Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, schools in China of all levels are advised to postpone the start of the spring semester.

 

During the extra-long winter holiday, a short video of support from the University of Stirling on February 19 has recently refreshed 40 students at the School of Journalism and Communication of Nanjing University. The video was made by Damyan Kachulski and Grace Wang, teachers from the University of Stirling, where the students had studied for three months. Founded in 1967, the university, located in Scotland, boasts one of the most beautiful universities in Britain, ranking NO. 1 in journalism and media.

Two groups of a media experimental program of Nanjing University, the students also received lecture videos from Damyan and Grace. “I couldn’t cure everybody or reopen the universities, but I could always reach out and do with my students what we did best – learn,” said Damyan, who decided to send a lecture every 5 days, so that the students could keep busy and won’t feel alone. His idea was supported by his colleague Grace Wang. Grace also decided to make videos with instructions about cooking for the students to share with their families.

Their kind intention of taking the students’ minds away from the mundane reality while doing something practical and useful was highly appreciated by the students and their families. Fan Wenjun, one of the students, said, ”Damyan and Grace are always very kind, considerate and helpful to us. We had a wonderful adventure at the university during the three months. And we are also extremely grateful for their support and care.”

Damyan, also the director of the exchange program, sent his slides and summaries of the main points of the readings, to cultivate students to get into the habit of extracting the main idea of every material. He is now busy preparing the second lecture for the students, and another two are still on the way.

 

Holding a master's degree in Media Research, Damyan pays close attention to the latest development of COVID-19. He believes that with collective effort and calm mind, the evening news will be soon free of COVID-19. “Nobody is immune to health problems. We need to support each other in every way we can. Stay strong just a little bit longer, China! We are all rooting for you.”

 

Although Damyan has never been to China, he feels that he has been connected with the county through his students.

 

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