I’ll Always Remember the Warmth from Wuhan

Iam from Chennai,India,thousands of miles away from Wuhan.But it is in Wuhan that I found my soul.The Baotong Temple,not far from Central China Normal University,is a place I frequent.Whenever I lose motivation and need to recharge myself,I would visit the ancient temple by myself.The peaceful environment where the ancient Buddhist temple is surrounded by green trees helps me find inner peace.I also love the liveliness of Wuhan,the delicious snacks,bustling shops,and even the noisy streets and lanes,from which I can feel Wuhan people’s love for life.Unfortunately,at the beginning of 2020,my beloved Wuhan fell ill.

Stay in Wuhan: A hero helped me overcome fear

Narrator:In 2018,I came to Wuhan for my doctorate in International Relations at Central China Normal University.Despite the fact that I have only lived in Wuhan for a year and a half,and Wuhan has just gone through a serious epidemic,I have deep love for the city.I regard it as my second home.Now,I have returned to India,but I always think of Wuhan.I lived there,studied there and made friends there.

I planned to stay on campus for my doctoral thesis.But I was informed that because of the COVID-19 outbreak,everyone had to stay in the dormitory.To be honest,at first,I was scared.At that time,we knew nothing about the virus.The reality of not being able to go out and having to be alone made me panic.

After watching the news reports,my family members in India were more frightened than me.They were worried about me because I was in the epicenter.They called me every day in tears,which made me quite depressed.My teacher then contacted me and invited me to join the university’s anti-epidemic volunteers.At first I only took the volunteering work as a task assigned by my teacher that I was not supposed to turn down,but later it turned out that this experience not only changed me but even saved me.

My life has changed the moment I stepped out of the dormitory room and worked at the frontline.My volunteer team distributed meals to students every day,and helped out those students with difficulties during their quarantine.My volunteer teacher,a retired staff member of Central China Normal University in his sixties,gave up his chance to stay safe at home.When Wuhan was in the most difficult times,he insisted on fighting on the front line every day,delivering meals to students,and solving water and electricity problems in our dormitory.He was like a hero protecting us.Actually he was no longer young and suffering from several health problems,but we never heard him complaining.He was very calm and determined.I saw responsibility,caring,and perseverance in him.I knew that there were many Chinese who are fighting on the frontline like him.These people who had never backed down encouraged me to engage in the volunteering and help other international students overcome their fear.

2018年，我來到武漢，進(jìn)入華中師范大學(xué)國(guó)際關(guān)系專業(yè)攻讀博士學(xué)位。雖然只跟武漢親密接觸了一年半時(shí)間，雖然武漢剛生了一場(chǎng)“大病”，但這并不影響我對(duì)這座城市深深的愛。我把它視為我的第二故鄉(xiāng)。現(xiàn)在，我回到了印度，卻時(shí)刻想念著武漢，那里有我的學(xué)業(yè)，有我的朋友，有我的生活。

講述人：孟妮（印度留學(xué)生）

我來自印度清奈，與中國(guó)武漢相距萬里，但在武漢，我卻找到了心靈的歸宿。距離華中師范大學(xué)不遠(yuǎn)的寶通禪寺，是我常常會(huì)去的地方。每當(dāng)我對(duì)生活失去靈感、需要為自己充電的時(shí)候，我都會(huì)一個(gè)人去往這座古寺，靜謐的佛院、蒼翠的古樹，讓我的心霎時(shí)重獲寧靜。我也愛武漢的熱鬧，愛它美味的小吃、繁華的商鋪甚至嘈雜的街巷，那濃濃的煙火氣讓我看到武漢人對(duì)生命的熱愛。2020年年初，我深沉地愛著的武漢“生病”了。

留守武漢：英雄帶我走出恐懼

原本計(jì)劃留在學(xué)校寫博士論文的我，得知了因新冠肺炎疫情暴發(fā)，所有人都必須在宿舍進(jìn)行隔離的消息。說實(shí)話，一開始我的內(nèi)心是恐慌、害怕的，當(dāng)時(shí)，我和身邊的人們對(duì)這個(gè)病毒一無所知。無法出門、必須獨(dú)處的現(xiàn)實(shí)，也讓我不知所措。

