Harbin...  Harbin Institute of Technology... Where is it??  That is the first three words that came to my mind when I heard about it. I didn't know anything about China except that Beijing is the capital and the only words I know were : 我，爱 ，and你, which means I, love, and you, which I believe are the three most popular word in the world.
 

After three months of study at HIT, I am now able to converse with Chinese people, I know a lot of new words and Chinese grammar. Thank you HIT for employing capable and qualified teachers, which inturn has allowed me to understand the Chinese language very well.
 

Studying in HIT has given me another unexpectable experience, far beyond my imagination. As a result of me being here at HIT, I was very priviledged to meet people from all over the world, knowing their languages, habits, culture, and most off all them. I'm very happy to be part of such a big, warm and welcoming family like HIT.

There's some proverb written in Chinese “学汉语到中国；学普通话来哈尔滨；学标准普通话来哈工大”, which in English means "To learn Chinese, come to China. To learn Mandarin, come to Harbin. To learn standard Mandarin, come to HIT"
 

---Name : Treesia Ivanna Gandawidjaya
Nationality : Indonesian

I arrived in Harbin about two months ago. My first day in the city was a little scary. I didn't know anyone or could talk Chinese. But that changed really fast. I was received very kindly and nicely. I made tons of friendship with people from all over the world and I'm also speaking a little Chinese. But that's not all, by living on the HIT campus around so many different people from different nationalities I had the chance to learn about different cultures which made me grow a lot intellectually.

There are some unique things in life and this is one of them. Learn to deal with our differences is not easy, because we were rased in extremely different societies. But this makes us be a more flexible and opened minded person to all that might happened to us. I love here at HIT I don't think I would be able to leave the experiences I'm having here anywhere else. I wouldn't change this for anything!!! 

----Elisabeth from Brazil
 

Although I have been in Harbin Institute of Technology for only less than 2 weeks, I can already say I like to live in it.
HIT is a place to both study and live. It is like a big village where there are classes, supermarkets, barber shops, restaurants, canteens, bars and dorms. It is a very lively place where all the students are living together, take part in many activities and are welcoming.

Therefore, as a foreign student, it is very easy to socialize and to feel part of the students' community. I can meet Chinese students and practise my Chinese anywhere and anytime: in the canteens during diner, on the playgrounds in early morning or even in dorms after class.
 

Even if I am still French, I am no longer a "foreigner", but a part of the HIT students' community
 

I didn't have much idea of what to expect, traveling to Harbin, other than that the 'Ice City' has a reputation for painfully cold winters, and boasts the purest Mandarin Chinese in the Middle Kingdom.

The first proved untrue— -20℃ is surprisingly bearable if you wrap up warmly. As for the second, teachers here are fond of saying "To learn Chinese, come to China. To learn Mandarin, come to Harbin. To learn standard Mandarin, come to HIT."

Despite years of studying Chinese, I've been singularly impressed with the quality of HIT's teaching staff, and our teachers have been consistently professional, dedicated and knowledgeable.
 

From obscure etymologies to unusual slang, and from finding a flatmate to picking a restaurant, every teacher has been more than happy to help my classmates and I in, and out of, the classroom.