Zaccaria Assamawi

My name is Zaccaria H.A.A Assamawi, I am from Yemen. I am in the first year of my PhD majoring in public administration at the school of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

I have always been impressed and fascinated by China’s rich history and the rapid and remarkable progress in all walks of life. I came to China in 2014 with just abstract impression and knowledge about China from the media and from what I studied and read. But, now I can safely say that landing in China has brought me the honor of living with a tangible interpretation of the impression, yet it has strengthened the image of how great China is. This is the third year in China, I have found that China is a safe and beautiful country with reasonable living costs which help students to focus more on study and research. Besides, Chinese people are hospitable, conservative, modest, and cooperative and they show more respect to foreigners.

In 2011, I was awarded a four years Bachelor’s degree in English from Ibb University -Yemen, with an overall grade of very good with honor (88, 89%). I have achieved the second ranking among 70 students in my class. After my graduation, I aimed for further study so I went to India for two years and there in Osmania University, Hyderabad, I finished master’s degree in English Literature (M.A in English Literature) in the first division. In India too, I got a post-graduate diploma in translation from Arabic to English and vice versa in the first division with distinction and I also received a course in presentation and public speaking in the same university. I felt then that it’s the right time to go practically sailing in my favorite world, the world of politics and international relations. Therefore, I studied master’s degree in Xiamen University, Fujian, majoring in International relations, and from which I received an award with a Certificate of Excellence of International Student. Currently, I’m working on my PhD dissertation which is related to the security studies at SJTU.

I like playing chess, table tennis, swimming, going to the gym and horse riding. Besides, I always enjoy reading, writing and watching political debates. Moreover, I am interested in working in both the diplomatic and the academic fields after graduation.