragons.
“I’ve been looking for ways to incorporate Chinese art into western art,” Precious says. “I want my art to allow my influences meet in the middle.”
Making an Impact
Precious believes that when you spend time in a new place, you should not simply let that place wash over you or pass through you – you should also find a way to leave an impact on that place.
“I love Chinese culture, and I love my African culture too. And I’ve noticed over time that Chinese people do like African culture, but they do not have enough knowledge about it to venture into it,” Precious says. “I want to find a way to educate the Chinese people about Africa. I want that to be the impact that I leave.”
Precious went from calling home in tears during her first week in China to developing strong bonds with her second family.
“My Chinese big sister and I would have fun, eat Chinese food, cook together, and her mother-in-law would join us and introduce me to her friends as well,” Precious says. “I found another family here. I found myself relating with them, and I noticed I was missing home less and less.”
