CSP - finally over

I'm finally back in town after spending two and a half weeks volunteering as a "mentor" for the 7th China Synergy Program for Outstanding Youth. It was the fourth time I've been part of this cultural tour, and the second time I volunteered my services for the duration of the trip. I thought it would be nice to get away from my mundane life in Hong Kong for a little while, but it turns out that I left at a time I didn't want to leave. I also thought it would be a rewarding experience to act as a teacher this time around rather than doing administrative work like I did last year, but it turns out that there were many uninterested, ungrateful, and uncooperative delegates AND fellow volunteers. In short, it was still rewarding to know that for some of the delegates in my group, this trip really opened their eyes to China, and they became more proud of their Chinese identity. On the other hand, I found the trip to be very demoralizing, not just due to the delegates who did not try to learn, but also because some of my coworkers weren't doing their jobs - because I worked hard to take up the slack, especially in the undesirable jobs that they despised, and for which they feared they would be despised, I made quite a number of enemies. In the end, I got quite a few negative evaluations, some of which were actually quite hurtful, and some of which made allegations that are either untrue or that have been exaggerated. If I'm going to work so hard and if I'm going to do what I feel is right and what needs to be done, I'd rather not be punished like this. Anyway, I still think that this program has some very noble objectives, but some of the recurring problems with the way this organization works has dissuaded me from ever being part of it ever again. Here I am, licking my wounds, and regretting the way I spent nearly 3 weeks of my life, but also regretting some of my actions and the way I carried myself under stress.