Rizka uses chopsticks.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Rizka is a positive young woman from Indonesia. She is not only an overseas student at Shanghai Ocean University and but also my best friend. I always model myself on her.

It was during a physical fitness test that she impressed me and put me to shame. Her charitable act moved everyone around her. When I finished my last item of the test, a 1,000-meter-race, I saw that the cheeks of the young man in the lead were abnormally red. ”What’s the matter with you?” I asked. He said he felt ill and had to go to the infirmary. I offered to accompany him to see the doctor but he declined, simply asking me to bring back his bag. We didn’t know until later that Rizka helped him, when the sick man’s mother came to thank Rizka for her aid. People present were touched. The sick student was unlucky in that he had a congenital heart disease. No wonder Rizka was absent all day long, she stayed with the sick man on the way from the infirmary to the hospital and during the treatment. Even though Rizka was not fluent in Mandarin, she accompanied him on her own to see the doctor.

When the sick student declined my offer to accompany him to the infirmary, I doubted there was privacy, leaving without more thought.  However, what Rizka did guaranteed the sick man’s safety. How sophisticated and helpful she was! She has been teaching me with her actions how to care for others. It was the student’s fault to hide his health condition from the school and take the test. What’s worse, the sick student has a bad habit of drinking. He would beg others to buy alcohol for him when ill and he craved alcohol for his addiction. I have never approved and it is understood that Rizka has warned all of his friends not to let him drink.

Rizka has been in China for one and a half years. Whenever she comes back from Indonesia, she will bring us some gifts from her country (e.g. Indonesian ebony sculpture and Kopi Luwak). She has a nice voice and happily entertains us with pretty songs. A warm and friendly smile can been seen on her face all the time. As we all know, chopsticks are not the tool for Indonesians to eat with. In the beginning, Rizka practiced using chopsticks to eat food. When we said she was all thumbs as a joke, she understood it and smiled. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” she said. It’s hard to make a joke of her eating now because she is used to handling chopsticks.

Rizka is also active in learning Chinese and often helps us with our English. She is a person accustomed to moving obstacles like small stones in the roadway and giving up seats to passengers in need. We all believe she is a Good Samaritan. We usually play badminton together and she loves sports as well. I am grateful for her help. She doesn’t mind sacrificing her time for others. This may be why we want to be her friend and view her as our role model. It is common and interesting that students from different countries around me prefer to use the language which is not their mother tongue. They hope to improve their foreign language by communication and the most likely outcome is Rizka gives way on the choice.

Rizka sets an example for us. She is generous, selfless and willing to help others. Where there is a positive man, there is positive energy. Rizka is such a person. She always has a positive attitude towards life. Her charitable acts are continuous and moving.