North of the border, west of the sun

In the summer vacation of 2017, I was fortunate enough to participate in the ECOFTURE project of the AIESEC Russia Yekaterinburg branch. At first, the six weeks seemed very long. Now looking back, it seems to have passed by in a blink of an eye. All the memories are left in Siberia, north of the border. Stay in the long days west of the sun. The scenery of Russia is stunning, the Russian boys are handsome, the Russian girls are beautiful, the Russian residents are friendly, and the international volunteers are super cool. This is the overall impression of the project that remains in my memory.

On July 11, I arrived in Yekaterinburg, Russia, with three other Chinese friends. When we first got off the plane, it was raining heavily in Yeka. The sky was covered with dark clouds, and the wind and cold rain made us feel the cold Siberia for the first time. The power. But the enthusiastic Russian people drove away the coldness in us. Russia is a warm and open nation. The love of drinking makes the people here happy and friendly. Whether you buy a bottle of mineral water in a small store or ask for directions on the street, everyone will greet you with a smile. Even if they don’t speak English, they will try their best to help you. They will smile and wave to you when saying goodbye. Some Russians even want to take photos with us and WhatsApp each other, wanting to learn from us. Chinese.

We live in a private international student apartment next to Ural University with six other international volunteers from different countries. We often cook together, go sightseeing, occasionally have drinks in the park, have barbecues by the lake, and party in nightclubs. Together we experienced the wonderful time built by friends from different countries and cultures.

Specific tasks during the project include garbage cleaning in forest parks, environmental protection theme speeches, environmental protection poster production, outdoor excursions, welfare home exchanges, environmental English teaching, environmental drama performances, Ural University environmental lectures, and animal protection Summer camp , International ecofestival and so on. Through personal actions, the awareness of environmental protection has been engraved in the hearts of every volunteer, and through repeated interactions with the public, more people have been influenced by us and will join the environmental protection camp. When we put up environmental protection slogans in the forest, several passers-by said to us in English, "It's really a good job!" At that time, I felt that my actions were recognized in another corner of the earth, and I felt even more confident. The significance of Russia’s trip. The environmentally-themed drama performance staged at the downtown theater has devoted the efforts of screenwriters, dance teachers, vocal teachers, and volunteers from seven different countries. The drama is not professional and may not be very beautiful, but it is indeed our Our cultural imprint left in Yeka.

When we were about to leave, Ogeday said that he would leave me a room in Istanbul. Aymen said that he would wait for me in Hurghada every summer vacation. Dasha said that he hoped to meet me again some summer vacation in the future, whether in China or It's Russia.

Sometimes it feels like separation is forever, but there are close friends overseas, and if we are neighbors across the world, what's more, people who meet will meet again.