王曉東
我叫王曉東(Vasilii Moshchelkov),來自俄羅斯,是浙江大學光華法學院2017級學生,現(xiàn)在攻讀中國法方向博士學位,師從錢弘道教授。在中國讀書的經(jīng)歷大大改變了我的生活。中國朋友們幫助了我很多,我也想把我的感謝表達在一點一滴的行動之中。
我熱衷于參加公益活動,加入了杭州清河坊社區(qū)“young志愿服務隊”,也經(jīng)常參與公民警校國際驛站的活動。來中國9年,我獻了9次血。志愿者活動讓我找到了一種歸屬感,既給了我表達感謝的機會,也使我更好地融入杭州這座城市中。
疫情期間,我正好在律所實習,正在幫助華僑公益基金會尋找口罩的張巍律師,邀請我?guī)兔β?lián)系俄羅斯的口罩公司,我欣然答應了。在尋找口罩的團隊中,我負責聯(lián)系工廠,與經(jīng)理談價格,解決法律問題。這個看似簡單的過程,卻有著極大的工作量。為了盡快籌集到口罩,我將生產(chǎn)口罩的公司一一找出,按照時區(qū)進行分類,從與北京時間時差最小的公司開始依次聯(lián)系。還有一些皮包公司混雜其中,我需要仔細地檢查質(zhì)量證明書,以剔除一些騙子公司。因為時差,我需要從當天下午開始跟俄羅斯的公司聯(lián)絡,直至第二天凌晨兩三點鐘,甚至是四點,然后在早晨八點左右將收集起來的信息和中國的團隊進行交流,一天的睡眠時間常常只有四個小時。
當然,我一個人的力量是有限的,我們的團隊還有很多人負責物流、清關(guān)等工作。在大家的努力下,我們聯(lián)系到了俄羅斯、泰國、哈薩克斯坦、白俄羅斯、烏克蘭以及美國的近四十家口罩公司,為基金會籌集的口罩數(shù)以百萬計。在浙大學習的這段經(jīng)歷,讓我能夠把中國法和國際法的知識運用到幫助他人的行動之中,這讓我覺得頗有成就感。
志愿服務帶來的收獲是巨大的。和陌生人交流的恐懼感消失了,我越發(fā)覺得自己更加融入杭州了。它也給了我許多契機去接觸形形色色的中國朋友,在其中我發(fā)現(xiàn)了一條練習中文的捷徑。對我這個“老外”來說,語言一直是個邁不過去的坎。雖然來杭州學了一年的漢語,但流利的表達不是一朝一夕就能練成的。除去給予他人力所能及的幫助之外,志愿服務對我來說更是一堂堂聽力課、口語課和文化課。在和中國朋友們的交流中,我學到了很多。
中國朋友們的回饋也頗令我感動。記得有一年的國慶節(jié),我在湖濱步行街做志愿者,需要和其他志愿者組成斑馬線上的“人墻”,幫助人們順利安全地過馬路,有一個小朋友給我塞了一面國旗,還對我說:“叔叔國慶節(jié)快樂,送給你!”還有不少的行人紛紛停下向我們表示感謝。一句句“謝謝”如暖流滋潤我的心田,我覺得我的心和杭州這座城市更近了。
在中國,我的生活便利、充實、快樂,這里是我牽掛的地方,我也想盡我的綿薄之力幫助所身處的這個社會。雖然志愿活動常常需要投入大量心力和精力,但我覺得這是值得的。中國人遇到的麻煩就是我的麻煩,中國人遇到的困難就是我的困難。
至于畢業(yè)之后的規(guī)劃,我也有了明確的目標:繼續(xù)留在風景如畫的杭州。為了實現(xiàn)這個目標,我還有很多事情要做:寫論文、學習中文、在律所實習、閱讀專業(yè)書籍…… 我把接下來的寒假安排得滿滿當當,甚至沒給自己留出回家的時間。我認為中國現(xiàn)在是世界上發(fā)展最快的國家,無論是在實踐領(lǐng)域還是在研究方面,中國都積累了關(guān)于國際法的豐富經(jīng)驗。在法學院學習期間,我逐漸了解到這一領(lǐng)域的工作在中國是如何開展的,并且對俄羅斯和中國兩種法律體系之間的差異有了更深刻的理解。奉獻社會終歸是需要依靠知識來充實自己的力量,在勤勉耕耘、日積月累之后,我終會將所學的法律知識運用于實踐。
愛國,不光是熱愛自己的祖國,熱愛自己所生活的國家也是愛國。我早已將中國作為自己的第二故鄉(xiāng),希望中國的未來之路上也會有我的足跡。
A Russian Volunteer in Hangzhou
By ?Vasilii Moshchelkov
I came to Hangzhou to learn Chinese for a year. However, I was fortunate to go to law school to study for a master’s degree in Chinese law, which has definitely changed my life. All I can say is that my life after coming to China and attending one of its prestigious universities was quite different from before. China is now the fastest-growing country in the world. Whether in economics or in political and legal research, China has accumulated a wealth of experience in international law relations. During my studies in law school, I have gradually learned to carry out work in this field in China, and gained a deeper understanding of the differences between the Russian and the Chinese legal systems.
