We had the pleasure of chatting with Tingyan Wang, a SELCS MA Translation and Culture Postgraduate, about her one-off volunteering at the Royal Museums Greenwich 3-day Ice World Festival. Tingyan shares with us her motivation for volunteering, how volunteering helped her to get to know a new country and culture, and her recommendations for prospective volunteers.
Tell us a little about your volunteering!
[My most recent] volunteering role was the three-day Ice World Festival, held at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. It was a one-off opportunity [offered by Royal Museums Greenwich] so I only went for the three days of the event from the 28th-30th October.
Our manager let the volunteers rotate positions so that we could gain various experiences. My favourite one was standing at the entrance welcoming people. The entrance had a a big map that they turned into an indoor picnic area so people could rest on different continents or countries. It was a great visual impact, and I really enjoyed seeing people’s surprised faces when they walked in!
More generally, I assisted the scientific team and staff in the museum to help keep everything under control and order. For example, I showed people where to go and I did some translations (such as French and Japanese) for foreign visitors. I even put my multi-lingual skills in my application, which I think helped me get the role even though my English isn’t perfect!
Overall, the role required important communicative and interpersonal skills - and a lot of energy to stand for three days. Comfortable shoes were very important!
How did you find out about the role?
I have always been interested in volunteering, even in China, so the first thing I did when I settled down [in London and at UCL] was check out the Volunteering Service Website and look up opportunities. I specifically browsed the website looking for positions in galleries and museums, where my passion lies. From there, I saw this position and applied for it. The application was a bit intimidating because it was quite long, but I thought "it doesn’t hurt to try," so I applied for it and got it!
Why did you want to become a volunteer?
I knew from previous volunteer work in China and from my translation work for WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) that I would get great experiences and positive feedback. I always enjoy helping others and exploring the industries and fields I have passion and interests in.
In particular, volunteering allows you to get close to people in real life. Nowadays, everyone is so obsessed with the cyber space and virtual world, but volunteering forces you to step outside of your comfort zone, get to know real people, and to genuinely bond with others.
What difference do you feel you’ve made by volunteering?
I always see positive effects from volunteering in the museums, even if I only do minor jobs. The volunteering teams also give me positive feedback so I know I’ve made a difference.
Sometimes I saw people needing someone to help, and even if I was unable to give them the exact answer, I could find someone who did or make them feel supported. For example, one woman lost her child’s sweater, and I remembered seeing it and giving it to my manager, so I led her to the manager, so I was able to get it back to her. Other times, I stood there as a mascot, and that’s okay too. Even just my presence as a volunteer sent the message that there are people here to offer help/
I also took initiative. Being a volunteer means you must have the motivation to help. When you see someone’s puzzled face, you step forward to ask “Can I help you? What can I do to help?”
"I think that's how we really make a difference. In the end it's up to us - not the jobs, or the positions, or events - it's about our own attitudes."
What impact has volunteering had on you?
I have gained so much that sometimes I feel like it’s not me helping them, but them helping me.
First, I’ve gained confidence in my English, and thanks to those fortuitous accidents when commuting, I learned the London public transport system. Once, my journey went wrong and I had to change lines and figure out which one would get me back on track. If not for volunteering I would not have tried the DLR or National Rail. It forced me to try new things, otherwise, it would be easy just to go to and from UCL every day. Next time when google maps tells me to, I’ll take the Uber Boat!
Second, my studies have also been impacted. My program is about translation and culture, so I have learned a lot through volunteering. For example, I did not know who David Attenborough was until a conversation with another volunteer – and that’s when I learned Sir David Attenborough is a famous person in the UK! Now I’ve watched some documentaries, improved my English and learned about UK Culture.
Also, I got to meet some Senior Citizens that shared their very classic British humour with me. I really like it!
What’s the best thing about volunteering?
Choosing the best thing is hard, but I will say the opportunity to explore the area you are passionate about. You get to meet people in the industry and see what it’s like. I’m thinking about working in a museum in the future, and after my volunteering, I want to do so even more.
Also, my fellow volunteers and manager made me feel like a part of the team. I enjoyed meeting and debriefing at the start and end of the day, and I could feel a strong bond between everyone working there.
And the most challenging? How did you overcome the challenges?
My biggest challenge was language barriers. Just talking to people can be a challenging thing, with different accents and phrases, especially because English is not my native language.
I also felt disappointment when I found I couldn’t help people to solve a particular problem. I think that’s something a volunteer must learn how to cope with, that you cannot solve every problem by yourself. I guess the trick is – at least for me – to remind myself that my presence is a positive contribution even if I only help one person. Helping every single person is aiming too high - it's just not realistic, and adds more pressure and disappointment for myself. Even helping just one person is worth it, so I tell myself to chill out and do the best that I can.
"...my presence is a positive contribution, even if I only help one person."
Tell us about something memorable that’s happened to you whilst volunteering!
.Meeting people is also the most memorable thing – those memorable people include a woman from Shanghai that has been living here for ten years and even invited me to have lunch with her someday! And a fellow volunteer called Abby visited the Sir David Attenborough boat with me and introduced me to Greenwich because she was born and raised there.
I also had frustrating issues with the public transport system, but I ended up feeling a lot better when the manager and rest of the team comforted me! They let me know that I wasn't alone, and it was a great bonding moment.
Would you recommend volunteering? If so, why?
Yes! Other students should definitely volunteer. Although we have so many devices and technology, it’s important to be here, be present, take advantage of the opportunities in London. Especially one-off volunteering - it can help us to have different experiences in different industries, to get to know people, to gain insight in different part of the world. It doesn’t hurt to try, and it doesn’t hurt to be brave.
I have always believed that volunteering is something that we should do throughout our lives. A lot of my fellow Ice World volunteers were older people that have been long-term volunteers. If people chose to do it throughout a big part of their lives, it must mean something. Volunteering requires nothing but time and energy, which are resources we can reproduce. If you care about something, it really doesn’t matter what you have to give.
"Why volunteer? Because life is short, so make it more colourful and meaningful! If I stay at home for three days, time flies. But if I step out of my comfort zone and face those challenges, I find little unexpected life treasures and serendipity."