Hearts reunited under fullmoon: SISU holds 2020 welcome reception for int'l faculty
over30 international faculty members at Shanghai International StudiesUniversity (SISU) gathered together at SISU's newly renovatedbookstore on Monday to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and theirhard-won reunion.
The2020 welcome reception, which summarized work of last semester andrecalled future contribution based on intercultural understanding, isa memorable event amid global pandemic.
LiYansong, SISU's president, started the reception by extending hiswarm regards and sincere thanks to all the international facultymembers, whether they were present, in quarantine or still in theirown countries, for their hard work and selfless contribution to SISUduring the pandemic.
Hesaid, "the wide spread of COVID-19 has brought global challengesand made us realize the importance of international cooperation."
Hehoped that the international faculty, as an essential part SISUcommunity, can use their professional knowledge to promote mutualunderstanding between China and the rest of the world.
Onbehalf of the newly recruited faculty members, Benjamin Hisung Nam,from the United States, shared his feelings of his first arrival atSISU. Claudio Senni, an Italian scholar, shared his experience ofovercoming time difference and completing teaching tasks remotelylast semester. With the help of other teachers, he soon masteredonline teaching platforms including ClassIn and Blackboard, whichenabled him to interact smoothly with the students online.
OuraiaKatavouta, a Greek expert who has stayed in China since the outbreakof the pandemic, shared her anti-pandemic stories. She said it is thedecisive, elaborate protection and control measures of the Chinesegovernment and SISU's humanistic care that strengthened her faith offighting against the pandemic.
Shesaid, "in the face of such massive pandemic, every individual isvulnerable, but the strength of a community is infinite."
Theirspeeches sparked widespread resonance in the audience.
Enjoyingthe moon cakes and traditional Chinese cuisines, the internationalfaculty shared the joy of reunion after a long time of parting andtheir expectations for the new semester.