Foreign volunteers busy with local paparazzi

Foreign volunteers busy with local paparazzi Foreign volunteers handing out leaflets in Xicheng district.

Three foreigners and one citizen of Hong Kong had a oneday volunteer stint at the station in front of Parkson shopping center in the Xicheng district Monday. They were the first group of foreign volunteers in the station since its opening on September 7.

Marc Potzsch from Germany, Tania Desa from Canada, Finlay Mongall from the US, and Su Dihang from Hong Kong were all the exchange students studying in Peking University. They were busy passing out leaflets and giving directions to local people until 3 pm.

At 9 pm these four newcomers joined two Chinese volunteers and began their volunteer work. Their main job was to offer information, translation and emergency services, but they had very little chance to perform translation or emergency services.

"I have been asked how to go to places, such as the train station and Houhai," said Marc in fluent Chinese. "But we got a lot of requests from people who wanted photos with us."
 Some Chinese volunteers complained that the foreigners got too much attention. "Volunteer work is not a performance,"said Wu Tong, a 28-year-old Chinese volunteer at the same station, adding that he felt he was ignored by the media.