My new home Normandy - France
My new home is directly Normandy, I am doing my EVS here and the Normandy is the most rainy region in the France. France is full of surprises. In France I arrived at 1st October, I have been here all ready more than 3 months. I will go back to Latvia at 31st of August. My friends says to me all the time, that I have to go back sooner, but I am not going to do that, I told to them to be patient. They always can come and visit me in France.
The beginning for me was really challenging, because my level of French was close to the 0. The trip from airport to the city where I live now (Coutances) was full of stress, because it was my first time when I’m going to the country in which language I don’t speak, I was totally alone, with huge luggage. Paris is the central in the France, Coutance – province of the France, to get there I had to change the trains, I was so nervous, I was hoping that I’m on the right way. The day was nice and sunny, I am careful, and I get there without problem, thanks God. Coutances amazed me at the first moment with its beauty, France taste and the landscapes. In the one moment you are at the top of the mountains and you can see amazing view, at the next you are down and look at the city. In the middle of Coutances, there are cathedral and you can see it a way far from Coutances.
As I all ready said, the beginning was really challenging for me, even shopping in the supermarket was real adventure. I was searching for the sugar, 15 different kinds of them, and questions in my head, which is good? Is this really a sugar? Hmmmm, I don’t know how to ask, ok I will just go with this. For me it was really funny, I was enjoying that. Now it’s much easier, I don’t speak briefly jet, but step by step I am going for that. Now I feel safer about traveling around the France. At the first months I was a bit scared, because the whole system was unknown, but now I am totally open for adventures. I all ready have a lots of plans with other EVS volunteers, with my new French friends, and other friends. I am happy that I have and had a chance to meet people who thinks just like me, I am really, really happy about that.
My project. I have spoke a lot with other EVS volunteers in France, we have spoke about their projects, about what they do, and I realized that my project is perfect for me. In Latvia I work in Latvian television as a video maker. The job is interesting, creative, till one point, but the whole day I have to spend at the computer. I like to make videos, but in the same time I love to do some activities, to be outside. My project is in the balance with work outside and work in the office. For example, at the first week, me and my new college, we went to the seaside, to the small village which is 15 min from Coutances. In Normandy you can see that the sea goes relly far away and then comes back. We went to the school to talk with kids about that, why sea does that, why that it’s important to the nature, how the animals have adapted to that. I really enjoyed this activity; I learned some new words in French, because everything was in French. I didn’t understand everything, but it was really cool anyway. Then we went outside to pick up some sea animals, not just snails, but some fishes, shrimps, crabs. More different sea animals than I have seen in Latvia. It was my first time when I saw the ray fish eggs, before that I didn’t have any idea how they look like. One small French girl was really trying to teach me some words in French, but I did not had any idea what she is trying to tell me. But she was really, really sweet and nice, she was my first friend in France. It’s not the only interesting thing that I have done here in the France. M, with kids and young people have planted the trees, clean up the mess after others. We have picked up the ray fish eggs, just to know if everything with the population is all right, we have made some kind of wall from the ground, from really old tradition; we have made rockets, which are fill with water and air. There are so many activities, that I have all ready done, they all were really interesting to me. I like to do different things, there is no day, that I have done the same thing over and over again. I love that activities are different. At the beginning it was a bit difficult to take real initiative, to help, because I didn’t know what to do, how I can help, just because of the language barrier, but now it’s getting better every day. When I will speak French more briefly, I will be easier to work with kids. I my project I learn with kids, there are some things which I all ready new, but here in France I see how it works in France.
Normandy is full of surprises; the weather can change in every 15min during the day. In one moment there is powerful rain, in the next one the sun that powerful just like in the summer. That makes my EVS even more interesting, because I have to count with everything. When we are thinking what we will do in the activities, we have to be prepared for all situations, like what we will do if day will be rainy or sunny. Always in my bag I have waterproof pants. Here in Normandy I use my electrical bicycle, my organization gave me that, and in the Normandy rains a lot. So I live with the thought, there is no bad weather; there are a just bad clothes for that or bad way of thinking. I love my colleges and people around me, they are nice and friendly, I feel good with them. I have participated in different training courses, which was about my EVS, about international mobility, about unformal education, about different kind of projects; I met there so amazing people. All these feelings, all experience, France, as itself, everything, and everything makes me fly, I feel so happy. Culture, people – My point of view gets wider and wider. Here I have a lots of time with myself, I appreciate myself more and more, I can feel that I am growing, it’s interesting to get to know better myself.
I have the feeling that I could write and write… Time flies, at the end of every month, that I have spent here, I stop myself with the thought that one more month has all ready ended. I have done so much, I have learned so much, but there’s so much to do and to learn. So much places to discover in the France. I want to visit other EVS volunteers that I have met already. I have to make videos, because at my organization I am the camera man, and the video is good way how to communicate with others. I like to do that, I am the one who take the videos and then I am making short movies, everyone is happy, me and my colleges.
I can’t wait to see what next month’s will bring to me; I am waiting for that moment when I will speak French more briefly. Of course I miss my friends and family, I miss my mother language, when I can talk without thinking. But all of those are just small thing for me, because, they are away just for the moment. I really love everything what I do, I love my life, adventures and challenges. This experience is amazing, I am so lucky for chance to do this. When people ask me: “Why the France?” I am saying: “I have the feeling the France chose me.” I can’t say why now, but the answer will come to me, I have this feeling. I know that I am here for some kind of reason, I just have to keep my eyes and heart open and the answer will come.
My new home Normandy is wonderful, the project was created for me, I am learning every day, I am growing every day. Adventures, the world is open to me, waiting for me to discover it. Nature, it’s my thing, being outside.