I wanted to live an experience outside of France, get out of my comfort zone and get involved in a project that matched my professional and academic motivations, but also and above all with my values. I really wanted to invest myself in something that made sense. Italy is a country that I carry within me, it was truly a purpose to live there for a few months or a few years. At the beginning I went to Palermo for another short personal project. The city was a real shock and very different from when I was there 8 years earlier: I was completely captivated by the intensity of the city, and, not wanting to leave anymore, I found this volunteering project with CESIE.
With Palermo you need to be patience, it took me a while to adapt. It is truly a unique city, I have never felt like that in other big European cities, I find it really very different, but like in all cities, there are good sides (rich cultural life, general atmosphere of chaos but nice) and bad sides (crazy traffic, security problems etc). Personally I loved the abundance side of Palermo, there is always something to do, and as a volunteer with CESIE we are brought to participate in associative and cultural events, it was very interesting to know more about the functioning of associative life in the different districts of Palermo. It’s a city where there are a lot of cultural events, festivals.
As a CESIE volunteer, I worked at the Astalli Center, but I also occasionally supported other local centers that collaborate with CESIE, such as Ubuntu and EPYC, a center dedicated to the social emancipation of young people in Palermo.
In centro Astalli, which is dedicated to people in need, people who have recently arrived in Palermo or for homeless people, my colleagues were mainly young Italians doing civic service. So, I was able to improve my Italian considerably and be fully immersed in a work environment, I learnt a lot. I was mainly at the reception desk, where I was able to direct and support the center’s users within the various services. I also helped with the breakfast service, and was sometimes a teacher for the Italian school. It was quite challenging at first because the language barrier hindered the flow a little, but as time went on, I really felt comfortable and loved the exchanges and sharing. It’s an important center in Palermo and I’m happy to have crossed paths with all these people.
Regarding learning Italian, CESIE offered us classes with Italian teachers at the ItaStra school for foreigners, which helped me a lot.
I also had the opportunity to work with children at Ubuntu and EPYC. It is always very intense with the children, and bonds are formed very quickly. I think you really have to see this volunteering as a global project: you have to start with the idea that you are not going to have very decisive responsibilities or positions; it is an experience that allows, or at least allowed me personally, a real introspection. I was able to be another version of myself, a version of myself in another country, outside of my usual social and friendship circles. It’s always the things that seem small at the time that, over the months, make up this unforgettable experience: the bonds you create with your flatmates who end up becoming real friends, personally I didn’t think the relationships would be so beautiful and strong, the new places that become HQs, I really felt free in Palermo and it gave me a new impetus, a new vision on many things. I really advise everyone to take time in their life, to trust, trust the process, even if you are not sure, to dare.
Pauline Bieber
ESC Volunteer
CESIE ETS – Youth Unit
