Marked similarities

She said much of her time was spent working in the stables at the center.

When she first visited the stables, Ho experienced a sense of familiarity.

"There are marked similarities between the stables in Tonglu and those in Tuen Mun in terms of facilities and infrastructure," she said.

After learning that the Hong Kong Jockey Club provided technical support for the Tonglu Equestrian Centre's development, Ho said she developed a deeper understanding of the cooperation between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

Her main responsibility was to help two horseshoers from the United Kingdom communicate with staff members from the mainland.

Ho said identifying the different hoof-trimming tools is difficult, as they look similar and have complicated English names.

The horseshoers took time to write down the names of these tools on a whiteboard, comparing them with other objects to teach Ho to identify them. "It took me a day to familiarize myself with the terminology," she said.

Ho said the two Britons had a great sense of humor. To foster a happy working atmosphere, they asked her to write down quotes and jokes, and make drawings and doodles on the whiteboard, changing them every day. As the motto for her first day at the equestrian center, she wrote, "Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful."

During the first few days of the equestrian events, the weather was hot and some people experienced heatstroke. Ho was called in to help in the medical room, and when volunteers welcoming guests in the VIP room fell ill, she also stepped in to provide assistance.

In addition, she was asked to communicate with an expatriate guest regarding the rehearsal for a medal awards ceremony.

"My role was to be on call and ready to go wherever I was needed. I ran around the center, routinely taking 10,000 steps each day," Ho said, adding that she cherished the most the friendships she formed with her fellow volunteers.