Amoo Musa Olalekan has been staying in his dormitory and
writing thesis these days as a final year master student in Huazhong
Agricultural University in Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus
outbreak.
“I have stayed in my dorm since the inception of this
outbreak. We are told not to go outside, but I know this is to prevent us from
being exposed to the virus,” said the 28-year-old Nigerian majoring in crop
breeding and genetics.
Olalekan is among the 3,000 to 4,000 African students in
Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province, which is home to a number of
prestigious universities attracting many international students.
Life continues as normal on campus. “During my spare time, I
watch movies, chat online with my friends, and also sleep,” Olalekan said.
Apart from having dinner in a halal canteen, Olalekan likes
to cook for himself.
“Having some rice, chicken, peppers, tomatoes and a few eggs
in refrigerator, I can cook some basic food to eat. If I use up all the food
items, I can go to the supermarket in my school to buy things,” he said. “But
the price has gone up these days, I used to pay 2.9 yuan (41 U.S. cents) for
0.5 kg of tomatoes, which now costs me around 8 yuan.”
Olalekan said his university is working hard to keep the
students safe on campus. “They provided us with masks, thermometers,
disinfectants and other materials.”
“I am among the volunteers who work with the international
office of the university to ensure the safety of the international students in
their respective dormitories on a daily basis. We are advised to check our
temperature daily and also to maintain good personal hygiene through washing
hands regularly as well as maintaining a clean environment,” he said.
“For now, my friends and I are all healthy. We will surely
overcome this threat,” Olalekan said.
Huazhong Agricultural University has 442 international
students, and 166 of them are currently living on campus. They mainly come from
Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam and Sudan, according to Wang
Zhongjian with the international office of the university.
Obame Mba Seraphin Lary, from Gabon, is a junior student
with the Civil Engineering Department of Wuhan University of Technology.”I am
fine. I am just in my dormitory and taking care of myself. I watch movies,
cook, and sometimes go cycling on the campus,” the 26-year-old said. “I have
enough food to last a week. And there are three to four supermarkets near my
dorm, I can buy food there whenever I need. The university also provides us
with vegetables, including onions, potatoes and tomatoes.”
L’hocine Walid, an Algerian student preparing for his PhD in
business administration at Wuhan University of Technology, said they have a
WeChat group for communication.
“The teachers offered us help in case of any problem. The
office is always at our disposal to answer all our questions. The university
distributed food in addition to some masks and gloves.” Many international
students in Wuhan say they have received care and support from their
universities, teachers and friends.Huang Chao, director of the international
student office of the School of International Education of Huazhong University
of Science and Technology, said the university has 2,025 registered
international students, of whom 1,046 are still in Wuhan now.
“The virus came at an unexpected moment. Our embassy
proposed to take us back to our country but I decided to stay here in Wuhan. I
have been here for many years and Wuhan became my second home. I shared with
its people happy moments and I am willing to be with them in this difficult
situation,” said L’hocine Walid, a fourth year student in Wuhan, adding that he
has faith in the Chinese government as he knows that they are doing their best
to solve the problem.
Hanane Thamik, a Moroccan student in Wuhan University said
she decided to stay for many reasons, although many of her compatriots have
left.
“By staying here, I want to show to those who think badly
about China that I’m not afraid of staying with Chinese people. I’m sure that
they will take care of me the same as they take care of Chinese citizens.”
Thamik said the university provided her free masks,
treatment and three meals a day and the teachers cared a lot about her safety.
Having spent eight years in Wuhan, Sadi Makangila Patrick, a
doctoral student majoring in English language and literature at Central China
Normal University, also chose to stay.
When hearing the megacity was locked down to curb the spread
of the novel coronavirus, Patrick said he was a bit worried. His family members
and friends all sent regards to him from his hometown in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.
However, the bravery demonstrated by the medical workers and
volunteers made him feel moved and gave him more confidence.”Wuhan is my second
hometown. I believe the epidemic will be brought under control,” he said.
Reported by Xinhua
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