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，我来到武汉，进入华中师范大学国际关系专业攻读博士学位。虽然只跟武汉亲密接触了一年半时间，虽然武汉刚生了一场“大病”，但这并不影响我对这座城市深深的爱。我把它视为我的第二故乡。现在，我回到了印度，却时刻想念着武汉，那里有我的学业，有我的朋友，有我的生活。

讲述人：孟妮（印度留学生）

我来自印度清奈，与中国武汉相距万里，但在武汉，我却找到了心灵的归宿。距离华中师范大学不远的宝通禅寺，是我常常会去的地方。每当我对生活失去灵感、需要为自己充电的时候，我都会一个人去往这座古寺，静谧的佛院、苍翠的古树，让我的心霎时重获宁静。我也爱武汉的热闹，爱它美味的小吃、繁华的商铺甚至嘈杂的街巷，那浓浓的烟火气让我看到武汉人对生命的热爱。2020年年初，我深沉地爱着的武汉“生病”了。

留守武汉：英雄带我走出恐惧

原本计划留在学校写博士论文的我，得知了因新冠肺炎疫情暴发，所有人都必须在宿舍进行隔离的消息。说实话，一开始我的内心是恐慌、害怕的，当时，我和身边的人们对这个病毒一无所知。无法出门、必须独处的现实，也让我不知所措。

Monika and other volunteers to distribute meals to their schoolmates on campus 孟妮与其他志愿者们一起准备分发盒饭

远在印度的家人看了各种各样的新闻报道后，甚至比我还要恐慌。我身处武汉，这让他们的恐惧和担忧不断升级。那时候，每天家人都会打电话给我，电话那边的哭声不曾中断，这让我的心情糟糕到了极点。就在这个时候，我的老师联系到我，邀请我加入学校抗疫志愿者团队。……