Photo showsa Ali, an Ameriacan student in Tibet University, is having her Tibetan class. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Jing Hui wished to marry a Tibetan man and live in Tibet, and she is an international student from Malaysia learning Tibetan language in Tibet University.

Like Jing Hui, many international students in Tibet University expressed their dream to "work and live in Tibet forever", according to a report by Chinanews.com.

After the Tibetan New Year, or Losar, schools and colleges in Tibet start their new semester. The international students also begin with their Tibetan learning of the new term.

"This term we have 20 students from 10 countries in our university to learn Tibetan language. We welcome more overseas students to our university in the next academic year after September," said Wei Hong, person in charge of the international exchange office at Tibet University.

Ali is an American girl currently learning Tibetan in the elementary language class. Before she came to Tibet, she could already speak very fluent Mandarin Chinese and even got herself a Chinese name "Ai Li". Out of curiosity and longing for Tibet, she applied to learn Tibetan in Tibet University after graduation with a bachelor's degree.

"I knew a little about Tibet and I wanted to learn more about its culture and language, so here I am. Besides, I can still speak Mandarin Chinese in Tibet, which is cool," said Ali, who also got a Tibetan name "Lhamo" (meaning 'fairy') from her Tibetan friends.

Rika is Ali's classmate from Russia. She spent the winter vocation at her Tibetan friend's home and also celebrated Losar with them. After class, she often hangs out with her classmates in the Barkhor Street drinking Tibetan sweet tea, which is her favorite. Since she is also a beginner, Rika's new term's resolution is to learn better and speak fluently Tibetan language.

According to Dekyi, the Tibetan teacher, students in the elementary class mostly come to Tibet for the first time. "This is their first Losar and they all seem very excited. I encourage them to talk about their experience so as to improve their oral Tibetan."

Nowadays, inland China and overseas universities also have established Tibetan classes, but Tibet remains the most attractive to international students owing to its language environment and unique plateau culture.

Jing Hui bought herself a Tibetan cotton-padded jacket when she newly came to Tibet. She found the Tibetan costumes and jewelries fascinating, and made a deal with Rika to make summer Tibetan costumes together this summer.

"As long as it's Tibetan style, be it Amdo or Chamdo style, we just love it," Rika said excitedly.

Photo shows Dawa TSering, a teacher from the Tibet University, is giving Tibetan lessons to international students in the university. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Tibet University opened Tibetan classes to foreign students in 1993. So far, more than 500 students from over 20 countries have been studying here. Apart from basic teaching and learning of written and oral Tibetan, the university also provides modules about Tibetan folk culture and Tibetan religions to meet the needs of international students with various educational backgrounds.

Zi is a Philippine student just keen on learning Tibetan calligraphy. She said, "In English and Chinese, each word has but one sound, but Tibetan is totally different. When the letters are coined up together, they read different and have various meanings, which is really difficult for me to comprehend. Thus, I'd go with the calligraphy."

In the beginning of the new term, which is also the last term for most of them, many international students expressed their wish to stay in Tibet. Rika, Zi, Jing Hui and Ali even started preparing for the application to stay.

For Ali, "It's better if I could stay in Tibet. But, it's also ok for me to work in Beijing. As long as I can stay in China, I'd be happy."