On the eve of the Chinese New Year, I was back home in Egypt, looking at my phone and thinking of what to post on my WeChat moments to greet my Chinese friends for the coming festival. What a strange holiday. Many, mostly hospital staff, had been called back to duty because of an unknown virus. At the time my information about China was largely from WeChat and WeChat groups, and I couldn’t understand how serious it was.

A few days later it became clear: there was an epidemic and all the news outlets were talking about it. As my family sat there watching it unfold on TV, I could see how worried they were. My mom asked me, “will you go back?” I just paused for a moment and replied, “I have no idea.”

Then I started to follow the latest developments more carefully to learn more about the situation, reading every piece of useful message in all the WeChat groups I joined and trying to decide whether to return to China based on official and authoritative information. A lot was uncertain at that time, but I had always remained hopeful, particularly on that day when I saw the hospital in Wuhan built in just a few days. “Wow, the Chinese people are just amazing, and I think they can beat the virus”, my younger brother was simply awestruck.

All over China, effective control measures had been implemented and Tongxiang city was also doing a great job in protecting everyone. I quietly made up my mind to come back and continue my life and work in Tongxiang city, Zhejiang province. But with the disruption of international transportation, I simply was unsure when. Everything was a bit chaotic then and my flight had been changed and cancelled for quite a few times. Luckily, I was finally able to secure a ticket and hopped onto a reopened flight.

Once I told my Chinese friends that I was coming back, apart from sending well wishes, most of them asked me to help buy masks, which was in short supply. In total, I bought almost 1,000 masks, all stuffed into a bag that normally carried snacks or gifts.

The airport was not crowded as usual, and I sat in the corner far away from everyone until the check-in. When I went to the check-in desk, the employee asked me: “Are you going to China now? Are you sure?” “Of course,” I said. Then he took my passport and went to his supervisor. “Going to china, is it allowed?” (the employee) “Does he have a visa?” (the supervisor). Then, “Let him go,” I heard the supervisor say, after he checked my passport and visa. I took my boarding pass and walked slowly to my gate, fully confident that I made the right decision.

After almost a full day’s travel with the mask not leaving my face, I arrived home in Tongxiang and started my mandatory quarantine.

I felt very safe, and it seemed I was still with my family. In the morning I worked from home, following up on customers’ emails and communicating with my colleagues. In the afternoon I did some exercise or read books. Every night, I would have a video call with my family to assure them that I was fine and everything was going well.

During my free time in quarantine, I also had more time to reflect on my life in China.

I came to Tongxiang in 2012. Since then, I have been working here in different industries as an engineer and later as a sales manager. As Tongxiang is a relatively small city with not many foreigners, it was not easy at first to get accustomed to it. But with its rapid development, and as I get to know the city better, I’ve gradually fallen in love with the place. Indeed, new industrial and commercial projects are being implemented and planned every year and more enterprises are being attracted to Tongxiang. A brighter future beckons.

I have always seen great potential in Tongxiang. For one thing, life is more relaxed here than those big cities like Shanghai or Hangzhou; but at the same time Tongxiang is endowed with a strong industrial base and a great location. Over the years, some friends suggested that I move to a bigger city for a higher income or to a place with more foreigners, but I have decided to build my career and my life in Tongxiang—if only because it is now my home in China.

Mostafa Mourad is a mechatronics engineer from Alexandria, Egypt. He has worked in engineering and sales in Tongxiang for nine years and is currently working as an account manager in Zhejiang Namag Equipment Manufacturing Ltd.