International friends receive warmth by volunteering in Sanlitun

Cross-Cultural Communications

Brikena Lena, from Albania, is studying at the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), in Beijing. She arrived in China in September 2023, and she joined the volunteers in July 2024. She had not volunteered to provide services in China until she joined the team. "I find it valuable, because you meet new friends on the team, and it is a very nice thing to help others," Lena said during a recent interview with Women of China English Monthly.

She recalls an "unforgettable experience," in August, when the volunteers placed two chess boards near the service station, and then invited people to play chess. "There was a Chinese boy, between 5-6 years old, I guess. He played chess so well, just like a professional, and he beat all of our volunteers working that day. He was awesome, in the way he communicated with us through the interesting chess game," Lena says.

She fondly remembers another event, during an education-plus-entertainment class for children. Lena outlined to her "little students" the geography and history of the Balkans, a region in southeast Europe. Her home country, Albania, is in the Balkans. During the lecture, Lena was glad to see the children were curious to learn about the Balkans. The children drew flags of the countries in the region, and they learned about the folk customs in the region. Lena asked the children to compare Chinese folk customs with those in the Balkans, and to discuss the similarities and differences.