If you ever took Wuhan metro at Xunlimen Station on February 25th, 2015, you might have been attracted by a special group of foreign volunteers in red hats and jackets. Speaking fluent Chinese, this group of volunteers from 10 different countries, Malaysia, Jordan, Morocco and others, were offering great help by pointing directions to passengers. Their passion and dedication lit up the whole railway station in this cold weather. Lucas Sena Zuza, a Brazilian student from Science beyond Boarders Program, currently studying in Huazhong University of Science and Technology was one of them.
Lucas in the middle. Photo provided by Wuhan Morning News
The Boy Next Door
Because of Science beyond Boarders Program, Lucas Sena Zuza came to Wuhan, China, to study in 2012, and he is majoring in Computer Science and Technology in our university. Although he has studied Chinese language for only less than 2 years, his fluent Chinese enables him to communicate easily with his Chinese friends.
With a shy and sincere smile on his face, and brimming with vigor and vitality of his body, Lucas can easily impress you with his earnest, modesty, and energy. The first time you meet him, you will be attracted by his friendliness and genuineness，and cannot wait to make friends with him. As a matter of fact, Lucas, the easy-going boy next door, has acquired long-term friendship since the first day he came to China. Some of them were met during travels, and some of them were acquainted by means of social networks who share the same hobbies with him. Lucas’s life in China has been greatly enriched by making friends and he constantly got invited to explore the vastness and beautiful scenic spots of China with his Chinese friends, during which his oral Chinese has been greatly enhanced.
A Dedicated and Enthusiast Volunteer
Despite his busy schedules, Lucas manages to find a perfect balance between studies and after-class activities, and he can always squeeze time to participate in all kinds of voluntary services.
On February 25th, he volunteered at Xunlimen metro station in Wuhan with some other international students. “My job was to direct ways for passengers. I could understand most of their talking, and if I could not understand, I would turn to the staff for help.” he said humbly. When asked about his feelings towards this activity, he answered with a slight of shyness and said: “It was really a pleasant experience. We said ‘Happy New Year’ to people walking by, and they replied the same to us. It was quite tiring standing up all day in the cold weather, but we were serving people, and serving people itself was meaningful. When they were happy, we felt happy too! There are more and more volunteer activities in Wuhan recently, and I believe it is good for foreigners to join in. I will continue participating volunteer services if there is any chance available.”
As a matter of fact, this was not the first time for Lucas to volunteer in Wuhan. In the last semester, he joined SICA in its Teacher Supports of International Students Program twice to teach local primary school kids English. In January this year, he went to another primary school at Xinzhou District of Wuhan, to introduce his home country Brazil to local primary kids. “Chinese kids are very cute, and full of curiosities. I really love them. He was also keen on voluntary work back in Brazil. He used to teach math, geography and history to the kids in his same neighborhood and teach old people how to use computer.
Our interview day happened to be March 5th, the Lei Feng’s Day in China which is to honor the Chinese hero Lei Feng who is known for serving and helping people in China. Lucas told us that he used to see Lei Feng’s pictures on the streets and he read a lot of his stories later on. He admired this man very much, and wanted to become a meaningful man serving the whole society.
The Brazilian Boy’s China Dream
Having been studied in China for almost two years, Lucas has been to many cities such as Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, etc. He expressed his love to this country that, “Before I came to China, I never thought it could be this modernly developed! People here are so friendly, and Chinese food is so tasty. I really enjoyed hot dry noodles, the most typical local food in Wuhan.” When it came to his future plan after the exchange study, he said “I will apply to study for my master degree here in HUST, and I am looking forward to a promising future in China after graduation.”
During the end of the interview, Lucas, this sunshine Brazilian boy is still carrying his typical shy and sincere smile on his face.
2015年2月25日在循礼门地铁站，一群头戴红帽、身着红马甲的特别志愿者吸引了过往的乘客。这个特别的志愿者团队由来自马来西亚、约旦、摩洛哥等10个不同国家的留学生组成。在人潮涌动的地铁站里，他们用流利的汉语热情地向中国乘客问好，并提供问询指路的服务。而正在我校就读的来自“巴西科学无国界”项目的学生卢卡斯便是其中一员。
邻家大男孩
卢卡斯2012年随“巴西科学无国界”项目来到中国武汉读书，现就读于我校计算机科学与技术专业。虽然学习汉语还不到两年，但是他已经能用流利的普通话与中国朋友们自如交流。
脸上带着腼腆而真诚的微笑，全身焕发着生机与活力，初次与卢卡斯见面，你一定会被他的真诚、质朴和活力深深吸引，并迫不及待地想和他成为朋友。事实上，自从来到中国的第一天，性格随和的卢卡斯已结交了不少中国友人，有些是在旅途中偶遇的陌生人，有些是通过社交网络结识的登山爱好者。卢卡斯在中国的生活也因朋友而变得丰富多彩，他甚至时常受邀，和中国朋友一起旅行，去探索中国各地的名胜古迹，而他的汉语也在与中国朋友的频繁交流中日益增进。
志愿服务爱好者
尽管学业繁忙，卢卡斯还是能在学习和课外活动之间找到较好的平衡点，并总能挤出时间参加各种志愿者活动。
2月25日，他和一群留学生来到了循礼门地铁站做志愿者。“我的工作就是为乘客们指路。大多数情况下我都能听得懂，并且正确指路；如果遇到听不懂的，我就会向地铁工作人员求助。”他谦虚地说。当被问到他对这次志愿者经历的感受时，卢卡斯面带腼腆又真诚的微笑说：“这真的是一次很开心的经历。我们向乘客们说‘新年快乐’，他们也很高兴地回答我们。那天的天气有点儿冷，我们时刻努力工作，虽然有点辛苦，但是我们知道为人民服务很有意义。当我们看到乘客们开心时，我们也会更加高兴。类似的志愿者活动在武汉越来越多，我觉得外国人能加入其中真的很棒。只要有机会，我以后还会继续参加。”
事实上，这已不是卢卡斯第一次参加志愿者活动。上学期，他还两次了参加由SICA组织的“留学生走进中小学”活动，去光谷八小教小学生英语。今年一月份，他还应邀去新洲区的一所小学和孩子们聊天，向孩子们介绍自己的国家巴西“中国的小孩儿很乖很听话，但也充满了好奇心和求知欲，我很喜欢他们！”在巴西，他也非常热衷于志愿者服务。他曾在自己所住的社区给孩子们辅导数学、地理、历史等科目，还发挥自己计算机专业优势，教当地老人使用电脑。
采访卢卡斯的当天恰巧是中国的“雷锋日”。他告诉记者，自己经常在街上看到雷锋的照片，后来又读了很多雷锋的故事，非常敬佩雷锋为人民无私奉献的精神，他希望自己也能像雷锋一样，成为一个对全社会有益的人。
巴西小伙的中国梦
卢卡斯已经在中国生活了近两年，游历了北京，深圳，广州等许多城市。他强烈地表达了对中国的热爱，“来中国之前，我没想到中国已经发展得这么好！这里的人民都很热情友好。中国菜也非常美味，我很喜欢武汉的热干面！”当被问到交换学习结束后的计划时，卢卡斯说，“我会申请到华中科技大学继续攻读研究生，希望将来能有机会留在中国发展。”
采访结束之时，卢卡斯的脸上依旧带着他标志性的腼腆而真诚的微笑。
