Dearest community members,

Happy New Year!

Ringing in the New Year is a cause of celebration. As glasses are raised, it is important that we recognize the special symbolism that the New Year brings. Our cheers should speak to both our reflections of the past and the fresh starts.

Reflecting on the past forges our pathway to the future. The year 2022 has been anything but ordinary. The Russia-Ukraine war, the energy insecurity, the new COVID resurgence, the global economic crisis, and the climate change affected the well-being of people all over world. We even feel that the world is like a runaway train that moves with its own momentum. What is more frustrating is that stresses occurred in one place rapidly transmit elsewhere in our inter-connected world. As said by British poet John Donne: “no man is an island entire of itself”. The uphill battle is a stark challenge for all of us.

However, the year has also been a year of resilience. As human civilization empowers itself, we are not willing to be passive victims of disasters. We understand the value of “make hay while the sun shines”.We know that crises also give birth to opportunities. The world, though still in severe pain, is endeavoring to develop its physical, mental, social, organizational, and political resilience.

As we step into the brand-new year, we bring our motivation and confidence to adapt and transform in the face of adversity. Here at SISU, as we look to 2023, we focus on bringing you closer to cross-cultural communication. We are committed to building a platform that will enable you to competently communicate in foreign languages and voice your scholastic opinions internationally. We thank you for your engagement and feedback over the past year. We are looking forward to building a stronger and more vibrant foreign-language learning community with you. Together, let us explore the power of words and expand human wisdom.

We wish you a healthy, joyous and prosperous new year!

SISU MOE Training Center for Overseas Study

31 December 2022