Julie Guan gets up close and personal with China's giant pandas. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

As I sweep up scattered bamboo leaves inside a cage, a black and white shape behind me watches my every move with curious dark eyes. The shape is that of China's most famous animal, the giant panda – a creature I have only previously seen on television or in pictures.

This summer I volunteered at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan and had the once in a lifetime chance to get within three feet.

Born and raised in America, very rarely had I ever seen a panda. In the United States, there are no such things as wild giant pandas. I had anticipated this moment ever since my mother told me that we would be volunteering at the center.

When my cousin and I arrived at the facility and received our uniforms and gloves, any nervousness I had felt during the car ride quickly faded and morphed into excitement. We filed into the volunteer cart and waited for the driver to take us up a hill to the panda cages.