Thanks to China and Southeast University

As an international student it's very hard to live in foreign country during a critical situation where life and death is clearly visible to everyone who are not properly taking care during the pandemic. It's very hard to stay away from parents, siblings and family members in the time of a pandemic, where lockdowns are the one option to keep yourself safe from infectious diseases.

Most students left China during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and very few stayed in China. The hardships during lockdown while living in the dormitory for months were unforgettable for everyone, but we overcame them with the help of the Chinese people and the International Student Office of Southeast University Nanjing. All the needs of students were fulfilled every time there was a request, and meals were organized by the international student office, which reached the dormitory on time.

WeChat groups were created with nearby stores, where students ordered items in the group and one of the storekeepers delivered the items to students at the gate. The stores did this voluntarily, which was a great act of kindness. The School of Electrical Engineering Southeast University provided me and my Chinese peers with free masks every two or three weeks.

The International Student Office of Southeast University helped the international students who were staying in the dormitory. The office recognized the lockdown was affecting the mental health of students and in fact many students were depressed and under pressure after staying in a closed building for long time, craving motivation and entertainment. At first they arranged counseling sessions for us and asked students to talk to a psychologist if they felt any stress or anxiety. The psychologist gave a one-hour session to each individual student, available to all of us every week to help us with our problems, with the possibility of special sessions in the event of an emergency.

This great effort by the office showed us they considered our problems as their problems. In addition, every one to two months the office organized different events for students to help us stay motivated and relax, and those of us who attended the events -- involving culture, sports, history, health, studying, psychology and many forms of entertainment -- received certificates too.

As vaccines became available, the international student office also helped students to get inoculated, welcoming those interested to register for a shot without forcing us to participate. Most of the international students registered, and have already received their first dose, with the next to come the following month. All vaccines are free for everyone in China.

China helps not only their people but also the rest of the world. I am very thankful to the government of China, International Student Office and School of Electrical Engineering of Southeast University and my supervisor Professor Gao Ciwei for their help, motivation, care and provision of all necessary things. On behalf of all the Pakistani people, I am very thankful to China for assisting all students and also providing countless help, assistance and vaccines to Pakistan and the rest of the world. I hope that China will also open the border to students who left China so they can come back to continue their studies.

I want to send my best prayers and wishes to my country of Pakistan and the rest of the world for their speedy recovery from the virus. I also wish to tell the world that if you want to defeat the virus then follow the practices of China, which did so with success. The cooperation of the people is very important to defeat the virus. Everyone in the world should work together with their government.

The author is a PhD candidate at Southeast University in Nanjing.

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