This summer I went to China for one month, from late June to late July. While there I worked with the non-profit organisation LovVol (Love Volunteering), teaching English and acting as a counsellor at three summer camps in China, one being on the outskirts of Shanghai, one in Huzhou, and one in Guangzhou.

 

Along with the other eight volunteers, I found this experience to be highly rewarding, teaching children aged five up to 16 across the three camps, all with varying levels and capabilities in speaking English. It was fantastic to see the kids get engaged, whether we were playing games, doing team challenges, being creative, or simply conversing in English, and seeing their confidence grow across the course of each camp made the experience even better.

 

Outside of the camps, we were given the opportunity to go sightseeing in each city, going to museums, famous sights, and authentic restaurants. In one school we also received Chinese calligraphy, pottery and steamed-bun making lessons. Throughout the camps we also received mandarin lessons, and I really enjoyed practising the sentence and phrases I learned, though sometimes feeling embarrassed that I could not continue the conversation.

 

As a history student, I have studied modern Chinese history as part of my degree as well as engaging in further research into the 1920’s Republican era for my undergraduate dissertation. For this reason I found the trip and the experiences we enjoyed to be highly interesting and rewarding, taking opportunities to engage in the culture, talking to friends we made there about their experiences and perceptions of China’s recent past, and taking lots from the museums we visited along the way. Overall, it was an experience that I will not forget and one that has certainly ignited my passion for teaching and volunteering, as well as heightening my understanding of Chinese culture.

 

Without the Fung Scholarship, I would not have been able to finance this trip and so I cannot thank the Victor and William Fung Foundation enough for the experience that they have helped me to gain. The entrance to the Fung Scholars’ network has also provided me with a wealth of opportunities that I hope to make the most of in the future, too!