Monika and other volunteers to distribute meals to their schoolmates on campus 孟妮與其他志愿者們一起準(zhǔn)備分發(fā)盒飯

遠(yuǎn)在印度的家人看了各種各樣的新聞報(bào)道后，甚至比我還要恐慌。我身處武漢，這讓他們的恐懼和擔(dān)憂不斷升級(jí)。那時(shí)候，每天家人都會(huì)打電話給我，電話那邊的哭聲不曾中斷，這讓我的心情糟糕到了極點(diǎn)。就在這個(gè)時(shí)候，我的老師聯(lián)系到我，邀請(qǐng)我加入學(xué)校抗疫志愿者團(tuán)隊(duì)。正是這項(xiàng)被當(dāng)時(shí)的我視作額外任務(wù)、無法推脫的事情，改變了我，也解救了我。

走出宿舍門，來到學(xué)?？挂咦钋熬€，一切都不一樣了。我所在的志愿者團(tuán)隊(duì)每天為同學(xué)們分發(fā)飯菜，同學(xué)們?cè)诟綦x生活中遇到的困難都能得到志愿者團(tuán)隊(duì)的幫助。

This Spring Festival was eerily quiet.There were no fireworks,no flashing neon lights,and no parties.At night,staying in the dormitory,I couldn’t help thinking that China is a country that has suffered a lot.In its history,there have been so many earthquakes,floods,and plagues.Despite all the difficulties and misery,the Chinese people have survived.Even if their eyes are filled with tears,they still stay strong and resilient.I can overcome this disaster together with the Chinese people.

This battle without smoke started in front of my eyes.I saw the amazing speed of China’s response to the epidemic,and the tremendous resilience presented by the whole nation.The Chinese often say: “Unity is power.” Now I saw this power.In such a short period,medical assistance was brought into cities in Hubei from all over China.This is admirable and is exactly what India should learn from.

Back to India: Battle against the epidemic continues

On February 27,I returned to India to be reunited with my family.It didn’t take long for the new coronavirus to strike India.In the first few weeks of March,protective items such as hand sanitizers and masks were in short supply.With timely intervention from the Government,the materials are made available at pharmacies now.Fortunately,I had experience fighting against the epidemic in Wuhan.I have already reminded my family and friends to buy materials that could be used for several months before India ordered the lockdown of the country.

On April 20,the Indian government eased the restriction measures and resumed some manufacturing and agricultural production activities.But those businesses were required to follow social distancing and hygienic regulations.Most areas in India are still in lockdown.Commercial flights,rail transportation,and passenger transportation have been suspended; online shopping is limited to food and other necessities; all schools and sports fields are closed.Anyone who violates the order will face a fine of 1,000 rupees or six months in prison.India will also continue to increase testing,the inventory of ventilators and personal protective equipment,and prepare to build hospitals dedicated to the treatment of people infected with the new coronavirus.

Day 16 in the New Delhi quarantine center在新德里隔離營(yíng)的第16 天

我的志愿者老師——一位華中師范大學(xué)退休工作人員，他60 多歲了，卻沒有為了自己的安全和健康留在家中。在武漢疫情最嚴(yán)重的時(shí)候，他每天堅(jiān)持奮戰(zhàn)在一線，為學(xué)生們送餐、分餐，解決我們宿舍的水電問題，像天使一樣守護(hù)著我們這群外國(guó)孩子。他這么大年紀(jì)了，身上應(yīng)該也有病痛的困擾，但是我們從來沒有聽他提起過。他很淡定，也很篤定，在他的身上，我看到了責(zé)任，看到了關(guān)愛，看到了普通人的奮不顧身。我知道，像他一樣奮戰(zhàn)在抗疫前線的中國(guó)人還有很多很多。這些不曾退縮的中國(guó)人，讓我重新獲得了力量。我拾起了勇氣，積極參與志愿者工作，聆聽那些像我一樣對(duì)疫情充滿恐懼的外國(guó)同學(xué)遇到的問題，為他們排解憂愁，幫助他們戰(zhàn)勝自己。

