Policewoman shares Haiti experience with students
Zhang Wei was warmly welcomed by her Hubei University alma mater on Dec 27, last year. The 26-year-old policewoman was there to address the students about her experiences as a member of the peacemaking police force in Haiti.
Zhang was no different from the other girls majoring in English when she studied at the university four years ago. She passed the Grade Eight Test for English Majors during her third year, and also won an award at a provincial interpretation competition.
She was a leading member of the campus dancing team and participated in various performances.
"She was the one on campus that could be spotted in a crowd," a classmate of Zhang and now a teacher at the university, Hu Xiaoyan, said.
"We all thought that a girl like her would work for a transnational company, but to our great surprise, she joined the police," Hu said.
To her classmate's even greater surprise, Zhang became a member of China's 5th peacemaking police troop in Haiti and was praised by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for her zero-error performance.
Zhang, born in Xiangfan, Hubei province, finished her eight-month tour of duty in Haiti on Dec 15. The university invited her to address the students on learning of her return home on vacation. And, Zhang was only too happy to oblige.
She admitted she was a bit scared to shoot for the first time and felt lonely sometimes because of the monotonous life in the frontier inspection station in Shunde, Guangdong province.
Zhang, however, is the type of person who adapts quickly to difficult situations. She was chosen as one of 125 elites for the riot police in Haiti out of more than 20,000 competitors.
Setting foot in an unfamiliar country, Zhang knew her job as a peacemaker was important and significant. She worked as a duty officer supervising and examining the implementation of regulations and orders, as well as translating all kinds of documents and letters.
Even a little mistake could have posed danger to the actions of the police. Zhang also took it upon herself to learn the local culture, and improve work efficiency.
During her eight- month's stay, no error ever appeared in the hundreds of e-mails and letters she dealt with. She was awarded a peace medal by the UN and a merit citation class II by the Ministry of Public Security.
Besides her excellent performance, she also played the role of a Chinese cultural ambassador. She taught the local children the song I love Beijing Tian'an Men; and gave lectures about Chinese culture.
Zhang said: "I really feel proud to be a Chinese." She said it was a precious experience to work as a peacemaker.
"And what I want to say most of all is that we Chinese young people should cherish the peaceful environment we are enjoying, learn to improve ourselves, and make contributions to our country as well as the world."
China Daily
(China Daily 01/23/2008 page6)
