When I look back, I sum up my experience during the lockdown as ‘roller coaster of emotions’ as homesickness, an increasing number of cases, then a decreasing number of deaths and suspected cases, a possible cure for COVID-19, caring gestures from the community, and finally motivational words from teachers, family and friends caused multiple mood swings within a day.

This fall marks 11 years that I have been living in China and working at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). I have always loved China, being half Chinese and growing up fascinated with the culture of my mother and grandparents.

Dr. Oluwarotimi Williams SAMUEL obtained a Ph.D. degree in Pattern Recognition and Intelligent Systems from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing in 2018 courtesy of the CAS-TWAS president's fellowship, receiving several distinguished honors and awards during the program. And this is his story in China.

Quentin Montardy, gained CAS PIFI program at 2017, and became an assistant research fellow of the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Between Europe and China, he has lots of experiences and thoughts to share with you.

Laurent Pitre is a Researcher at the French Metrology Organization LNE-CNAM since 2000. He holds a Phd in Low Temperature Thermometry - below 1 Kelvin (1999), and has started his career with the European project "Ultra Low Temperature". He has worked for two years at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Washington D.C. as a Guest Researcher, where he has started to conceive and develop a quasi spherical resonator applied for low temperature thermometry (2003-2005).

Living in China is very different from living in the Netherlands, not only because of the size of the country but also because of the culture, which makes living in China so exciting. Walking the Great Wall and visiting ancient cultural heritages like the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven is wonderful.

I had a great time working at the Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science (AMSS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).Undoubtedly, one of the good decisions I have made in my life was to study abroad at one of the best institutes in China. I feel life is very convenient here, with online shopping, a good transport system and pleasant weather. The experience would never have been this nice without the help of the friendly research group fellows, especially Beibei and Yue, who are not just group fellows but helpful friends, caring sisters.

I came here in April 2013 as postdoctoral researcher and started my research about microbilogically influenced corrosion of metal alloys in a marine environment, surface division. Although doing research and getting outstanding results are the big challenges for all scientists in the world, I always feel it so praiseworthy to be here due to the institute's many high tech facilities for analysis and study in my area. He always approves my requests to attend conferences that are essential to the success of the project and to my development as a scientist.