這個(gè)春節(jié)無疑是冷清的，沒有漫天的煙花、沒有閃爍的霓虹燈、沒有熱鬧的聚會(huì)。夜里，待在宿舍，我常常想，中國(guó)是一個(gè)久經(jīng)磨難的國(guó)家，在它的歷史上，有過那么多的地震、水災(zāi)、瘟疫……多大的困難，中國(guó)人都挺過來了，甚至無法從他們臉上看到苦難的痕跡，他們就算眼含淚水，口罩后面的表情也一定是堅(jiān)毅的。我可以與中國(guó)人一起戰(zhàn)勝這場(chǎng)災(zāi)難。

這場(chǎng)沒有硝煙的戰(zhàn)疫就這樣在我眼前展開了。我看到中國(guó)對(duì)新冠肺炎疫情的驚人處置速度，看到中國(guó)人的團(tuán)結(jié)釋放出的無以言表的巨大能量，對(duì)此，我的感受用驚訝和欽佩來表達(dá)都顯蒼白。中國(guó)人常說：“團(tuán)結(jié)就是力量?！边@一次，我真的看見了這種力量。在那么短的時(shí)間里，全國(guó)各地都能向湖北的各個(gè)城市提供醫(yī)療幫助，那場(chǎng)面讓人感動(dòng)，也讓人羨慕。這些正是我的國(guó)家——印度應(yīng)該學(xué)習(xí)的。

回到印度：抗疫生活在繼續(xù)

2月27日，我回到了印度，與家人團(tuán)聚。沒過多久，新冠肺炎病毒就洶洶來襲。3月的前幾周，我們幾乎無法購(gòu)買到洗手液和口罩等防護(hù)用品。在政府協(xié)調(diào)下，目前，藥店里可以買到相應(yīng)的物資了。還好我有在武漢抗疫的經(jīng)歷，家人和朋友在我的勸告下，在印度下令封城之前，早早儲(chǔ)備了可以使用數(shù)月的物資。

我又一次經(jīng)歷了自我隔離。目前，在我的家鄉(xiāng)清奈，人們不能私自離開自己的城市，如果確有原因需要離開，必須向政府申請(qǐng)，獲得批準(zhǔn)后方可離開。銷售水果、蔬菜和藥品等物資的店鋪可以營(yíng)業(yè)至下午1 點(diǎn)，在線購(gòu)買食物的配送時(shí)間也只能到下午1 點(diǎn)。人們不被允許走上主街道，這些街道都在警察的密切監(jiān)控下。而在居民區(qū)，人們的出行也是有限制的，大家都在下午1 點(diǎn)前去購(gòu)買牛奶和食物等必需品。在我家，每天只有一人出去購(gòu)物，買一些蔬菜和其他生活必需品。

印度的一些地區(qū)采用了很有特點(diǎn)的措施，比如在馬哈拉什特拉邦，為監(jiān)督居家隔離者，確保大家不出門，每個(gè)人的手背都會(huì)蓋一個(gè)“ 居家隔離”字樣的印章。印章使用一種特殊墨水，能維持兩周不褪色。隔離生活在繼續(xù)，但學(xué)習(xí)的腳步不能停下。

Anti-epidemic hand painting by Monika Sethuraman孟妮的抗疫手繪畫

In India,my family and I also do our best to help others.At present,young people are afraid of losing their jobs.Because I come back from Wuhan,many Indian friends who are anxious and panicked turn to me for help.I listen to them just like what I did when I was a volunteer at CCNU.I comfort them,and share with them information of epidemic prevention to help them overcome their fear.

Friends in Wuhan say that Wuhan has lifted its outbound traffic restrictions and they can eat hot dry noodles again.China is able to resume its production and life in such a short period of time after being hit hard by the virus.It sets an example for the world in dealing with unexpected and unprecedented crises.

Also,I particularly want to emphasize that facing this epidemic,no country in the world can take care of foreign students like China,and China ensured that food and essentials were provided to international students.The international student community is very grateful for this kindness.

This crisis is real,and all countries in the world must respond quickly and vigilantly.The Chinese people’s unity and hard work in this battle have set an example for all countries in the world.The Chinese experience and the recovery of Wuhan have brought hope to the world.

