The 15th Shanghai International Youth Interactive Friendship Camp has brought together over 120 campers from different countries in Shanghai. Let’s see what the camp has been like in the eyes of the tutors, volunteers, staff and campers.

(Foreign campers exchanged gifts with each other at the cultural expo.)

Here is a tutor called Ulrich Kaspar Nyffeler, who comes from the scenic city of Lucerne, Switzerland.

Speaking of his impressions on the camp, he said, “Everything was very well-organized, and the youths started to interact with each other on their free will. The program was very colorful and entertaining.”

Miguel José Gonçalves, a tutor from Portugal, said, “I’m enjoying it very much. It’s my first time in China, and also my first time in Asia. So, for me, everything is new. People are nice and friendly. The food also impresses me.” He hopes the students, through the interactive camp, can learn to see problems from different angles and seek different solutions.

(One of the volunteers, named Ni Zhewei, said she was quite moved that Mr. Gonçalves gave her the badge he wore on his bag, which has both Chinese and Portuguese national flags on it.)

Campers have impressed the staff.

Campers and their tutor Salifou Kabore from the West African state of Burkina Faso, which has sent campers for the first time, are perceived as being very modest.

(Campers and their tutor from Burkina Faso)

“The tutor from Burkina Faso is a man of few words, but he cares about the people around him a lot. He offered to help our doctor with her medical kit. When the doctor declined, he hid the kit behind his back mischievously. They both laughed so happily,” said Zhang Jieying who is one of the staff.

Chinese camper Su Yijia said he had been to Shanghai Oriental Land several times, but it’s quite special to participate in an interactive camp with foreign campers. “I will take the initiative to look for more beauty in the following activities,” added Su.

(The painting drawn by Su after the activity “Explore the Land”)

(Campers visited the water town of Zhujiajiao)

Now, let’s turn to the volunteers who are working so hard these days.

Huang Zhichao, Pei Jiayun, and Ni Zhewei were former Chinese campers. But working as a volunteer is certainly different from being a camper. How do they feel these days?

“I like the interactive camp so much!” Pei said, “I was a camper three years ago and now I am a university student. It is wonderful to be in the camp again.”

When she was a camper, Ni envied the volunteers who always went out after the activities, because she thought they were going out to have fun. This year, her dream of becoming a volunteer has been realized, and finally understood the undertaking of volunteering after her experience of picking campers up in the early morning at the airport.

Huang agreed that there was much more work to do than just being a camper, “I have to consider many aspects.”

(The hard-working volunteers and staff)

Please stay tuned for more reports on the campers’ life in Shanghai.

Story by Wang Jiaye

Photo by Lin Chunyue

Translated by Fu Yifei, Wu Qiong