Volunteer in Enshi Autonomous Prefecture

Ready to be a volunteer in countryside!

Being an exchange student in China, I looked up this summer camp accidentally, and I applied for this volunteer activity immediately!!

Having lived in the city all my life, I had never personally experienced the feeling of being in the countryside.

In the past, images of rural areas in China were something I could only see on television programs. This time, I stepped into this fascinating world myself. As I entered Sanli Village, a sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness washed over me.

Exchange student in Shanghai

Although the environment here isn’t as clean as the city, and the infrastructure isn’t as complete, the sky is an incredible shade of blue, the clouds impossibly white, and the streams so crystal clear that it feels like stepping into a fairyland.

At that moment, I told myself to make the most of these 10 days to explore everything here—the people, the events, and the surroundings.

At the same time, I was filled with excitement for the upcoming Camp!

What a good team!

Before the camp began, all the volunteers came together to carry out a series of preparation activities, including team-building games and planning the opening ceremony.

Since we all want to creat the most enjoyable and unforgettable summer camp for the participants, even when differences of opinion arose, we were able to communicate rationally and exchange ideas about the activities.

The spirit of collaboration and discussion made our preparations smooth and filled with laughter!

On the second day, the principal of Sanli Xiang Minzu Primary School even took us to the orchard to pick plums!

The team members also became much more familiar with one another.

Summer camp starts!!

We finally met the campers! I had previously worried that unfamiliarity among everyone might make the games less engaging. Later, I found out that most of the campers already knew each other, which made the games proceed very smoothly.

The campers’ enthusiasm was even more intense than the blazing sun that day, and it was contagious, helping me quickly immerse myself in their world.

After the large group games, we divided into four smaller teams.

In my team, Group 1, two issues arose right at the start. First, one camper felt the game was too childish and unsuitable for them. Second, a fight broke out between two campers because one was unhappy with the other’s teasing.

These situations were unexpected, but I tried to address them by asking questions, guiding them step by step, changing their perspective on the game, and resolving their conflict.

The game “Polar Bear Crossing the River” is anything but simple.

During the initial preparation, it took us nearly two hours to play, failing repeatedly. After each failure, we kept trying and discussing the best strategies together.

When all volunteer started to introduce the game to the campers, it played out much like our trial run—they searched for errors through failures and worked together to discuss the best way to cross the river.

The difference was their incredible sense of unity. They constantly encouraged each other with phrases like, “We won’t stop until we succeed!”

They tried all sorts of methods, and from the sidelines, I couldn’t help but laugh while feeling impressed. The entire process was filled with laughter, and when they finally succeeded in crossing the river at the last moment, everyone cheered, danced, and celebrated with pure joy.