Karlsson, a foreign teacher at Beijing Union University (BUU), has lived in China for over 15 years. He showed great interest in China when he joined in a program for East Asian studies in Switzerland in
1997. Back then, cellphones and the Internet were not widely used. Learning Chinese meant using textbooks, dictionaries and tapes. He learned Chinese in that way.
In 2006, with a high score in the Chinese language test, he won a scholarship for a five-week summer program in Beijing.
After finishing the study program, Karlsson was offered a Beijing-based job as a market researcher.
In the next year, he started to teach business at BUU.
Life in Beijing has been a wonderful experience. It has offered him many chances for personal growth. Today, thanks to high-speed broadband(宽带)and 5G, he can connect with students at BUU's partner universities in Russia or Mexico while riding on the Beijing subway.
Although he was busy on teaching days, Karlsson applied(申请)for a full-time scholarship(奖学金) at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. At the age of 44, he got his Ph. D. in economics (经济学博士). "I am quite interested in blockchain (区块链)technology, and I know that China is quickly becoming the leader in blockchain applications. So, I always write my articles in this area, "he said.
"There is always time to follow your dreams if you work hard, "he said. "Taking challenges and also helping others are what makes life worth living, "
