Self-isolation: Experience of MAI-SJTU Student

Gui Yajing is a student of Master’s double degree program of Moscow Aviation Institute and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Her Bachelor’s degree program was dedicated to civil engineering, and now her major is composite structures. The 2019-2020 academic year with the location in Moscow was final for Gui’s study. After midterm exams in January 2020, she returned to China on holiday and planned use her time to do some scientific researches with her supervisor in Shanghai.

But the plans had to be changed. Because of COVID-19, she returned to her hometown. By the way, Gui lives in a small county town in the south of Anhui Province near Shanghai in East China. Coronavirus epidemic broke out in China, and soon grew into a global pandemic. “In fact, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in my hometown,” said Gui. “But for the sake of safety, I didn't leave my house in February, and my parents need to wear masks and take temperature to go out to buy food.”

Then MAI began to conduct the first distance classes on the LMS (Learning Management System) platform for students from China, who like Gui could not return back to continue their studies at the university.

“At first, MAI staff broadcasted the course live by video, but soon the network stopped working well, the teachers sent us the recorded video instead. After the global outbreak, Russia also began to teach all students remotely, and then our teacher began to send us e-mails about learning materials and actively assign homework. Recently, he came up with a new way. We started using Microsoft Teams for classes. My thesis work is being written too. My supervisor is a warm-hearted person. He actively replied to my email and gave me some suggestions to my work,” said Gui.  

Now, Gui has a lot of experience in self-isolation. She has stayed at home for more than 2 months. She shared her thoughts with us about how best to organize the time in quarantine.

“When the epidemic in China was serious (at the end of January), I watched the news every day, which had a certain impact on my mood. I think that during the period of self-isolation, we should avoid exposure to too much negative news and replace it with healthy exercise and normal diets. As students, especially those who need to graduate, we can focus on learning, which can make us feel more relaxed. I hope that students will not neglect their studies just because they are in the dormitory. They should keep a moderate amount of time for study and exercise every day, such as jumping to enhance the ability of cardiopulmonary activity. In order to improve my immunity, I exercise at home every day. And recently I was finally able to do ten push-ups.

You can also read some literary works. Although you cannot travel at this time, you can learn about some Russian customs and culture through the author's description. I learn a daily Russian phrase, and the app I use introduces a relevant Russian culture every day,” said Gui. 

Now the epidemiological picture in China is getting better and better every day. “My hometown has been released from quarantine since a few weeks ago, but we still avoid going to places where people gather. At about eight o'clock every evening (there are few people on the street), my parents and I go for a walk by the river. The purpose of keeping a temporary distance between people is to be able to get along with each other without distance in the future. I'm sure we'll embrace each other face to face again soon,” noted Gui.