Hi. My name is Sonia and for 12 months (2014/2015) I was an EVS volunteer in L’Aigle, France (Normandy). Information about what the European Voluntary Service is can be found without any problem on the internet, but it is only a theory. In practice, it turned out to be much better than I could have imagined.

Being a volunteer means working for a selected NGO. Mine consisted, among others, in conducting classes with children, recording own radio broadcasts, maintaining contacts with foreign partners, helping to create youth exchange and participating in the organization of various cultural events in the city. But not everything at once! At first I got some time to acclimatize and with time I started to get more involved. The first big thing I did myself was to prepare an exhibition about Poland. This allowed me to talk a little bit about my country, but also to learn more about France. I also baked a few cakes especially for this occasion (my mother even sent me poppy-seed cakes from Poland!) but, to put it mildly, they didn’t work out the way I wanted them to… Unfortunately, it turned out that I didn’t know how to handle a gas oven… Despite that, the French liked everything and even wanted me to explain the recipes to them! I remember I thought to myself then: Oh, man, I think I’m gonna like it here!

Starting in a new place or a new country, as you know, is never easy, and your head hurts from listening to people speaking a foreign language every day. There is even a special term for this – cultural shock. It always appears when you are abroad for a long time. Sometimes you feel it stronger, sometimes weaker, but you always have to be prepared for it, because if you survive a few difficult moments at the beginning, it can only get better later. I know what I am saying! There were indeed a few moments in my case, although now that I think about it, I just want to laugh. I remember, for example, that for a very long time I couldn’t understand that when asked „Ca va?” (What’s up?) you can’t answer „oh I had a hard day”… Then I thought: Why do they ask me if they don’t care?!

But I tried not to focus on things that annoyed me, I was always looking for curiosities, asking lots of questions and making the French think (haha!). I found out, among others.., that in the French version of the film Rrrrr (this is one of those films whose dialogues are quoted many times at my house) all the characters are named Pierre, not Adam and Eve; in French, it’s not „putting someone out to wind” but „putting a rabbit to someone” (the direct translation of this phrase is not perfect, but I wanted to highlight this rabbit the most) and that when there is more food left on the table than there is space in the stomach, you have to drink a glass of Calvados and you can continue eating!

Yes, the European Voluntary Service is work and getting to know a new culture, but there is something else. Travelling! Of course not! At the beginning and half of the volunteering, you have to take part in a training course together with other volunteers in your country. This way, there is no shortage of volunteers willing to go on trips together! I was also lucky to have another volunteer in my organization – Lili from Russia, so I didn’t have to look far for company. I saw Europe’s largest Christmas market in Strasbourg, spent New Year’s Eve in sunny Barcelona, watched live games of the Volleyball Champions League in Berlin, walked all over London, learned how useful couchsurfing is thanks to amazing people from Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Nantes, Brest and Rennes… I only regret that even though I’ve been to Paris many times, I’ve never had the chance to see everything. Well, now I have an excuse to go back there 😉

Coming back to work, everything I’ve learnt I can now write down in my CV in the „experience” section. Unfortunately, at the end of high school I wasn’t able to write too much there… Example: Working with children – yes, I already did! Working on the radio – yes, I already know how to do it! International projects – a piece of cake! Event organization – it was! To confirm all this I got a certificate – Youthpass, which I always join all the applications, because it will be interesting for someone and thanks to that I will stand out from the crowd. Besides, I noticed that when I made the decision to leave, I included something in my life that will probably stay with me forever. What I have experienced has changed me a lot, for the better. I came back to Poland charged with positive energy and with the idea that I can do everything and I can do anything! When I came back I also realized that I missed my volunteer life, so I started to get involved in the work of the organization in Poland. Now I can get to know this world from another side. This is just the beginning and I can’t wait to see what will happen next. I always tell my friends: Who knows where I’m going to land, all I know is that there will be a day