My name is Marta Martinez and like all members of the CISLA Class of 2018, I am a rising senior. I am originally from Spain and studied at UWC of the Adriatic (Italy) from 2011 to 2013. When I was applying to colleges I was looking for opportunities to keep studying abroad and expanding my horizons. Connecticut College offered exactly that.
I remember arriving to Conn and first hearing about CISLA through one of my good friends and CISLA graduate, Nabeeh Asim. After doing some further research and talking to my professors of French and Spanish, I knew that I wanted to apply. In my second year at Conn, I was lucky enough to become one of the students chosen to participate at the center, and I can now say with absolute certainty that I made the right choice.
As an International Relations and French double-major, I knew that I wanted to combine my two areas of study while interning abroad. After researching many organizations in France, I decided to commit to Kiron France, a young but growing organization that is also established in Germany, Jordan, and Turkey. My junior year passed by very quickly, specially since I spent it all abroad (at La Sorbonne (France) in the fall, and UCL (in the U.K.) in the Spring). My French skills improved a lot during my semester in France, but I must say that they have improved even at a faster rate since I have started my internship in Paris this summer. I hope this blog post serves as a source of inspiration for those who may be considering Conn and/or CISLA, but also as an opportunity for self-reflection of my first month as an intern. To me, there are two key aspects of my internship experience in France this summer. On the one hand, my work with Kiron and what I have learned thus far. On the other hand, the language and how being immersed in the French culture has truly had an impact on me.
Let me start off by giving a short overview of my summer internship with Kiron France. I arrived to Paris in mid-May, in the midst of le printemps. I moved to an apartment in Montmartre, an arrondissement that I didn’t know very well. The first days of work at Kiron’s office in the 15th arrondissement passed by very quickly. My supervisor introduced me to Kiron’s mission and areas of action, and I immediately felt welcomed by a team of mostly students and young professionals. The office itself is very international, and I can count at least five different languages that are spoken on a daily basis on top of my head. Franglish is how most of the members of the team communicate with each other, which inspired me to put myself even more “out there” as a student of French. When you are surrounded by talented, hard-working people that speak languages other than their own by choice, it is inevitable to feel inspired by them and try your best as well. After learning in detail about Kiron’s mission and work ethic, I became even more interested on the cause that brought me here.
Kiron France started off as a student initiative in 2016, just when the refugee crisis peaked in Europe, inspired by Kiron Germany. As of today, Kiron France counts with over thirty volunteers who are tremendously dedicated to the cause. Kiron’s mission is to provide free higher education to refugees – a topic that I will be studying in my Senior Integrative Project. I am doing research while interning at Kiron on the ways in which NGOs in France have become counter-terrorist actors. In the context of modern-day France, a country that has been hit by extremist terrorist attacks, and that is experiencing a growing fear of radicalization, I find this topic extremely relevant. I am truly inspired by the work that Kiron does, and how all of its volunteers are so dedicated to the cause. On the other hand, the fact that Kiron France started as a student initiative motivates me to keep working so hard here. Isn’t it incredible that an initiative that was started by eight students at a cafe has become such an inspiring association? Kiron’s perseverance, hard work, passion, and commitment to human rights is the perfect fit for me.
My work at the office varies a lot from day to day, since I am interning at the organization circle (the management section of Kiron France). Most of my tasks include organizing workshops, researching work-life balance best practices, updating internal policies… In short, I try to help make the organization better-off in the long-run. As you can imagine, there are many ways to approach this goal, and so I try to give my own perspectives to the team. I feel heard, respected, and that my opinion matters, which I value incredibly. I would have never imagined that this past week I would have co-organized my first workshop on volunteer management, so I am really grateful for this opportunity. Despite being a full-time member of the organization circle, I also collaborate with the circle dedicated to student services. I have helped organize two language tests with the British Council in Paris, and that has allowed me to meet Kiron’s students (my favorite part of working at Kiron).
As I have already mentioned, Kiron is a very international institution. Everyone speaks at least two languages, and it is not unusual to hear multiple languages at the same time in our office. One of my main motivations to come to France this summer was to learn French, and for this purpose, I am trying to be as involved in the French culture as I can. Living in Montmartre, so close to many of the most multicultural areas of the French capital (like Barbes and Clignancourt), has helped me understand that there are uncountable definitions of France, as well as of being French. One of my favorite activities in Paris is to simply go grocery shopping to the local boucheries and boulangeries. Sometimes it is easy to lose perspective in a city as big as Paris, but by putting myself out there and speaking French to the locals I am able to re-connect with that aspect of their culture. If I had to give one recommendation to someone new to Paris, that would be to get out of their comfort zone. It may seem logical to stay at home on Saturdays after a long week, but you never know when you are going to study or intern abroad again, so profitez-en bien!
I am very grateful for my experience in Paris thus far, and I am looking forward to telling you more about it.
A très bientôt!
Marta