(FromChina Culture Daily)

Monika and her friends in the New Delhi quarantine center孟妮和新德里隔離營(yíng)中的伙伴們

我每天都會(huì)閱讀一些與專業(yè)相關(guān)的書籍和雜志，繼續(xù)完成論文。疫情發(fā)生后，清華大學(xué)和劍橋大學(xué)都開放了數(shù)據(jù)庫，供學(xué)生查閱。華中師范大學(xué)也通過虛擬VPN，通過大學(xué)服務(wù)器為學(xué)生們提供遠(yuǎn)程訪問諸多學(xué)術(shù)門戶網(wǎng)站的服務(wù)。此外，許多智庫和大學(xué)也正在通過Zoom應(yīng)用程序在線舉辦研討會(huì)、網(wǎng)絡(luò)課程等，我積極地參加這些活動(dòng)。有時(shí)間，我還會(huì)瀏覽在線課程。

為了保持健康的體魄，我與表哥組隊(duì)鍛煉身體。我們已經(jīng)把尊巴、普拉提、瑜伽都納入到鍛煉項(xiàng)目之中，此外，我們還特別加入了太極和健美操。目前，我仍然在遠(yuǎn)程參與華中師范大學(xué)的志愿者活動(dòng)，比如將學(xué)校留學(xué)生辦公室的相關(guān)通知和信息分享給留學(xué)生，同時(shí)向辦公室反饋留學(xué)生的需求。

4月20日，印度政府放松了封鎖措施，允許恢復(fù)部分制造業(yè)和農(nóng)業(yè)生產(chǎn)活動(dòng)。復(fù)工企業(yè)應(yīng)滿足社會(huì)隔離要求和衛(wèi)生規(guī)范。印度大部分領(lǐng)域仍處于封鎖狀態(tài)。商業(yè)航班、鐵路運(yùn)輸、客運(yùn)都已暫停；網(wǎng)上購(gòu)物僅限于食品和其他必需品；所有學(xué)校、運(yùn)動(dòng)場(chǎng)全部關(guān)閉。任何違反“封城令”者，將面臨1000 盧比的罰款或6 個(gè)月的監(jiān)禁。印度還將繼續(xù)加大檢測(cè)力度，增加呼吸機(jī)和個(gè)人防護(hù)設(shè)備的庫存，并準(zhǔn)備建設(shè)專門收治新冠病毒感染者的醫(yī)院。

在印度，我和家人也盡己所能地幫助他人?，F(xiàn)在，我身邊所有的年輕人都很擔(dān)心失業(yè)。因?yàn)槲沂菑奈錆h回來的，不少因疫情而焦慮、恐慌的印度朋友向我求助，我就像在學(xué)校做志愿者工作時(shí)一樣，耐心地安慰他們，與他們分享正確的防疫抗疫常識(shí)，幫助他們克服恐懼。

聽武漢的朋友說，武漢已經(jīng)解封了，他們已經(jīng)能吃上熱干面了。在遭遇如此重大的沖擊后，中國(guó)人的生產(chǎn)、生活能夠在短時(shí)間內(nèi)恢復(fù)過來，這種不因毫無預(yù)見、前所未有的危機(jī)而退縮的精神，足以使其成為世界各國(guó)學(xué)習(xí)的榜樣。

此外，我特別想表達(dá)的是，在這場(chǎng)疫情下，世界上沒有任何一個(gè)國(guó)家能像中國(guó)這樣照顧外國(guó)留學(xué)生，使他們能夠順利得到所需的食物和必需品。留學(xué)生群體對(duì)此都充滿感恩，感謝中國(guó)如此這般幫助我們留學(xué)生和所有外國(guó)人。

這場(chǎng)危機(jī)是真實(shí)的，世界各國(guó)必須迅速和警醒地應(yīng)對(duì)危機(jī)。中國(guó)人在這場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)斗中團(tuán)結(jié)奮斗的精神和堅(jiān)強(qiáng)有力的舉措為世界各國(guó)樹立了典范，中國(guó)經(jīng)驗(yàn)和武漢的復(fù)蘇給世界帶來了希望。

（摘自《中國(guó)文化報(bào)》）