Special Director of the Nursing Home

Name: Anaxi

Chinese name: Anaxi阿娜西

Age: 35 years old

Nationality: Latvian

Occupation: Director of Shanghai Haiyang Jiufeng Nursing Home

In China: 16 years

Today is a special day because it’s my birthday (22nd June), but I can’t and don’t want to celebrate. I received some very sad news last week — my university tutor died suddenly and I am attending his memorial service today.

Perhaps I am in the best state to write my story today. Because my upbringing, my values, etc. all come from my family and my university teachers. The things I have experienced and my family have made me the person who I am today.

Today is my 35th birthday, and I am currently the director of a nursing home.

I come from Latvia, a very small country in the north-east of Europe. My parents are Russian and Latvian. Our family is a mixture of many different European origins and my people are from all over the world ... That’s why after high school I decided to study a rather ‘special’ subject: Sinology, Chinese Studies. Why did I choose this major? Because at that time I knew very little about China, only that it was a big country, a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country, and I had a big dreams over going to China to explore its history and culture. So I decided to study Sinology at the University of Latvia, and to my surprise I passed my exams with flying colours, and gained a scholarship.

Sinology is actually a subject that encompasses various fields such as Chinese history, geography, politics, society and language. At the end of my freshman year, I was recommended by the university for a scholarship from the Chinese government and was offered an exchange student position at Fudan University in Shanghai. At that time, at the age of 19, I left my parents for thefirst time.

During my first week in Shanghai, I met many kind teachers and schoolmates. They helped me to adapt to the new environment and surroundings, but more importantly, they helped me with all of the complicated admission procedures. I have since been volunteering to help the new international students, helping them with various problems, showing them the life and rules of the school, and showing them around the beautiful city of Shanghai.

In fact, when I came to China I planned to study for a year and then return to Latvia, but I became fascinated by beautiful Shanghai and the rapidly developing country that is China. I figured out that if I returned home, I would only be able to reminisce about my past in China and that touching modern China should be experienced and studied locally. Therefore, I decided to apply for the law course at Fudan University. The teachers at Fudan University’s International Students Office and my respected tutor Yao Rongtao gave me a great deal of support. I successfully completed my undergraduate and master’s degree in law (majoring in environmental and resource protection law), and was recommended by my teachers and received various scholarships and honours during this period.

I have lived in China for more than ten years since I started my studies and worked after graduation. During my undergraduate and postgraduate studies, I could not have applied for scholarships and had various opportunities to present myself without Mr. Yao’s recommendation. Firstly, it was because of him that I chose to study law. At that time, I had dinner with my classmates from the Fudan Law Department. During the meal, I was very interested in the topics that Mr. Yao and the students discussed, and I was impressed by the fact that their values were closer to mine. After I got into the law department, Mr.Yao taught me professional Chinese. He was also the tutor for the international students and was responsible for the progress of the studies and extracurricular activities. He often took us to enjoy ancient Chinese cities and told stories about their ancient ancestors, teaching us not only professional knowledge but also how to behave and plan our careers accordingly. He was a very low-key academic tutor and a ‘valuable person’ in my life.

These are the experiences that have made me who I am today. Now I would like to introduce my work.

Haiyang Jiufeng Nursing Home is a nursing home located in Liantang,Qingpu District, Shanghai — I am the first ‘foreign director’ in China.

In fact, when I applied for the job, my position was assistant to the chairman. But not long after I joined the company, I was assigned to be the director of Jiufeng Nursing Home. I had mixed feelings and was a bit nervous,but I liked the challenge! I quickly passed my exams to obtain the relevant certificates and got into the state of being a director.

We look after more than 220 elderly people, most of whom are over 80 years old, with the oldest currently being a 99-year-old granny. Despite their age, they are still in good health! We often organise activities such as crafts,singing and rehabilitation exercises, and the nursing home is full of positive energy. Whenever journalists come to visit and interview us, they say that it doesn’t look like a nursing home because our elderly people here are so happy!

In fact, our elderly people here worked very hard when they were young and many of them have not received much education, and now they should enjoy the fruits of their labour. Our team’s goal is to let them enjoy their later years. For example, there is an old lady who lost her husband when she was young and brought up four children on her own. I know her two sons who are particularly filial and often communicate with me about their mother’s life and health. But there are also a handful of unhappy elderly people whose families rarely visit them. Such elderly people are more lacking in love and security,so we care more about them and let them adapt to the Jiufeng family and let them feel our warmth, through psychological guidance, games and recreational activities.

Finally, I would like to share my feelings and my beliefs.

I manage more than 50 employees. The company has given me a lot of support and trust in managing them, but I have my own tips.

● Understand each employee’s responsibilities, daily work content and schedule, and address difficult points in a timely manner.

● Talk to staff as equals.

● Let the staff get a sense of achievement and happiness from their work.

Our nursing workers work very hard, but they love to take the elderly to play games and sing with them; the security guards also watch over the elderly like family members; and our colleagues in the office go to the living area to chat with them and organise recreational activities during their breaks. As a member of this big family, I am very proud of them, my babies are great!

During the Covid-19, the nursing home was under fully-closed management, family members were not allowed to visit and the elderly were not allowed to go out, and centralised meals were replaced by scattered meals in their rooms. With no family visits and many activities cancelled, how could we enrich the lives of the elderly? I decided to be innovative and grow vegetables in the open space in the courtyard, involving all the staff, which would not only improve the food in the home but also strengthen our team bond. The elderly see what vegetables we plant and usually advise us on what is appropriate for the upcoming season — they are experts in this field. The products on the land is getting richer by the day, with loofahs, tomatoes, pumpkins and beans all being picked fresh and brought to the table with the advice of the elderly.When I came to work in Liantang, I also learnt about the Jiaobai Festival.

What I want to say is: I hope more young people will take the time to contact the elderly, communicate with them often, and say ‘I miss you’ to their grandparents!

I would also suggest that people go to a nursing home on weekends to spend time with the elderly or simply talk to them. This will not only give the elderly the courage and motivation to live optimistically, but they will also experience inner peace and tranquillity and find new joy in their own way!

My goal is to improve the lives of the elderly, and I hope to have the opportunity to be involved in the improvement of elderly policies and other work in the future, to be an expert in elderly care, and to have the opportunity to partake in work related with international organisations. I am currently already working with the Red Cross Society of China.