‘Being a Volunteer is Like Reading a Book’ Guzel Shyhutdinova

KAZAN – It was not easy to welcome 10,442 athletes coming from 162 different countries. Each one brings their own language and culture to Kazan.

”I really want to meet them and I want to see them happy during their stay in Kazan,” said Guzel Shyhutdinova, one of the 20,000 volunteers at the 27th Summer Universiade. This 14-year-old girl was honoured to be a volunteer because she had the opportunity to meet and interact directly with the delegates.

”It was like flying around the world, every minute I met new people with different flags,” she said.

Shyhutdinova, who likes to play piano, feels that being a volunteer is like reading a book. Whenever she talks to the delegates, she gets a different story and experience. In addition, she is using this opportunity to improve her English skills.

The girl who aspires to be a journalist was on duty in the field. Shyhutdinova is even willing to stand all day under the sun as she eagerly waved to every car passing the Bustan Sport Complex where she was stationed on Sunday. She also wants to see the volleyball match there.

According to Shyhutdinova, another advantage being a volunteer is that she can see a variety of sporting events.

Shyhutdinova was not alone, the student of School Number Five in Kazan was accompanied by six other colleagues. They took turns greeting the delegates and providing information about the Universiade. The girl who has visited France, the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany with her friends used to give information about tourism places to delegates for visiting Kazan.

Sunday was Shyhutdinova’s fifth day volunteering and she hopes it will not end too soon as she loves meeting people and learn a lot. —- FISU Young Reporter (INA)/Rendra Ardyansah