Truth be told, at the beginning, I found it quite difficult to learn Chinese. While looking for various ways to speed up my Chinese learning, I struck lucky again. For starters, I have always been a keen participant in public welfare activities. In fact, I have already donated blood nine times since arriving in China nine years ago. When in Hangzhou, I joined the Citizen Police Academy International Station organized by Hangzhou Public Security Bureau, and I’m proud to say that I’m a member of the “young volunteer service team” at Hangzhou’s Qinghefang community as well.
It is during volunteering that I found my Chinese significantly improved. The reason why it is one of the best ways to practice Chinese or any other foreign language for that matter is that the fear of communicating with strangers quickly disappears as you try to do your best to help others. Besides, as I found out in Hangzhou, it also proved to be a good opportunity to fast adapt to the local society.
When COVID-19 broke out in early 2020, I was studying Chinese law and international law at Zhejiang University, one of China’s best. I also happened to be on an internship at a local law firm, where a lawyer named Zhang Wei was helping out the Overseas Chinese Charity Foundation seeking masks. He asked me to contact Russian mask companies. I readily agreed.
For me, as a foreigner living in China, I always see the troubles the Chinese people encounter as my troubles, and the difficulties the Chinese people face as my difficulties. China has provided us with a lot of help and convenience, and naturally I want to help the Chinese. Indeed, when I saw the severity of the epidemic and the strength of the Chinese people in dealing with the challenge, I just felt I could not stand by and looked for any opportunity to help others.
In fact, I was only one member of a team looking for masks. I was put in charge of contacting factories, negotiating prices with the managers, and resolving legal issues. In order to raise the masks as soon as possible, I needed to identify companies that produced masks one by one, sort them by time zone, and contact the companies closest to China one by one. Some fake companies were mixed in, and I needed to carefully check the quality certificate to eliminate these fraudulent companies.
This seemingly simple process entailed a huge workload. At four o'clock in the morning, when people were sound asleep, everything was still immersed in the thick of the night, and a lone street lamp was shining stubbornly nearby, I was still working nervously in my room. Because of the time difference, I had to contact the Russian company from the afternoon until two or three o’clock in the morning, or even four o’clock, and then communicate the collected information with the Chinese team at about eight am. Often there were only four hours left for me to sleep.
Fortunately, I wasn’t alone. Thanks to the hard work of the whole team, with some responsible for logistics and some for customs clearance, among other responsibilities, we succeeded in locating quite a number of mask-producing companies and factories. In addition to Russia, nearly forty mask companies in Thailand, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine and the United States were contacted, and millions of masks were raised for the foundation.
When the virus was contained and life returned to normal, I went back to my regular volunteer work — a traffic assistant — in the Qinghefang community again. At one o’clock in the afternoon, I appear at the green guard box in Qinghefang community and around six o’clock in the afternoon take the last bus back to my place. The roundtrip takes more than two hours.
As to the future, I hope to stay in Hangzhou, a most picturesque city, after graduation. To achieve this goal, I still have a lot to do. For the next winter holiday, I plan to stay in China, as there is no time for me to return to Russia and rest! Working my doctoral thesis, studying Chinese, practicing in a law firm, reading professional books …
Indeed, I have long regarded China as my second hometown. For me, to be patriotic is not only to love one’s birth country but also to love the country in which one lives.
Vasilii Moshchelkov is a Russian student currently studying at the Guanghua Law School of Zhejiang University, pursuing a doctorate degree in Chinese law under the tutelage of Professor Qian Hongdao.