CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- November 12 was an ordinary winter day, but it was a special day for Chen Yan, a girl from Chongqing, China, because she received an express delivery from Guangzhou for a camera she lost in Ethiopia two years ago.
What’s behind a camera across the sea is a destined fate, and a warm trust.

Chen Yan is a girl who was born in 1989 and loves traveling. She used to be a freelance designer. With the support of her family, she has been to more than ten countries in Africa.

Chen Yan loves coffee and has long dreamed about Ethiopia. On January 20, 2020, after completing a mission, Chen Yan took a flight to Africa with her friend, taking the camera with her to travel all the country.

From north to south of Ethiopia, Chen Yan took more than 3,000 photos. She was particularly impressed by the unabashed warmth of the locals towards Chinese.

“A lot oflocal infrastructure there was built with the assistance from China. When I met adults and children along the way, they all gave a thumbs-up when they found out I was a Chinese.” Chen Yan’s sense of pride arose spontaneously. Whenever I turned from rough roads to flat ones, I could always hear drivers praising China that “You helped us build such good roads!”

On the ninth day of our trip, we made our final stop in Addis Ababa, the capital. They found a local man named Shime to be our guide and driver.
A few years older than Chen Yan, Shime, a tanned man with an afro, didn’t talk much, drove steadily with a huge smile.

Chen Yan, who often travels to Africa, found that the locals are eager for Chinese culture. The trip coincided with the Spring Festival, so she brought some Spring Festival couplets and the Chinese character “fu” which she had written, and gave them to others met along the trip.

When she met Shime, she only had the last piece of fu left, so she gave it to him and told him that it could be pasted upside down, which means “bringing good luck”. Accepting “fu”, showing a happy smile, Shime said that he would take it back and put it on door.

After only one day in Addis Ababa, she heard that the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in China. Chen Yan wanted to stay for a few more days, but she was not in the mood for continuing.

Shime sent them to the airport, and Chen Yan who were anxious to return did not check her luggage. It was only after boarding that she tried to take out her camera and look through photos, she realized that she had lost her camera and lens.
As she was about to take off, she sent a message to Shime: “I lost my camera. Please help me find it.”

After the plane landed, messages poured in, including one from Shime: “I found your camera. I'll try to send it to you.”

Chen Yan thought she could get her camera soon, but the epidemic turned out to be worse than expected. When the outbreak in China subsided, it flared up in Ethiopia, halting international mail for a while.

They kept in touch intermittently. In the meantime, Shime lost his job due to the pandemic and had no account for her to remit money, which means that she could not afford to pay thousands of yuan for international delivery.

The average income of Ethiopians is not high. A guide earns only about 2,000 yuan a month, while a camera and lens can be sold for more than 10,000 yuan. Chen Yan said, “Actually, I wouldn’t blame him if he sold it.” But Shime sent messages and promised, “Don’t worry, I’ll save it for you.”

He saved the camera for her for more than one year.
It wasn’t until October this year that Chen Yan heard that a friend knew a China Railway worker who helped build roads in Ethiopia, then stumbled upon the idea of asking him to help bring the camera back to China.

“At that time, Shime repeatedly asked if he was getting it right. I told him as long as the phone number is right, the person is right.” Chen Yan said with a smile that it took more than a month for them to match each other. The Chinese friend helped her bring the camera back to Guangzhou and then sent it to Chongqing. Nearly half a month later, the camera was back in her hands!

“I really want to cry. It’s not easy!” Chen Yan immediately sent a message to Shime, telling him that the camera had been received.

After sorting out the photos and videos in her camera, Chen Yan felt mixed feelings when he saw those strange but friendly faces again. Late at night, she posted a message on Moments: “I didn’t expect that the kindness and love will return to you like stars in the world!”

Later, the reporter interviewed Shime online, and he said that he particularly like China, especially yearning for the Great Wall. In the past two years, he has been trying to send the camera to Chen Yan. At first, he wanted to send the camera to Chen Yan by DHL, but it was too expensive. Later, there was a Chinese tourist who could help bring the camera back to China, but he didn’t trust the person because they didn’t communicate well. He has kept his camera carefully and locked it in a cupboard for two years. Knowing that the camera had been returned to Chen Yan, he was also very happy.

A time difference of 5 hours and a distance of nearly 8,000 kilometers cannot separate the trust and warmth between those two in China and Ethiopia.

Chen Yan said that she would definitely go to Ethiopia again, and she would find Shime and solemnly say “Thanks” to him face to face.