作者：MATHIOULAKIS Dimitrios 谢春华 摄影：寇芳玲
古希腊文明以其特立独行的风采与卓尔不凡的成就享誉后世,以至于有“言必称希腊”之说。尽管希腊和中国文化存在差异，但它们有着同样悠久的数千年历史。希腊，是西方文明的发源地；中国，是东方文明的摇篮。一条穿越时间和空间的丝绸之路，成为自古以来将希腊和中国联系的纽带，将这两个国家紧密的联系在一起。 希腊在我的脑海里是一个神秘又充满魅力的国家。儿时与希腊有关的印象可能源自《圣斗士星矢》里优雅智慧的化身雅典娜；抑或是《伊索寓言》里《农夫与蛇》之类的民间哲理小故事；或者是“奇多圈”袋内八角形的国家系列神卡。直到参加工作，有幸接触到一群可爱的希腊老师们，我对希腊的认识也逐渐明朗，也因此更加惊叹于两国人民与文化诸多相似相通之处。不同于一般的欧美国家，希腊人的姓名同中国人一样，姓在前，名在后。另外，同中华民族一样，战斗民族出生的希腊人有着强大的“survival ability”。希腊老师们似乎从来不会担心在诺大的异国城市迷路或者遇到沟通障碍，不需要我们安排接送机，甚至在武汉地铁机场线开通后，他们便急不可待的成为了学院飞行教师中的首批体验者。 今天，我们分享的是希腊专家MATHIOULAKIS Dimitrios与华中大的故事。MATHIOULAKIS教授是希腊雅典科技大学（National Technical University of Athens）机械工程学院流体系主任、空气动力学实验室主任，现受聘于能源与动力工程学院，在中欧清洁与可再生能源学院开展为期一年的教学与科研合作交流工作。
My impressions living in China April 2018, Wuhan, China It has been already six months since I came to HUST. After spending 26 consecutive years in my University I decided to take one year sabbatical leave. Supported by the colleagues of my School who would cover my absence in teaching, my application was approved and I was permitted to work for one year in HUST and particularly for the School of Energy and Power Engineering as well as for the ICARE Institute. For me it was a relatively easy decision since having visited twice ICARE in the past (for a period of just a few days) I had had a very good impression about the campus and the people with whom I had collaborated. At the same time it was tough since I would leave my family back but I thought that this would be a chance to visit a country the continuous economic growth of which has surprised the whole world. As an engineer I feel very comfortable being here since I believe that the rapid development of this country is attributed in a major degree to the contribution of my Chinese colleagues. Unemployment of young people which is quite common nowadays in the west is a word which is absent in this country. Therefore, young people here can still hope that if they work hard their dreams will be fulfilled, which many youngsters in the west unfortunately cannot share.
My experience about China and Chinese people I should admit is very limited since I have been leaving and working all this period in this campus. Therefore, I will mention some impressions that I have got so far hoping that it would be of some interest for the reader. One of the things that I had to learn when I first came here was to use the chopsticks. It took me a few days but finally with the help of some students I started using them without much trouble. This for me was a very good example that basic features of a people’s tradition can be easily preserved if there is a strong decision. Against globalization which is a contemporary trend, I believe people should stick to their traditional values. Difference in cultures for me is quite wonderful, exciting my curiosity to learn more about the people’s history and customs. Talking about food, there are so many different dishes offered in this campus that everybody can be satisfied with. Of course, I should admit that I am still missing the bread, cheese and olive oil that we use in my country. It is also worthy to mention the very low prices of food in campus compared to the much more expensive in the city. I wish this policy was advocated by the universities of my country since what students need as a minimum is cheap food and of good quality. Another point which is also important to mention is the lunch break that is respected by the whole society here. Namely, after finishing lunch, you are allowed to relax for an hour or so and even to take a nap. This reminded me of my childhood that the stores used to close for a few hours at around 14 p.m. allowing the people to have a rest, especially during the hot summer days. Now, they are normally open all day long so that the employees do not have the opportunity of getting this benefit.
Concerning HUST what surprised me is that there are classes given seven days a week starting early in the morning till late in the evening. It is a place where you can always see students going back and forth, a place full of life. As it was explained to me this is because many students are given the chance to attend two majors at the same time and as a result some lectures are also given during weekends. Regarding my experience of teaching graduate students in HUST, I noticed that the majority of the registered students were attending the lectures despite the difficulty that some of them had due to their small exposure to English spoken lectures. Nevertheless, I could feel that most of them were trying to gain as much as possible from this procedure, to improve their knowledge on the taught topics.
Finally, West 5 building is the place where I spend most of my time. Here, ICARE, a Chinese - European Institute focusing on renewable energy sources has its administrative headquarters and lectures are offered to graduate students by Chinese and European professors. The building, surrounded by tall trees, like those which we love in Greece named «πλάτανος» is an ideal place for work; a peaceful place with skilled personnel who have supported me all this period like being a member of their team. I will always remember the wonderful party which was organized by them as well as ICARE students in the beginning of this year in which the talents in arts, not only in engineering, were presented in front of the audience in a professional way. Working in this environment I felt very lucky, being able to concentrate on my work without being puzzled by other matters. During this period besides doing research with Chinese students I had also the chance to collaborate with Chinese and Greek colleagues writing a proposal which was recently submitted in the context of a Chinese-Greek research program with technological content.
Conclusively, I should say that working and living in this campus it has been quite a productive period for me, being in a safe place, full of new cultural experiences (especially practicing Chinese, this very interesting language) and among people whom if you get to know they are ready to wholeheartedly assist you.
MATHIOULAKIS Dimitrios, Visiting Professor in HUST Professor at National Technical University of Athens, School of Mechanical Engineering, Fluids Section. |
