I am in the unique situation of finding myself exposed to three different communities as part of my LiA. Firstly, being in Paris, I am living within the French culture and community. This part of my experience feels both novel and familiar. Growing up, I was educated in a French lycée meaning I am familiar with the language, customs, and have a significant group of French friends/acquaintances. I am therefore able to communicate with the people and conduct myself according to cultural norms without too much difficulty. However, this remains my first time working and living in France which comes with its own set of learning experiences, specifically when it comes to working in a professional environment, navigating public transportation, meeting new people ect.
The second community consists of my fellow volunteers and the people I work with at Serve the City. They come from a diverse background, covering multiple continents and cultures, making for an exceptionally rich experience. We are brought together by a similar outrage and concern for the injustices certain community members face.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, my LiA brings me to work primarily with the refugee community in France. Although we may come from different backgrounds, it is common to have conversations about our cultures (for example, during language exchanges) both in order to make the environment more welcoming but also to learn from each other. Additionally, in an effort to use a language they are comfortable with and facilitate the language process, I used my Farsi skills to communicate with individuals from Afghanistan or Iran. I think this helps me forge a deeper relationship with the beneficiaries and allows them to communicate without a language barrier. Nonetheless, one of the predominant challenges I am facing stems from a concern of lacking the opportunity to teach them/provide assistance to the best of my ability due to language restrictions. This specifically arises in the cases where beneficiaries feel most comfortable speaking in a specific dialect as it is more difficult to find someone else who speaks the language. To combat this, we have tried using technology to translate as well as asking other beneficiaries from the same country if they might be able to help us communicate.
I am attaching a candid photo taken by one of the other volunteers after a Language Exchange session!