The lockdown, with no end in sight, continues but it enriches our sojourn here in China and teaches us something that we might never have learned in the lecture hall: how to sacrifice one’s own liberty in order to care about the safety and health of those around us, writes Wesley Seale.

May 5 marked 100 days since we have been in lockdown. Beijing is buzzing but not on full steam.

Our conditions have eased somewhat. We have all been centralized to one campus and are in more contact with each other, as students. Axolile, a fellow South African from Johannesburg, also now stays in the same building, as I do.

Moleane, who we haven’t seen since last year, also lives on the same campus. Yet he was stuck on the east campus, where we are all now housed, while we were on the west campus. Mo is from the Free State. We bump into each other when getting food.

While the conditions remain strict, we are unofficially allowed to meet. An instruction from the Chinese Ministry of Education, we may not leave campus while ordinary Chinese, we are told, must continue to seek permission whenever they wish to leave their homes.

There is a bit of consternation among students about meeting compatriots in other parts of Beijing. I text a friend, whom I had not heard from for days: “are you still ok?” He replies: “I’m not. It’s becoming too much.” I suggest he takes it easy and just keeps active.

Axolile agrees to cook. Our sisters from Samoa, Guinea Bissau and Zimbabwe joins us. Mo cannot come because unfortunately access control between buildings remain tight.

Axolile has prepared a beef stew, rice and an egg and mayo salad. The first home cooked meal in twelve weeks is welcomed but even more so is the company.

Our eating is interspersed with translations. Our sister from Guinea Bissau speaks only Portuguese and Chinese, besides her mother tongue. Our sister from Samoa, Susan, has to translate for us.

At the end of our meal, Axolile takes the opportunity to complete her hair. With the relaxing of conditions, she has grabbed the opportunity to put in braids. Juliana, our sister from Guinea Bissau, is the one tasked with the onerous job of planting the hair and then platting.

The hair was ordered on Taobao, the Chinese delivery service on which one can purchase almost anything under the sun. I take the opportunity to ask them to assist me in ordering floss for my teeth, earphones, cheese and, my much missed, peanut butter.

A bit pricey these four items come to about three hundred Rands. Predictably, the blue-tooth earphones cost the most. Yet these basic items have now become luxuries.

The conditions in which we now live are maybe not as comfortable as the previous building. The other building had bedrooms with en-suite and western or high toilets. In this building, we have to share communal bathrooms, very little hot water and one has to squat to use the eastern toilets.

The rooms are smaller and meant for two occupants but with the practice of social distancing, we are fortunate to be enjoying our own rooms. As we are in the heart of spring, the central heating system has been switched off and at times the buildings can feel a bit cold.

Yet these are small sacrifices to be made for the much treasured opportunity of once again being able to be with others.

When we decided to come and study in China, most of us knew that we would be embarking on a cultural, educational and civil journey as well. We are fortunate to have experienced this lockdown under the care and extreme caution that our Chinese universities have implemented.

News24.com | OPINION: Sacrificing one’s liberty in order to care about the safety of others

OPINION: Sacrificing one’s liberty in order to care about the safety of others