Older students enroll overseas seeking knowledge, fulfillment

Wang Xiaoxi, 57, retired in 2023, and after submitting a number of applications, received an offer last year from National and Kapodistrian University of Athens to join a bachelor's degree program.

She is now majoring in ancient Greece's archaeology, history and literature, an undergraduate program taught entirely in English, and undertaking additional courses in Modern Greek, Greek and Latin.

Wang is one of the growing number of middle-aged and older Chinese choosing to pursue studies overseas in an effort to enrich their lives.

When she retired two years ago, one of her children was in college, and the other had begun working. "My time is now finally all my own," she said.

One day, she stumbled across an online notice about the Greek university's program, which reminded her of her undergraduate thesis more than 30 years ago.

Titled "Gods, humans and their fates", it did not earn Wang a high mark, as one of her professors commented that the topic was too broad, adding that the subject would require at least another 30 years of life experience to interpret better.

Wang has always remembered the comment. Even as she moved around to teach in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Shanghai and Singapore over the years, she carried her thesis with her.

"So when I saw the admission information from the foreign university, an idea struck me: If I could pursue the major, could I possibly complete that thesis better than I did back then?" she recalled.

"I shocked myself when I came up with the idea to apply to study abroad. It would be extremely challenging for me, as I'm not good at English, let alone Greek and Latin," she said.

"But on second thought, I figured if I didn't try it, I'd never know," she added. "And, I wanted to study abroad at the beginning of the second half of my life."

To her surprise, her family respected her decision and supported her in fulfilling her old dream. Considering her age and health, Wang's daughter, who is able to work remotely, accompanied her mother to Greece to take care of her for one year.

'Luckier girl'

Du Liping's decision to study abroad was suggested by her daughter Huo Huo. After working for more than three decades at a bank in her hometown of Zhengzhou, Henan province, Du, 53, was about to retire.

"I was worried my mom might feel aimless and uncomfortable after stepping away from her busy job, so I encouraged her to come to France to find something new to learn," said Huo Huo, 26, who has studied in France for nine years.

"Studying abroad has enriched my life. Now that my mom has the time, I want her to experience this herself, and we can also look after each other overseas," Huo Huo said.

She added that having something to do and learning would keep her mother's brain active and help prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Du took her daughter's advice and kicked off her journey to France in October. She is studying French at a language school in Paris.

Over the past few months, Du has risen before dawn and taken freshly baked bread that she buys on the way to school for her classmates. Her fellow students are from all over the world.

"This is something I would never have imagined," Du said.

"From working and doing household chores, it suddenly feels like I'm returning to my twenties, but not the impoverished version of my twenties. Instead, it's more like the twenties of a completely new, luckier girl with more life experience," she added.

More challenges

Both Wang and Du said that studying at an older age is even more of a challenge, not only in terms of language and memory function, but also in using educational tools and talking with younger classmates.

Before the semester started, Wang tried to familiarize herself with multiple electronic devices, including a voice recorder, iPad and Kindle reader, to assist her in studying. "But I was fumbling with which buttons to press to turn them on and how to lower the volume," she said.

"I could only type with two fingers, and I couldn't type fast enough to keep up with the teachers talking."

While other classmates were typing quickly on their laptops, she was the only one taking notes with a pen.

On campus, she is called "Auntie Wang" or even "Granny Wang".Some students' behavior brings back memories of her teaching days in China.

"A young man who likes playing video games with others after class always reminds me of my own son — he used to be a teenager addicted to the internet," she recalled. "When I see these boys, I often wonder if I should talk to them and encourage them to join group activities."

Du said she had to make several times the effort on studying than she did when she was young, and the language barrier sometimes makes it hard to communicate with classmates.

"Sometimes I can't remember the information, even though the teacher has explained it many times," Du said. "What's worse is that Huo Huo helped me review the content, but I didn't pass the exam, so I had to start all over again."

'Go for it'

But Du has not given up. She relishes these challenges, and sees them as gifts for someone over age 50.

"Whether I pass the language exam or which university I choose is not that important. It's the experience that truly matters," she said.

"The most wonderful phase of a person's life is no longer 15 to 25, the traditionally emphasized years, but it is an entire life full of infinite possibilities," she said.

"Every stage of life can be lived brilliantly."

She added that having the time to study abroad in her fifties makes her feel unique and surrounded by love. "My life is extremely rewarding," she said.

For energetic, self-motivated and well-educated Wang, pursuing studies overseas at this stage of life is not necessarily about obtaining a degree.

The experience provides her with a new opportunity to explore the world, chase the dreams of her youth and get to better understand herself.

"When I was young, I would feel really down if I didn't do well in exams. But now, I'm not upset, nor do I force myself to do anything," she said.

The program she is studying can be completed in a maximum of six years.

"If I can graduate on time, that would be great. But my principle for this overseas study is to do my best," she said. "Go for it, and enjoy it."

For now, she has one small goal. When her friends visited Greece, she accompanied them to an archaeological museum, designed tour routes and explained some history to them.

"I realized that I enjoy doing this, and it is related to what I'm studying now," she said.

"If I can graduate successfully and obtain the museum work certificate, maybe I can become a cultural ambassador. I think this is the motivation for my current studies, and it will also make my learning more meaningful and interesting," she added.