Sitting here writing this blog merely days before I embark on a journey to Brčko, Bosnia, I wonder how I got here. It’s all in the chain of events, I suppose, the decisions you make and the actions you take in your life. And suddenly, one day, you surprise yourself and find yourself doing something you never thought you had the guts to do. Anyway, first of all, I’d like to introduce myself.
My name is Emilie. With a British mother and a Canadian father, I was born in Paris, where I ended up spending the first 18 years of my life. So I guess I was always going to be one of those multi-cultural, multi-lingual expats, itching to see more of the world. I left France after graduating from a bilingual international school to study English literature at the University of Bristol for three years. As soon as I was finished, I was off again, interning at a human rights organisation in Geneva, Switzerland, for three and a half months. Then I fancied moving to London and discovering the capital.
In London, I completed another internship for a non-profit organisation, worked on the 2011 UK Census and as a private tutor, and took Spanish classes. But already, after living in London for only five months, I could feel the desire to see more of the world eating away at me. So when I received an email from Youth Networks about an opportunity to be an EVS (European Voluntary Service) volunteer with Svitac (Firefly Bosnia), an organisation that works with youth in ex-Yugoslavia to promote understanding between Croats, Serbs and Bosnians, I was game. Since then, it’s all been a bit of a rush really.
I was interviewed over the phone and offered a position within two weeks of applying and I only booked my flights to and from Ljubljana, Slovenia, this week. From Ljubljana, I’ll take a long bus journey to my final destination. I’m really looking forward to volunteering for Svitac and discovering a new country, culture and language.
I think I’ll enjoy being in a multi-cultural environment again. I’ve also always found working with young people quite fulfilling and inspiring and generally feel pretty young myself! I like creative writing, dance and theatre, and hope to organise those kinds of workshops in Bosnia, as well as teaching a bit of English and French. But most importantly I like to feel like the work I do has an impact, and I think this will definitely be the case in Bosnia. I read One Day, by David Nicholls, recently and was very pleasantly surprised with it. There’s a quote I really like, when Emma Morley is thinking about her future the day after graduation: “simply try and be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you.” Maybe I can try to make a difference in Bosnia… In any case, it will most definitely be an exciting experience. As the French say, en avant l’aventure!
Welcome to Bosnia Emilie!
