The spring breeze brings fragrance to flowers; and Qingming arrives amid pear blossom rain. Qingming Festival is with us now. How are you, students from different parts of the world? Since the coronavirus has become a global pandemic, international students are more and more concerned about the teachers and classmates of their alma mater. The editor received a letter from Mr. Tonpanith Saybandit (Dabao DENG), an undergraduate student from Laos, in which he described his current situation, showed his gratitude to his teachers at Tongji and expressed his wish to return to Tongji soon.

Dear teachers and fellow students,

How are you?

I'm DENG Dabao in Laos. Everything is fine with me now. The coronavirus outbreak separates me from Shanghai, which will reduce my time at Tongji. Right now, I am only able to admire the Sakura blossoms at Tongji through the lens, since I cannot stand under the flourishing Sakura trees on campus.

However, the most beautiful thing with Tongji is not the Sakura blossoms, but the solidarity and love of Tongji people. When I left Laos and first arrived in Tongji, I was a total stranger to everything. But my warm-hearted Chinese classmates communicated with me from time to time, driving loneliness away from me. My teachers helped me solve problems with patience and witnessed my progress. I participated in student activities through which we helped each other and made progress together. I gradually stepped into the life of people at Tongji; and my life has been integrated with Tongji culture step by step.

I want to say thank you to my course teachers for your hard work in preparing the courseware for teaching online, and for your patient help with our homework after class. Thank you, teachers from the International office, for your providing convenient services; thank you, my tutor, for your concern for our physical and mental health. I feel more motivated to hard worker so as to return your kindness and dedication to teaching.

I look forward to our reunion on the beautiful campus after my returning to my "second home". There is no winter that will not end, and no spring that will not start! I am sure that we will be able to beat the virus with joint efforts, and we will meet again soon.

Source：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9Tw43NHwzRV2kRvQoAwUTg