Callista Ryan will never forget her 17th birthday.
She was halfway around the world building structures in rural Chinese communities and was serenaded in Mandarin by her co-workers.
鈥淚t was a very special birthday 鈥� the best gift ever,鈥� she said.
It all became possible when Ryan raised enough money to participate in the Me to We program to volunteer in rural Chinese communities.
She left for Beijing on June 27 for 19 days and travelled to two remote villages in the Asian country. Ryan helped build a goat pen in the first community and then helped construct a school in another.
She said a typical day was to get up at 7 a.m., have breakfast, take a bus to the community and then get to work. Lunch was at noon and then more work before heading back to their accommodations and group activities in the evening.
Ryan also got the chance to explore the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. She said she鈥檒l never forget her time interacting with the local people.
鈥淭he children were so incredible and so enthusiastic about us being there,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here were no barriers with them. The workers, who were all villagers, had to teach us how to build and it took a little longer for us to get comfortable with them but they were great people.鈥�
She was part of a group of 21 youth that included other Canadians, four from the United States, one from Denmark and one from Brazil. She said the bond was strong by the end of the 19 days.
鈥淎t first we were all a little nervous but we quickly realized that we all came here for similar reasons and by the end it was so hard to leave,鈥� she said.
Ryan said the beauty of rural China was breathtaking and was in stark contrast to the level of pollution in Beijing. She said the trip really opened her eyes to our planet on a global scale.
鈥淚t was my first time leaving this continent and it was so cool to feel that even though I鈥檓 going to this massive place that I can still make an impact,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 learned so much and it really broadened my view of the world.鈥�
She said it never would have been possible without the generosity of 麻豆社国产residents, who helped raise $2,050 on GoFundMe and also bought doughnuts from her at other fundraisers around town.
鈥淚 just wanted to thank everyone for supporting me and this whole experience was so worth it,鈥� she said.
For more details on the program, visit www.metowe.com/volunteer-travel/youth-trips/china.
