Can you really travel around the world for free? Li Jun, a 17-year-old girl from Shenzhen Foreign Language School, still can't believe her 10- day free training camp in the Alps in Switzerland last month was true! But how did she achieve this once in-a-lifetime opportunity?
Last October, a piece of short world news in a newspaper-"Have a chance to see the world, for free", caught her eye. When she asked her friends if the story was real, they laughed at her, for they thought she was daydreaming. However, Li decided to apply online the following weekend.
"Opportunity is everywhere. I'd like to keep my eyes open and catch the chance," she told herself. What happened next was tests on health, hobbies and awareness of environmental protection. She passed all of them very easily.
On December 14, Li Jun surprised her friends with an invitation letter from the programme, the Pangaea Young Explorer Selection Camp set up by South African explorer Mike Horn. On January 11, Li left for Switzerland, with several newly bought ski suits in her suitcase. Over the next week, she and 15 other teenagers from around the world took part in exciting training lessons. They took day-trips up the
Alps to an altitude of 3, 200 metres, and went sledging at night using modern equipment. They were also encouraged to complete difficult journeys up mountains, down hills, and through forests.
Because of her performance during the training, Li was chosen as one of the eight young explorers to join Mike Horn in the South Island of New Zealand in May. She will write for the newspaper and share her fun experiences there with readers.
