Hua Yuchen, a music teacher at a primary school in Wuhan, immediately registered when she saw a notice on the WeChat social media platform seeking to recruit volunteers on Jan 23, the day the city government announced the lockdown of the city.

"The notice said volunteers with certain skills were preferred, such as cooking and driving," she said. "I have a car and always drive to work, so I joined."

Back then, Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, was witnessing a rapid increase in the number of virus patients. The city lockdown was imposed just two days before the Spring Festival in an effort to contain the virus within the largest city in Central China, which has a population of more than 11 million.

"At first, I had no idea of what work I was going to do," said Hua, who teaches at Ganghua Primary School in the city's Qingshan district. "But as a Wuhan native, I knew I must do something for my hometown, even though I am just an ordinary person and cannot rescue patients as doctors do."

Following the lockdown, all public transportation in the city was canceled, so many doctors and nurses who usually commuted by bus or subway had to walk to work in the beginning, Hua said. One of the first volunteers following the outbreak, she became a volunteer driver, shuttling medical workers between their homes and hospitals.

Over the past month, Hua has also kept herself busy with different assignments, including helping to load various materials from trucks sent from outside Wuhan, standing at highway exits to test drivers' temperatures, and broadcasting news to novel coronavirus pneumonia patients via the intercom at a temporary hospital.

"I feel lucky that I chose to volunteer during this very unusual period," she said. "If I hadn't been, I may have been like some of my friends, who have been obsessed with sorrow, helplessness and anxiety. But now I am happy, and every day I am obsessed with finding out where I am most wanted."

Future expectations

What I hope for most is to see the epidemic end as soon as possible so patients can reunite with their families. I hope to see the medics return home safely.

As a volunteer I hope all volunteers can remain safe and that we can take off masks after the epidemic is over, so we can have a chance to know each other in another way and hug each other.

As a teacher, I am waiting for the school to open again. I miss my students and their smiling faces.

As for myself, I want to go shopping with my best friends. The most important thing is for us to be able to go outside and enjoy the air and sunshine freely.

Last, I hope those who have come from outside Wuhan to help the city fight the outbreak will come back again after it's over, and we will show you around, so you can see the city in a way that you may not have had the chance to before. The people of Wuhan will always remember you and thank you.