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Life after Covid19 – Xueru, Chinese student: “This epidemic made me see life in a new way”

  • Student life

Xueru YANG was a MIM (Master’s in Management/HBBA) student specializing in International Finance. She had “a wonderful time living in France for a year and a half before coming back to China last December”. Now as the epidemic is subsiding in China, it is beginning to hit France head on. Xueru kindly shares her experience of confinement with us and wants to bring you a message of hope.

What were you doing before Covid-19 outbreak in China?

When I came back to China, I was ready to begin my internship and prepare for the Chinese New Year. Everyone was excited about the coming festival and our precious holidays, but a few days before the Chinese New Year the media was suddenly full of news about the coronavirus.

How did the covid-19 outbreak change your life and mentality?

My family and I decided to be extremely vigilant and kept up to date on the crisis each day. We all wore masks while going out. With the virus spreading so quickly, the Chinese government immediately put preventative measures in place to stop the spread of Covid-19. As citizens, we respected the government’s policies and measures to stay at home and avoided gatherings with friends and family, even if it was the Chinese New Year. According to tradition, all family members would usually gather to celebrate this festival. For over a month, we didn’t go outside and ordered food using online supermarkets. During that time, I spent most of my time studying, watching TV shows and reading books, I was also happy to stay with my family. To be honest, it was nice to be able to spend time with my family.

However, that period was extremely difficult for medical staff who were fighting against the crisis day and night. Other cities in China actively supported Wuhan in terms of human and material resources and the epidemic was effectively controlled. Today there has been no new diagnoses in my hometown for a month, and most patients have been cured. I think this is a great achievement.

Now, as the epidemic subsides in China, is your life now back to normal? Do you have any plans and things to do after the epidemic?

This epidemic made me see the selfless sacrifice of countless medical staff and made me cherish time and life in a new way. My brother and my friends are still abroad (in France and England). I keep up with the news from France and other countries every day and hope that everybody will protect themselves, obey the government’s arrangements and get through this difficult time soon. I hope that when the pandemic is over, I will be able to return to France, specifically to Rennes, and revisit the lovely city where I lived. I believe that the world will be as beautiful as before.