"My life here in Hangzhou revolves around studying. I have classes Monday through Friday. Sometimes I will do some waitressing or modeling as a favor to friends. It's really interesting to have these different experiences." Diana comes from Uzbekistan. She has been in China for 3 years. She can speak some Chinese now, but most of the time she still uses English for communication.

Diana started to study Chinese three years ago. After classes, she still has to do a lot of homework every day. She struggles sometimes. "I do enjoy the learning process. I like studying. But sometimes it's just too hard," she says. She is always busy but efficient. Diana organizes everything according to her timeframe.

"Honestly, I don't know why I chose Hangzhou. I've asked myself several times, but I still cannot tell why. It is so beautiful and clean here. Maybe Hangzhou is a lot like Uzbekistan. The traffic jams are not a reason for me to dislike Hangzhou. I really love this city," she says.

In terms of her future, Diana said she is going to stay in Hangzhou for the time being. "I have been to other cities in China. but I still like Hangzhou best." Before she came to China, her father told her that it is never too late to learn. Diana has always kept that in mind. She hopes she can complete her language studies and go to a graduate school next year.