Pan Huaying, a staff worker of China Southern Power Grid Company Limited (CSG)’s subsidiary Nanfang Investment Group, led a group of 13 volunteers from Guangzhou to Seychelles, the smallest country in Africa, half a year ago.
Seychelles is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, boasting white sand beach and blue sea. It is a dreamland for beach-goers.
Pan (5th, R) with his colleagues in Seychelles
Pan described his service in the first half year there as a “vacation”, though the work and life was full of challenges and surprises. He never imagined that he would meet the Chinese Ambassador to Seychelles and the country’s vice president.
As the only electrical power engineer in the volunteer team, he serves the Inspector Department of the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC), a parastatal body wholly controlled by the Government of Seychelles.
In the last six months, he finished various tasks, such as user cable testing, setting standards and operation manuals, checking projects, eliminating breakdowns, and meter installation.
Pan with a Seychelles colleague
The work is not difficult for Pan; after all, all these tasks are his specialties. In fact, language is the major challenge for him.
English, French and a local language prevail in Seychelles. The people of Seychelles usually speak English with a strong accent. So it took a long time for Pan to get used to it.
In his spare time, Pan takes part in all kinds of activities to communicate with his colleagues in the PUC, such as a River Clean-up and a Labor Day Picnic in Takamaka, which helps him better understand the PUC’s corporate culture.
He also plays beach football with local residents. His spoken English has greatly improved through frequent communication with his Seychelles friends.
Pan said he has received a lot of help from his colleagues in China and Seychelles and hopes to help others and promote volunteerism in Seychelles.
Pan at the Electricity House of PUC
Pan operates an instrument.
(Executive editor: Hao Wen)
