To whoever is reading this blog-post: it is nice to meet you. My name is Romaric, and I am a 23-year-old French man. It is the first time you are hearing about me, but it won’t be the last, as I will be staying here for a whole year. I arrived on September 1st, and before going further in this blog-post, I would like to explain the reasons for my arrival in İzmir – it may help some readers making their decision, who knows?
Since 2021, I have come to İstanbul a few times, six to be precise. During those trips, I developed a great interest in Turkish history, politics, and the Turkish language. With all those new passions in mind, I decided to become a diplomat and specialize in Türkiye. That is why I was studying law at university. I was doing well and I was happy about it until the second year: the grades were satisfying, but the passion for law wasn’t there anymore. I made the tough decision to stop studying law. However, all my interests related to Türkiye were still alive, and I truly wanted to make something of it. That is when I discovered the ESC program, and my desire to join Pi Youth Association was born.
After leaving university, I needed something new in my life to focus on what I love, toimprove myself in many areas, and to be useful at the same time. The project that Pi Youth Association offered fulfilled my needs entirely, and I immediately applied to be a volunteer in their organization. A few days later, I had an interview. A few weeks later, I received an email saying I had been selected. A few months later, I landed for the first time in İzmir.
My life in İzmir
The first week was really intense but definitely a cornerstone for the year. September 1st was a Sunday. I arrived at the airport exhausted, but luckily, Zehra – a member of Pixel Team, the local volunteers – came to pick me up and took care of everything until I arrived home. There, I met Lorenzo, an Italian volunteer and the guy I share my bedroom with in Buca. But there wasn’t much time to talk, as this Sunday was the perfect opportunity to rest and do nothing but sleep. Later that day, Justus and Emilie – German and French volunteers– arrived and did the same as me: they slept until the first day of the on-arrival week. Later that month, two other French volunteers, Nina and Yann, arrived to complete the Buca team.
Together, we took our first bus in İzmir, and the four of us arrived first at the office, where Muhsin welcomed us. It was strange to finally see him in person after having exchanged so many emails and video calls in the past months. The rest of the volunteers arrived, and the people I would share my adventures with in İzmir were all here. I am really thankful to Muhsin and Emilie (who is working in office as well) for organizing this on-arrival week because it helped us bond. I had expected to spend this year alone without talking much to anyone, but now I’m afraid to leave them at the end of this journey. After that, the first month slowly settled down, and we spent most of our time visiting our workshop locations and handling administrative paperwork.
In the first week of October, we went to Samsun for our big on-arrival week. I say “big” because this was not just for our small team of volunteers but for all the volunteers in Türkiye participating in the ESC program. What I remember most from that week, organized by the National Agency, were the people I met: people from Azerbaijan, Morocco, Russia,Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic… We also learned a lot of interesting things about our program. We left Samsun on October 4th and returned to İzmir. This marked the beginning of our real journey in İzmir: the week after Samsun, everything picked up speed, and our common agenda was filled with activities.
My work in İzmir
After returning from Samsun, I started diving into the real work. During the first week, I spent most of my time in the office, which I’m really grateful for because it is exactly what I had hoped for. My role here is mainly to assist Alperen, who manages the ESC Humanitarian Aid program, with his daily responsibilities. Through this work, I began to understand the scale of what Pi Youth Association does. It is not just about tasks; it is about recognizing the dedication of everyone involved. I can already tell that this year will be a significant learning experience for me.
This week was also marked by our very first Cultural Night event: French Cultural Night. Along with the other French volunteers, we worked hard to ensure its success, and judging by the turnout, we did a great job. A lot of people showed up, and after the event, we all went out together. For me, this event was a definite highlight, a chance to share my culture and bond with others.
The following week, when I’m actually writing this blog-post, I had the opportunity to visit a middle/high school to give a presentation with Muhsin and Lilia-Maïlys, another French volunteer. This event was a fantastic opportunity for me to practice public speaking, and I feel really satisfied with how it went. I also really enjoyed engaging with the students afterward — they were full of energy and questions.
The day after the presentation, I headed to Gaziemir for my first workshop. It was with a group of women, aged 29 to 60, who were eager to improve their English. I spent an hour with them, and the experience was so rewarding. I think they enjoyed it too — one of them even gifted me and Lorenzo some beautiful handmade bracelets. I’m looking forward to continuing these workshops with them and can’t wait to meet more new people as this journey unfolds.
