Volunteered from
MATTHIEU FROM FRANCE
Matthieu wrote:
Give and you will receive!
I went three weeks to the Non-Governmental Organization, led by Anna and Herman (they can send you my report for more information).
First of all, I taught math and physics courses to Form 6 students ("Terminale" in France). Either I explained my lesson with the presence of the teacher in the class or I was alone, a beautiful mark of confidence! At first, the students were shy, but by dint of seeing me, they became more and more comfortable to the point that during the classes taught alone, they participated and went to the blackboard for each example.
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Furthermore, I offered a lot of gifts to the Tanzanians (left from Paris with 47 kg of luggage, I came home with only ¼ of that weight) but I received so much in return.
What gave me the most pleasure; I will say without hesitation, that it is the sharing in general:
* The adults, all extremely friendly, are caring and attentive. I learned a great deal about Tanzania, about its customs and traditions.
* With the students, very close to my age, a good complicity established. We talked about the differences in our respective countries and here again the conversations are enriching. We shared various activities such as contemporary dance / singing, beatbox and other games, which allowed us to discover the kinds of distractions we enjoy during our free time.
* The youngsters, who welcomed me with the traditional dance and singing (while arriving at the football game which opposed two schools), were vibrating in unison: a very warm moment.
* Finally, children aged 4-5 are enthusiastic, spontaneous and endearing. For example, they hastened to show me the playground, to help me carry my bag and to take me by the hand: they made me laugh a lot!
To summarize, this "Workaway" offered me the opportunity to open myself to another culture, by being directly in touch with the inhabitants. I am sincerely grateful to all the people I met on my way and especially to Anna and Herman, thanks to whom this extraordinary adventure has been feasible.
A thousand times thank you!
Herman Longo reply to Matthieu:
What a joy to welcome Matthieu among us! I would definitely recommend him to every host in the world.
Not only is he smiling, he communicates easily, but in addition, he has an altruistic nature, he is someone who loves to please.
Indeed, he brought a multitude of presents (thank you as well to his mother for her contribution) like clothes, French food, multicolored paper sheets, mobile phones, movies in English (that students can watch on the computer), board games and so on. In short, many people have received a memory from him.
Furthermore, Matthieu helped well us by teaching mathematics and physics courses to Form 6 students. He prepared his lessons and exercises beforehand so that he achieved to manage his class as a real teacher.
Matthieu is a voluntary person too. For example, he spontaneously asked the headmaster of the school if he could give French lessons to 4-5 years old kids and he had an idea. Knowing that he could not distribute a figurine to all the children in the class, he decided to reward the 30 pupils who best pronounced the French alphabet. A good way to encourage children to work well!
Again, thank you Matthieu for all these charming attention, the Tanzanians have definitely adopted you, you are and you will remain in their heart forever.