REACH YOUR IMPOSSIBLE DREAM!

2. DREAM, VIRUS, AND VALOR

A true story from China by Elie Molly*

Beijing, 2 February 2020

It was January 23rd when the company where I work started spring vacation. I felt so relax and happy on the first day of my vacation. I decided to stay in Beijing, China, because the 10-day holiday is not long enough for traveling back home to my country Indonesia. I told my mother about it and invited her to visit me in China instead. I sent her my salary to book her flight ticket; she agreed to come in April. However, the uproar of Coronavirus made her postpone the visit plan to September this year.

Many USTB students have already traveled to their countries or other cities of China for winter vacation; I guessed only a few were still at a campus like me. I was alone at my pinky dorm; my mind was busy and restless thinking about the recent Coronavirus attacking China. Every day I read how many people got infected by the virus, how many have died, and the number continued increasing. I felt scared of being alone in a critical situation, so I moved to dorm 4 to stay with my roommate Kawthar. She was happy. I came because she was also scared of the outburst of virus news. Her family asked her to go back to Palestine, just like my mother and brothers who asked me to go back to Indonesia. We spent days thinking about the best decision to make: stay in Beijing or go home, which was really not easy to decide.

The school applied a strict regulation for students' safety. Those who were on campus were not allowed to go out; those who were outside the campus were not allowed to go in. New iron fences were built around dormitories to prevent the spreading of the virus. I even could not go from dorm 4 to dorm 21 and vice versa as easily as before; the security staff was there asking many questions before they allowed me to enter. All people wore masks outside. My campus turned out to be a cold empty place that left me to feel frightened and isolated.

Death will find us even though we are in the strongest building, I believe it. But I took my hat off China on how we, foreign students, were treated during the critical moments. Teachers checked our body temperatures every day, ensured our needs of foods and masks fulfilled. It was their time for a holiday, but they worked hard to protect our health and safety. May Allah blesses them. My roommate and I decided to buy a flight ticket to go back to our countries. It was a dilemma for Kawthar because she would escape from Coronavirus in China, only to face Israel's bombs in Palestine. Yet she said to me, "Bomb is a habit for me if Israel attacks and bomb my country I still can run to escape, but Coronavirus is something I don't know how to handle because I can't see it."

I asked her to go with me to Indonesia, but she refused because she missed her father and family. Her courage so touched me; she is one of two real heroines that I have ever met.A day before my flight, I was crying in my bed. Kawthar was wondering. She said my situation was not as dangerous as hers, but why I cried while she stayed calm and smiled. I told her that I read the words of the prophet, "If a plague is happening in a country, don't go to it. But if the plague is happening in the country where you live, don't run away from it." I didn't want to run away from God's destiny; I didn't want to go back to my country. I wanted to stay here in Beijing and cancel my flight. I would never let the virus take away my dream.

Kawther hugged me and said, "It is ok, you can go back to your country because your mother asked you to. And after you reach Indonesia, do a self-quarantine for several days before going to your mother. It is to make sure you are healthy and not spreading the virus to your family. I will do the same too. I will stay in Egypt alone for several days before going to Palestine." 

Kuningan, Indonesia, 7 February 2020

Coronavirus had changed our life as students in Beijing. My roommate Kawther asked me about my final decision, would I stay at the campus or return to my country. I was still doubtful. She motivated me; she said I should go home because my mother asked me to, and Allah commands us to obey our parents. I agreed with her.

In the same time, the company where I have been working allowed me to leave Beijing and work from home. "You can use Dingding application for daily check-in and check out so your salary will be counted every day," said the manager. Alhamdulillah, I was so glad, everything was made easy by Allah for me to leave China. So I start packing. I invited Safia, a schoolmate and best friend from Mali, to travel with me to Indonesia because her country is too far. She would stay at my home until our teachers allow us to go back to Beijing for the spring semester.

We, three hijab girls, left China on the same day. Kawther and I separated at the campus gate because she went to Beijing Capital Airport while Safia and I went to Daxing Airport. We hugged and made dua for each other's safety. It was on January 30th. When I reached the airport, only a few people were there; all were wearing a mask. Daxing Airport, mentioned as one of the greatest airports in the world, was empty and quiet. I heard the news that many countries had closed or would soon stop the flight from and to China due to Coronavirus.

After spending ten hours on the flight, that night I arrived at Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. Safia and I decided to stay at an isolated hostel for several days for a self-quarantine. But then I heard my mother fell ill because of anxiety, she worried too much about my safety. She watched the news on TV about Coronavirus. I called her by Whatsapp video; she asked me to go back home soon. So, after three days at the hostel and felt healthy, I decided to travel to my hometown for the sake of my mother. She was thrilled and recovered, alhamdulillah.

Kawther was still in Egypt for self-quarantine. It was dangerous to go back to Palestine due to Israel's bombing. Donald Trump was initiating something he called the "Deal of the Century", forcing Palestinians to give Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. War was inevitable in Gaza. However, my roommate decided to continue to travel to her home in Gaza. On February 1st, she left Egypt. She endured a very long and difficult road by bus; there were many checks by army people during the journey. After four days of the tiring trip finally, on February 5th, she arrived home. Alhamdulillah, I still can contact Kawther on Facebook and WeChat. When she reached home, she told me that her body temperature was 38.6 degrees Celcius. She was afraid of Coronavirus infection. I told her, "Don't worry, it is not Coronavirus. You always stayed at the dorm and went out only to the airport, no way to be infected. You got a fever because of the difficult journey. "

I made dua for her health and safety. The next day, her temperature went back to normal, 36.8 degrees. I was glad. But I was worried because she informed me that war is happening. Israel attack and bomb Gaza, ruining a building behind her house. I asked her to escape, but she said the bomb already stopped. I can pray to Allah to protect her, her family, and all the good people in Palestine.

I faced so many trials in life that I thought I could not reach my dream. But if I see my roommate Kawther, my trials are nothing compares to her. She survived the virus only to face another danger, but she keeps courageous. I'm ashamed of myself; I'm nothing to complain about. 

May Allah protect us from everything that seized our dreams, especially our mental weakness and fears. []

*Elie Molly, author of the book "Dare To Dream."

to contact the author and know more about her books, visit: https://eliemolly.wixsite.com/website