My life as a volunteer in China during COVID-19 pandemic

Life is full of obstacles and challenges, but the secret to success is hard effort, perseverance, and persistence. Some moments in our lives are unforgettable, and some achievements leave an indelible impact on history.

I was born in Karachi, which is known as the business hub center of Pakistan. After completing my bachelor's degree in MBBS, I got a scholarship in 2016 from China Scholarship Council to do a master's in Neurosurgery at Southeast University Nanjing, China. I was very excited and can't wait to start my postgraduate study in China. Once I reached China, I was warmly welcomed by the teachers and other staff of my university. In my first year, I learned the Chinese language, which I enjoyed a lot, and passed the HSK level 5. Learning the Chinese language helped me a lot during my daily life. In this article, I will talk about my life as a volunteer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since December 2019, the world has suffered the effects of an unprecedented deadly virus, known as COVID-19, emerging from the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. This newly emerging disease has spread to more than 200 countries and has affected hundreds of people, resulting in dismal morbidity and mortality rates.

COVID-19 has drastically interrupted billions of citizen's personal and professional lives globally and forced governments worldwide to quickly adapt to a new reality characterized by increasing mortality rates, lockdowns, social distancing, and teleworking. Volunteering is a key component of co-production, as co-producing volunteers actively provide relevant public services to their communities.

In February 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was on peak, the school choose me as a volunteer, which was a great honor for me. It was challenging to decide whether I should stay here or go back home because my family forced me to return home. At that time, I think I must stand out in this critical moment as I couldn't calm down after seeing so many people having extreme difficulties in their lives. I know how hard the medical staff worked to fight the virus, and I think I had to contribute my ability to the community. During this time, I was handed a lot of responsibilities related to the student's daily needs. The most important thing was to provide students the sanitizers and masks. It was my duty to make sure they cover their mouths when they go out and continuously sanitize their hands. Every day, I have to take an order from students for their lunch and dinner and make a list mentioning the food they want to eat and send it to the teacher. Then I have to go to the restaurant with my teacher to bring food for them. The teacher's priority was to provide fresh and healthy food to the students. Besides this, I also have to record student's temperature three times a day, for which the universities have given a thermometer to all of the students. Once they have sent me their temperature recordings, I have to make a list and forward it to the relevant teacher. Sometimes if a student feels sick, it was my responsibility to accompany him to the hospital. Also, I have to go to the supermarket with my teacher to bring groceries for the students, for which I have to ask every individual which food item or other daily necessities they need. I also have to provide psychological assistance, emotional comfort, and counseling to the students regarding proper handwashing, wearing masks, social distancing, maintaining good hygiene, cleaning and frequently disinfecting, etc.

As the pandemic was getting better here in China, the school decided to let students go out of the dormitory two hours a day, for which every student has to apply for permission before they go out. I must stay at the dormitory gate to ensure the students are wearing masks, having the permission card to go out, and request them to come back on time. After they are back, I should check their body temperatures and collect the permission card back from them. Students who went back home and can't return to the university due to the pandemic school had arranged online classes. Most of the students were having a problem choosing the courses, so I helped them gather their information and go to the related department to solve their problems.

Besides a volunteer at Southeast University, I am also an international Volunteer at the "Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders." where I participated in many activities. As an international Volunteer, it's my duty and responsibility to help and guide the community about the importance of these historic places.

In the end, I feel very happy and thankful to my teachers for giving me this opportunity. It has sharpened my skills in becoming a better leader and developing a sense of pride in contributing to community and student success.

My name is Waqas Ahmed (Chinese name is 永强), and I am from Pakistan. I am a Master's Student at Southeast University in Nanjing. I got a scholarship in the year 2016 to study for a postgraduate degree in the field of Neurosurgery.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.