China News Service, April 8 (Xinhua Times) reported that in response to the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez has also proposed to extend the Spanish national emergency to April 26 again. At the same time, the number of new confirmed cases and new death cases in Spain has been dropping day by day, showing the hope that the epidemic curve will "flatten out".

According to data from the Chinese embassy in Spain, there are more than 16,000 Chinese students studying in Spain. Some people choose to return to China, but more people choose to stay in Spain. From the initial restlessness to the steady state of mind, they staying in Spain are making their own anti-epidemic efforts.

From "rear support" to "on the front line"

The international students in West take "post-90s", especially "post-95s" as the main body. According to Duan Lian, PhD student of Camillas Bishop ’s University and president of the Spanish (China) Humanities and Social Sciences Scholars Federation, Chinese students are mainly concentrated in Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Valencia and Andalusia. The main phases are humanities and social sciences, such as tourism, Spanish literature, business management, etc .; the master's degree phase is mainly science and engineering, such as manufacturing, new materials, etc. In recent years, international students in the West have also begun to show a younger age trend, with some "after 00".

When the outbreak of China occurred, many international students spontaneously contributed to China's fight against the outbreak. With the rapid spread of the epidemic in Spain, international students have changed from "rear support" to "on the front line", facing problems such as insufficient personal protective materials and difficulty in purchasing daily supplies. Duan Lian said that the Chinese Embassy in West provided very necessary help. "Early before the outbreak of the Spanish outbreak, the embassy held an online video conference organized by Spanish Chinese students to understand the problems and difficulties faced by the students and find ways to solve them in a timely manner."

According to Duan Lian, Spanish student organizations and embassies in Spain maintain a very good communication mechanism, keep abreast of the development of foreign students, and use WeChat public accounts and other online platforms to update the development of the epidemic. In addition, the international student organizations also proactively contacted to buy masks and other materials, and assisted the embassy in issuing "health packs."

Duan Lian said: "The embassy education team contacted various international student organizations for the first time to count the number and personal situation of the current international students in the West, and then give priority to the students who are particularly in short supply. At present, two batches of materials have been issued." The risk of infection on the way to the supplies, the embassy mainly issued "health packages" by mailing parcels.

With the shortage of medical resources in Spain, under the guidance of the education team of the embassy, ​​international students spontaneously set up a platform for "volunteer groups of medical students" to help international students who are sick or have suspected symptoms. For some international students who lack medical services and medicines, everyone also helps each other. Many people donate their medicines to those who need them most.

Actively respond to the “secondary impact” of the epidemic

In addition to the threat of the virus itself, the epidemic also has some secondary impacts on the lives and studies of international students in the West, such as college suspensions, visa expirations, and employment. This has led to discussions on whether to return to China and psychological changes.

"I think most of the international students actually stayed in Spain," Duan Lian said. The reason why most international students choose to stay is to avoid cross-infection during the journey and second to insist on completing their studies.

"The life conditions of the students I have learned are relatively stable on the whole. Under the dual background of the domestic epidemic and the current Spanish epidemic, Chinese students have a much better awareness of epidemic prevention than locals, so try not to go out. This virus is 'suffocating', "he said.

With the development of the epidemic, the psychological status of international students in the West has also changed several times: from the initial restlessness and panic, to a gradual calm, and finally adjusted to a state where they can work and study normally.

In order to help everyone adjust their mentality, the international student organization has established a remote psychological counseling platform. The seniors and school sisters play the role of "psychological counselors", point-to-point call to some students who have negative emotions, and communicate every day. Treatment. At the same time, they also cooperate with domestic universities and platforms to build a telemedicine and mental health consultation and counseling platform for international students.

The severe impact of the epidemic on the economy has also affected the employment situation in Spain. For international students who are about to graduate, the pace of finding a job has also been disrupted. The academic federation where Duan Lian is currently working with some Chinese domestic institutions to provide online job fairs and other platforms to help international students find suitable jobs through more channels.

Duan Lian also said, "I hope that parents and children of international students can communicate smoothly with a more peaceful attitude and do not put more psychological pressure on their children." In Spain, there are already some international student organizations in some areas that have established WeChat parent groups to appease parents' emotions. (Tang Menglei)