Peking University, February 18, 2022: The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has officially kicked off and will carry on for two more weeks. In order to contribute and be a part of this historic moment, Peking University (PKU) international student volunteers have also been dispatched to the Beijing Olympics venues. While some have taken roles as opening ceremony performers, some are assisting at the various gaming venues. Here, we talk to PKU's international student volunteers who have contributed months to preparing for the success of the this Winter Olympics.

PKU Volunteer Profile


Alexandra Pozhidaeva from Russia is a postgraduate student at the School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University. She is also a National Strategic Communication researcher at Peking University and has participated in and spoken at international platforms such as the World Peace Forum and the Middle East Peace Forum. Alexandra was among the few Peking University (PKU) student volunteers selected to perform during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Realizing her childhood dream


In 2008, Alexandra was a primary school student who attentively and excitedly sat with her family to watch the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. She recalls being touched by the opening ceremony, especially by the part where a Chinese scroll painting appeared on screen. She was also in awe when gymnast Li Ning appeared on stage at the stadium holding the Olympic torch. "In Russia, we are all enthusiastic about the Olympics, so I have been following it since my childhood," Alexandra shares. Coming from Siberia in Russia, where the cold climate and natural landscape create a perfect environment for ice sports, Alexandra's brother grew up training for ice hockey and is now a hockey player.


Having been familiar with the Olympics and ice sports from a young age, Alexandra didn't think twice when she had the chance to sign up as a volunteer for theBeijing 2022 Winter Olympics. In fact, she had been paying attention to itever since its announcement in 2015. After successfully passing two rounds of interviews, Alexandra received a notice of acceptance for her application.


Making memories on stage

"Our training began as early as in October, and by November we were already having rehearsals at the Bird's Nest Stadium!" Alexandra shares. She and her fellow student volunteers were assigned to march together in unison across the Bird's Nest stage to embody and unveil the Beijing Winter Olympics slogan "Together for a Shared Future". By the day of the Opening Ceremony, they had already rehearsed for 4 months, undergoing 8 training sessions outside of campus and 35 rehearsal sessions at the Bird's Nest, with each session lasting an average of 10 hours.


Alexandra acknowledges that the rehearsals were "challenging but memorable" as the student volunteers had to manage time mid-way throughout the semester. During the beginning of the rehearsals, the volunteers would be reading books and rushing assignments during the intervals between their performance rehearsals. Once winter break began in January, the student volunteers were more relaxed and had more time to bond. "We started to play board games and spend time with fellow volunteers from other universities too," Alexandra described, adding that a few weeks ago, a PKU student volunteer from Nigeria brought a type of foreign chess to the stadium, which Alexandra and other international student volunteers patiently taught their fellow Chinese volunteers to play. However, Alexandra added it wasn't too long before "they were already playing it better than we did!" Similarly, a few days later, one of the Chinese student volunteers brought Chinese chess and showed the international student volunteers the ropes.


Through this process, the volunteers weren't only exchanging cultures and deepening their understanding but also bonding as a team. Appreciatively the fun times she had with the student volunteers, Alexandra is grateful for this opportunity, for it has introduced her to new friends from all over China and all over the world here at the Bird's Nest Stadium. "We might be completely different at first glance, we're all doing different majors at our universities, we're coming from completely different cultural backgrounds, but we're gathered here for a common purpose, and this has connected us and made us family," Alexandra acknowledges. She recollects heartwarming memories, like that when they found out on one of the rehearsal days that a Costa Rican volunteer from Beijing Language and Culture University was having her birthday, and gathered to sing her a birthday song. Just as they began singing, other student volunteers from Beijing Sports University joined in and in a matter of seconds, almost a hundred volunteers from different rehearsals tagged along in the chorus. Alexandra shared that during the cold winter, moments like these brought them warmth and joy.


4 months of hard work paid off not just for Alexandra but for all performers at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony on February 4. "I hope our participation in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics will also serve as a bridge between China and the world," Alexandra concludes. Now that the opening ceremony is over, Alexandra hopes to relax and watch the Winter Olympics and cheer for her country:  Russia.


Rapid-fire questions

1 How would you describe this experience in one word?

Breathtaking

2 What is the best part about  volunteering at the 2022  Beijing Winter Olympics?

Being a part of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony family, of course!

3 What is your favorite winter sport?

Figure skating and ice hockey

Journalist & Writer: Aneka Rebecca Rajbhandari
Editor: Li Wanqi, Amanda Hu
Producer: Pu Hairui
Designer: Chen Li Susammy