Dual-Olympic volunteer logs experience making friendships happen

For 49 days, Ju Yang filled the pages of her diary with her reflections and insights on what it was like to be a volunteer in the lead up to 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

Ju was assigned to be a translator for test events at the competition zone in the capital's Yanqing district. At the end of each day, she jotted down memorable moments from her time in the closed-loop hotel for overseas participants. She said she will cherish the experience for the rest of her life.

The 34-year-old, however, is no stranger to the Olympics.

In 2006, when she was 18, she began a degree program at Beijing Forestry University. At the same time, volunteers were being recruited for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, and she did not hesitate to sign up.

"Although I was in junior high school when Beijing won the bid for the Olympic Games in 2001, I felt a sense of national pride and hoped that I could contribute to the country," Ju said. "The Olympic Games are really close to me, and I am so lucky to have these opportunities."

During the 2008 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, Ju was a translator for spectators at the field hockey venue.

"All the volunteers were so warm and hospitable. Even fatigue could not dampen our enthusiasm," she recalled.

At the end of last year, Ju, now an employee of Yanqing's education commission, once again became an Olympic volunteer.

With more experience under her belt than a decade ago, Ju now has a deeper understanding of the significance of the Olympics and the role of volunteers. She sees the Games as an opportunity for friendship and unity.

"I just concentrated on completing my translation duties in 2008, but now I realize that the Winter Olympic Games represent an opportunity to promote mutual understanding and friendship between people of different countries," she said. "As volunteers, we have more opportunities to communicate with foreigners. We have come 'together for a shared future'."

It was this realization that inspired her to start her diary.

In one entry, Ju said she had learned that some Canadian athletes were huge fans of Bing Dwen Dwen, the Winter Olympics mascot. She researched the mascot's design and back story overnight and was able to share her newfound knowledge with the competitors the next day.

"The first phase of testing events came to an end. Today, I borrowed pencils, erasers and crayons from the hotel reception to draw Bing Dwen Dwen for the Canadian athletes. Worried I might make a mistake, it took me about eight hours to complete. I am satisfied that the drawing conveys kindness and friendship, and I hope the athletes will like it," she wrote in her diary on Oct 25.

Ju also drew an olive branch above the mascot, which represents peace and friendship.

"I saw smiles and excitement on their faces when they received my gift. At that moment, I realized I had not only performed my duty as an Olympic volunteer but also developed a bridge between the hearts of people speaking different languages," she wrote in her diary.

Volunteers are dynamic messengers of culture, which means they must invest their feelings and enthusiasm in cultural communication, Ju said.