My Olympic volunteering journey started last September. I was excited as I was myself a sports fan and my home country has not hosted a competition like this. It was a great chance for me to both watch and serve the Olympics.

After getting trained through the Internet and spending two weeks in quarantine (隔离), I began to volunteer inside the Wukesong Sports Center. The Center hosted ice hockey games for both men’s and women’s teams. My job was to guide the audience (观众) to their seats and answer their questions. I was wild with joy to be present and watch my first-ever Olympic games live, on the ice. All the games were interesting, and I watched them whenever my volunteering duties would allow.

In our free time, we had pleasant conversations. It was the best chance for us foreign students to learn more about the Chinese New Year celebrations, and this year, to celebrate it together with our Chinese friends. It was really a big festival. We had special Chinese dishes like dumplings, fish and spring rolls. I also tried to write Chinese characters.

I decided to make the most of the chance and introduce my African and Rwandan customs to other volunteers. I showed to them the real Africa that they had never seen on TV before. From geography to social life, I made them understand more about Africa by giving examples of my hometown. It was a great platform (平台) for us young people to share both our cultures and futures.

As an international volunteer for Beijing 2022, I was given a special experience to help others and more importantly, to learn about the spirit of the Winter Olympic Games. I’ll never forget it.