CABINDA MORENO DE ALMEIDA ELOISA, an international student from Sao Tome and Principe, has been at the school during the epidemic. She has helped teachers and students to do a lot to safeguard their health and normal life. She recorded the feelings of these days in her own pen and sent her strongest support and encouragement to China.
I am CABINDA MORENO DE ALMEIDA ELOISA, I have given myself a nice and memorable Chinese name: Rose, I am from Sao Tome and Principe, I have been in China for more than three years, and I am now a student in the third year of my studies. From my boundless yearning for ancient China to my tangible sense of its long culture, economic prosperity and people's unity, I have fallen in love with China and SHUPL, one by one.
The 2020 winter break has just begun and a tense atmosphere is beginning to spread across the Chinese land. Immediately afterwards, my last holiday arrangements in China were stranded. In late January, in order to ensure the safety of the students in school, the school was closed, and all entrances and exits had to be registered, body temperature measured, and reported to the responsible teacher. In such cases, some students show a mindset of indifference, while others are so worried that they are torn between returning and staying in school.
In early February, my parents and friends in Africa asked me to return to my home country, persuading me that my studies were important, but China was very dangerous and they were very worried about me. I understand how the family feels, but now that the school is disinfecting the dormitories daily, giving everyone masks and hand sanitizer, taking their temperature twice in the morning and evening, and providing adequate food, there is absolutely no need to worry. Conversely, the return journey is long and distant, and the continuous turnaround is very risky. After learning about what the Chinese government and the SHUPL teachers had done, the family finally let go of their worries.
Three and a half years, more than a thousand days and nights, drinking Chinese water, eating Chinese food, and understanding Chinese feelings have also made me believe in the power of China and what I have to do for China and for Shangri-La! Knowing multiple languages is an advantage for me, and whenever teachers send notifications, reminders, and tweets in groups, I'm the first to explain them to my classmates. Whenever my classmates were confused or upset, I reached out to them to reassure them. Sometimes I also reflect the reasonable demands of my classmates to the teachers and work with them to find a solution. With that, a spontaneous volunteer team of international students began to operate. Although we couldn't stay together because of the epidemic, we were able to establish a deep friendship because of the clear division of labor and the active and conscientiousness of the students.
As of today, the closed administration of the school is almost a month old, and everyone is safely and orderly on the campus, either staying in the dormitory to watch a web show, or working on their thesis. When the weather is nice, meet the teacher on duty for a badminton match and a cycling tour around the school. During this time, special thanks to the school's security master, the cleaning aunt, our international students' hostess aunt and teachers. It was they who kept us safe with hard work, and fearlessness.
The year 2020 will be my fourth year in China and my last year of study at Shangzheng. It's unfortunate to have suffered an epidemic, but it's also fortunate to be able to contribute my share as a result.
Go, SHUPL! Go Shanghai! Go Wuhan! Go China!
CABINDA MORENO DE ALMEIDA ELOISA (Rose)
