Hello, my name is Linda and this year I was involved in EVS program called - “EVS on Board” held by organization Hors Pistes, in Marseille, France. I have always been passionate about France and French language, that’s why I decided to do my project here, so I could get a new experience and improve my language skills too. At the same time, it was an ability to live in the new culture, to meet people from different countries and different backgrounds, to learn more about their lifestyles, social or political concepts and Marseille is really a city which has a larger degree of multicultural tolerance.
A
little bit of France. The French are generally very nice and hospitable people.
Just learn a bit of their language as you are in their country, make the effort
to mingle and most important – be polite because they are polite and get to
know the real locals. They retain more of the subtleties and courtesies of
life. There are “rituals” to meals, to entering shops, to greeting people, etc.
It is so lovely! Here the phrases « Bonne journée – Have a good day », « S’il vous plait –Please », « Merci –
Thank you », etc. you can hear almost in every sentence.
The French people love their vacations and days off and they are justifiably
proud of their beautiful and varied country, their amazing cuisine and their
contributions to world culture. That’s why it’s amazing and interesting to live
in France!
Concerning my project, I was working in the high school “Marcel Pagnol”
and my tasks were following: participate to actions to promote youth mobility,
lead and animate actions within the high school on different topics (e.g. equal
rights, citizenship, environment), enhance workshops and clubs for the pupils
during, help during the English classes, fill with life « café » : organize exhibitions,
debates, workshops, clubs, games, tutoring, etc.
This time I was
first and only one volunteer in the high school and that made me feel more
responsible for the actions I was going to make. At the beginning I was a bit
scared that it would be difficult to be both a first and all alone. It was also
a challenge to speak in French with native people after having just one year of
experience in this language and I was excited and tensed at the same time.
Luckily,
thanks to the agreeable environment in my school, which helped me a lot to
easily adapt and integrate, everything went really well and it was an
interesting and rewarding experience for me. I can say that I have become more
independent, organized, responsible and I have successfully boosted
self-confidence.
Moreover, by working in the high school I had a possibility to discover new
educational system different from one that exists in Georgia.
It
is very important when you care but more important is how you share it! Even
one question “Ça va?” – which you are asked every second in France makes you
feel that you are not alone and someone is supporting you as they can. EVS
helped me to learn more about myself, learn how to live without my family,
without their help and how to be strong in difficult situations, as well as how
to solve them.
As well, I was able
to work with Hors Pistes, my receiving organization. A group of warm, helpful
people always ready to support you in everything. Furthermore, thanks to this
project I met a lot of great people during this period, including my Mentor,
who helped me not only to explore the city, but also she gave me a big support
and the motivation!
Finally,
this project and all of the experiences have shown me that working and helping
others greatly contributes to my personal development. Therefore, I find
volunteering a way to create the best community and strengthen intercultural
relations. For me this is a great opportunity to work with people from all over
the world, share their opinions, improve my communication skills, explore my
interests and above all help people in need and I intend to continue to get
involved a little more in this area!
