Since July 12, 94 volunteers have been on the go.

Selected from more than 200 applicants from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, most of these 94 students are majors in English, with the required language proficiency and good communicative skills. After receiving special training in cross cultural rituals and global affairs, they have been allocated to 6 departments, including academic, media, security, etc.

These volunteers are in the second or third year of university; they have sacrificed their summer holidays to help out in the ICSEMIS, many of whom have postponed their return home or cancelled their internship schedule. Although the working hours are from 9am to 6pm, yet they all are on stand by around the clock. Voluntary work varies a lot, such as checking information of delegates, sorting out materials, collecting presentations and updating news on the website.

During their previous preparation and at the convention, volunteers have learned the basic understanding of “professionalism”. It implies getting up before dawn to pick up delegates at the airport; it refers to staying up till midnight to print identification cards; it means guiding various delegates to the right place all the whole day with few hours rest.

However, they enjoy their work.

“Communicating with people with different backgrounds is so much fun and I am most satisfied when they get practical help from me” said one girl from the registration desk. She works 10 hours a day, in charge of the hotel check-in and accounting procedure. Were she not here as a volunteer, she would take a paid job in a company, but “money doesn’t count that much and what I do here can enrich my life and fill out my personality”.

That girl’s words find an echo among most students, who agree that patience, flexibility and emergency response is crucial. “With so much responsibility on my shoulders, I take initiatives and learn by work. After all, the most important thing is learning new skills and abilities.”

The Beijing Olympic Games are only a few days away and the whole nation and the world at large is imbued with a sense of sport enthusiasm. Thus, the 2008 ICSEMIS can help people enhance their awareness of sport, science and education. All the volunteers cherish this valuable opportunity to witness a world-class convention which is for the first time hosted by all four organizations. For them, efficiency and quality of their work is, by all means, the core. And they are proud to be here, being 100% dedicated.

By Winnie Yang Dong Ming,

Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.  ICSEMIS Volunteer