“With the help of China, we defeated the Ebola virus. Wuhan will definitely defeat the coronavirus,” said Mariama, doctoral student of CUG, when interviewed by a reporter from Hubei Daily on February 10.
Mariama, from Sierra Leone, Africa, came to Wuhan in 2018. She and other 35 students from Sierra Leone have been staying in Wuhan since the outbreak.
“As a witness of the Ebola epidemic, I still remember that China was the first to dispatch a medical aid team.” Mariama told the reporter that her homeland Sierra Leone was one of the worst affected countries when the Ebola virus hit in the West Africa in May, 2014. A lot of medical personnel and supplies from China helped prevent the Ebola epidemic from spreading.
It is her experience that gives her courage to stay behind.
She said, “Wuhan is my second home, and people of Wuhan are like families to me.”
She changed her WeChat profile picture to a red flag with “Pray for China” on it, and she believes that the epidemic will be defeated soon.
WANG Siyuan, Mariama’s compatriot, who is also a student of CUG, has been staying in his dormitory. His families don’t worry about him at all, because teachers and volunteers at CUG bring him food and daily necessities.
YUAN Meimei, CUG student from Cameroon, is moved by the efforts and sacrifices of people in Wuhan to fight against the epidemic, “I love Wuhan! Wuhan is a heroic city, and let’s fight together.”
“Wuhan is my second home. I want to protect it.” Daming, student from Benin, is also impressed with the confidence and resolution of people in Wuhan.
Daming told the reporter that he and other 21 students from Benin in Wuhan had agreed to visit the Yellow Crane Tower and enjoy great food with abandon in the Hubu Alley after the end of the epidemic.
(Edited and translated from the Chinese version)
