Our Students Volunteer to Fight the Pandemic!
After the latest COVID-19 outbreak began, each compound had to carry out Covid testing. Students from Dulwich International High School Suzhou volunteered to help out. Allen C and Miranda X were kind enough to share their fascinating experience with us.
DHSZ IG1 Allen C
Allen heard that his compound was short-staffed for the testing work. Therefore, he called the person in charge of their compound and sent WeChat messages to volunteer. "I called upon one of my friends so I could at least have someone to work with. I didn't think much about it and my parents were supportive, and I joined it the next day."
After volunteering a few days, Allen explained what he did during the day:
"On weekends, I wake up at 5:30 a.m., wash up and sign in at 6 a.m. Put on my protective cloth and get ready for the assignment and go to the specific section. Around 7 am people started coming in for the testing. We check their health codes, register information, and issue a pass. Around 11 am I ride my scooter to the warehouse to pick up more q-tips, passes, and masks. Then around 1 pm, we can have lunch and go back to work around 1:30 pm. If we go any faster, the testing will basically be finished at 3 pm. After that, we clean the site and transport the samples to the car. Around 5 pm I can take off my protective cloth, take a shower and have dinner. That's the end of the day! Have a sleep and start again the next day." On weekdays, Allen would rush to the testing site as soon as he finished the online classes and do some post-test work. "
Although wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to work for a whole day is quite uncomfortable, Allen told us that "It is also a chance to contribute to the compound, and it will end more quickly with more people’s effort, when thinking of that, I can overcome all the difficulties."
DHSZ Y12Miranda X
Miranda also shared her experience：
"The sudden arrival of the epidemic in Suzhou forced the students at our school online. At the same time, each compound started the Covid testing. Many activities were stopped due to the epidemic, and I have some spare time on weekends, so I signed up to participate in the epidemic volunteer activities in the compound. I wanted to experience how hard these doctors and nurses work daily, and also would like to try the feeling of wearing PPE."
"I put on the PPE and started assisting the work of indoor queuing. To be more detailed, my job was to keep everyone orderly, keep a distance of 1 meter in line, and lead some disabled people, elderly people, and parents holding babies to the green channel. Preparations began at 5:30 am, and around 6:00 am, everyone was in protective clothes and ready to start the Covid testing. We worked efficiently and the testing was finished by 12:30 at noon. Nearly seven hours of standing work was finally coming to the end. I felt a great sense of achievement. "
"The process was very difficult. The sub-zero temperature made me feel cold all the time. The constant guidance and inspection made my legs very tired, but I did not give up. All the greetings from the residents are the biggest inspiration to me. After communicating with the team leader, I found out that I was the youngest among all the volunteers, which also made me proud of myself. I had a very happy experience in this volunteer activity, and I didn't regret signing up to be a volunteer at all. I hope I can participate in such an event next time."
Their contribution to the community is remarkable and commendable. We would like to express our gratitude to Allen, Miranda, and all the people who are now protecting this city!
Stay strong Suzhou. We will overcome the current epidemic situation!
