26 Dec 2017

Jessica's impression

Hey! I am Jessica.

It is already 3 months, I am doing my EVS here in GYE. Just 3 months and I will go back to France.

So may you wandering how I feel while I am in Georgia and working in GYE ?

Good, it's a great experience to live abroad in this country, which I have never heard before coming. Now I learn a little language, I get to know more or less about the culture and meet new people.
I like living in Rustavi, but sometimes I like to hangout and have a relaxing evening in Tbilisi, because there are more options to go out with friends and have a bottle of beer.

What about my volunteering job? It's cool to work in GYE where I am leading French club for beginners and same time I got the other clubs as well. I love to see youngsters coming in organization chatting with them and having good time together. We have once a week free event day where we are able to manage and organize event for the youngsters. Since October we had different activities, for example bare wolf, Karaoke night, Just Dance, Halloween and so on.  I very like working with kids from Sapovnela day center, they are visiting our office once a week and we are making sport activities, team building games with them. We have made together lot of handcrafts. Those kids are so active and cute, even they don't know English they try to talk with you and it’s cool!
While I see a result of my work I am really proud of myself and want to do more. I try to be closer with the youngsters in the association and have a good relationship with them.

About other Things ...
I meet a lot of nice people, Georgians, Americans, Germans, Slovaks and etc. During my on-arrival training I got acquainted people doing their volunteering service in Armenia, I made friends in there and we have shared our experience with each other.
I have good memories in Georgia.  I have done my first hike in Lagodekhi  Protected area, I made my first hitchhike here, I have seen many places I have been in Samshvilde,Vardzia,and Kutaisi. It was cool to see different place and discovered Georgia.

I also went to Azerbaijan for 5 days in the beginning of December but actually I'm not fanned, I prefer Georgia, because people are friendlier, it's more easy to hitchhike here than in Azerbaijan.

So I really enjoy here.  And I'm sad to think that I have to leave 3 months.
But I will never forget my experience here! And for sure I will come back again! I think I will miss Khachapuri and Lobiani!


Thank you!






20 Dec 2017

French EVS Volunteer

Lea:  Having wonderful memories of my Erasmus spent in Lithuania, I wanted to renew this experience with EVS. I was looking for experience with young public, by browsing the various projects on the Europe site, GYE attracted my interest. And Georgia allowed me to get out of my comfort zone to face new challenges.
Monday October 2, 2017, I arrived at the airport of Tbilisi. After taking my luggage on the carpet, I look for my name that will be written on an A4 sheet ... I finally discovered this sign held by a girl who seems to be the same age as me: my coordinator, Nana!
The adventure begins. 
During the first weeks I take my marks in the city of Rustavi where I will live for a year. What luck, we have shops just minutes from the house and GYE is in the building next to ours.
I try to adapt to the functioning of the association, the clubs that we must animate. As during each adaptation time, I feel very tired. At the end of a month, I realize that something is missing in my daily life to feel in an optimal form. Not really knowing the surroundings, I do not often run while I love it but the urban planning of the city is not very excited for a pleasant sport session.
I decide to go looking for a pool. And I found it.
We have a lot of time. Free time that I need to fill. That's why I decided to take online courses to keep an intellectual activity. This is a good point to think about his post EVS project.
The difference of language is still very present, despite our weekly Georgian lessons. They are enough to go to shop our groceries and ask for information but not enough to hold a real conversation.
The atmosphere with the other volunteers is friendly. We plan to travel, discover a place in Georgia or somewhere else every weekend. Traveling is cheap because we do a lot of hitchhiking; which sometimes gives us great surprises.