Passing in the Blink of an Eye

Wow I can't believe that it's nearly 2 weeks ago since I said my parents were about to arrive!!! That's seems completely crazy because I simply do not know where the time has gone.  It was absolutely amazing to have them here, to share the culture with them and introduce them to the great people I have met here.  It's just a shame they couldn't stay longer to be honest because there is so much more to see!

First night in my fave bar with the parents :D

Throughout the week I showed them so many things.  We started with dancing Salsa on the first night they were here.  I think that was an education in itself!!! And they certainly joined in (I've got videos and pictures to show it).  It is very cool to be able to take my parents out like that! We visited Lille, including the park, the zoo and the old town, as well as other things, such as the huge Wazemmes Sunday Market.  A lovely woman that works here and her husband took us all to Brugges on the Monday, we visited the awesome couple I stayed with when I was 17 years old, in a tiny village called Grivesnes near Amiens the Tuesday and spent the day in Paris the Wednesday.  As you can imagine, all very tiring but incredible, with plenty of gorgeous food eaten along the way (homemade by the 2 couples and in restaurants!).

Mum, me and Benedicte in Brugges !

Visiting the primary school I did an exchange in when 17 years old in Grivesnes

Parents very happy to be up the Eiffel Tower

Laughs all around as we visit different parts of Lille !

Since my parents left on Saturday I've already been busy !!! On Monday I had a one-to-one Advanced English workshop on the morning. It was so great because it was a young person who would normally be too shy to talk in groups, but when it was just us, she was really starting to join in the conversation well.  We did a lot of pronunciation practise by reading through the leaflets I brought from England.  They were rather complicated, so after reading through for pronunciation, we then read through again to look for sentence structures and vocabulary that were particularly hard.  When I couldn't explain it in English, rather than turning to French speaking I used drawings, which worked so well.

On the Monday afternoon, I went with Yves to Douai, a town not too far away, to visit Fabienne who works there in La Mission Locale de Douaisis.  I have had a lot of contact with Fabienne because young people come from la Mission Locale there to here for my English workshops.  Yves and I attended a meeting with around 10 young people who are possibly interested in doing a European Voluntary Service project.  I talked a little about what it's like doing a project and just generally about myself, as well as being asked questions.  Afterwards, we briefly visited the offices and met other people who work there, which was great, before dashing back on the train.

Yesterday afternoon (Tuesday), I went to the Service Civique Internationale (SCI), where the 2 volunteers Biljana and Eszter are based.  We had all worked with four short-term French volunteers for their pre-departure training before the attended a 4 week environmental project in Turkey.  As they had just returned, we had an evaluation event with them.  It was very interesting to hear about their experiences (both good and bad!) and to see all the beautiful photos!

The best thing I want to talk about today has to be my latest 2nd place win ;-) In September I wrote a poem for a competition that the British Council ran for Youth In Action participants.  In the writing category I got 2nd place in the UK, followed by another girl in 3rd place also from Everything is Possible in Leeds. How great is that ?! On the 24th November we will both be attending an awards ceremony in London, accompanied by Ash and Raphaël from Everything is Possible :D :D I'm so pleased for us both and for our amazing sending organisation !!!   Also, with my poetry I've got so much I've written previously (in fact my own little book) but I've only ever had the nerve to publish a few through Facebook, so it is so gratifying to know that the first time I do dare, it really pays off :D Certainly a welcome addition to my CV anyhow!!!

If you would like to see the poem, please feel free to go to this website and follow the link to "Youth in Action".  There you will see my name ;-)

http://competition.lifelonglearningprogramme.org.uk/

For now I'm going to head off.  I can't believe I'm leaving 3 weeks today and that all the tickets are booked.  It's going to be the end of a very profound and life-changing experience, but at the same time the start of a new chapter in my life, which is incredibly exciting.  The life of a volunteer is not necessarily easy, but it is so interesting.  You meet so many amazing people whom you know sooner or later you will have to say bye to, but who will always be a part of your life and who you may once again see one day.  We had to say goodbye to a great volunteer from Azerbaidjan on Monday, Elshan, who left Tuesday morning after his 6 month project.  He is now a great friend and will always be in touch :-)

Just a final note, if you want a giggle, ask a French person with a strong English accent to say either "sheet" or "beach" ! I also find "rowing" is pronounced reallllly cute ;-) I'm cheeky I know !!!

Passé une bonne semaine tout le monde !!