Prelude

These are such difficult times, even recording them becomes difficult.

On April 8, Wuhan entered a new day. It is now April 11 3:28 am, the fourth day after the city reopened. Since the new year, four months ago,life became extremely hard. I was hesitant, wondering whether I should record this special period. Even if I wanted to, I was not sure whether I would continue until the end or stop after a few lines.

The reason for being hesitant was because recording in Wuhan during lockdown was a huge and complicated task. Maybe by the time of finishing this draft, the fight against the pandemic is not yet over.However, as someone who experienced it firsthand in Wuhan, shouldn't I record this special time? Life is full of risks, staying in Wuhan was a decision with huge risks.

In the summer of 2015, I left my country Lebanon, determined to come to a city I even didn't know how to pronounce to start my PhD studies. But now, under the epidemic, most of the people in the world learnt the right pronunciation of “Wuhan”. The world needs to know the truth about this city.

At the moment, tranquil atmosphere surrounds me. Surrounded by Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, I asked myself again, what should I write? It is about personal experience or the experience of Wuhan citizens, or thoughts about human civilization? I looked at the word count at the bottom of the homepage, can't help laughing. I have already started writing during my hesitation. The word count is increasing during my typing, as if someone tells me, come on, continue to write. This time, I will not hesitate. Now, let me tell you my Wuhan story.