2024: Report from a French holiday worker in Bonn / Germany
During my stay in Bonn, I resided with four different families, who I was introduced to on my arrival in Germany, during a get-together organised by Tina and Simone. The first family to welcome me was Ingrid and Wolfgang. It was my first time in another country on my own and I needed time to adapt to the German language and my new environment. Ingrid and Wolfgang were very kind and attentive to me during the two weeks I stayed with them. Their house was quite close to the shop where I worked, and the short commute made it easy to get to my work-place in the morning.
Ingrid and Wolfgang showed me around the city of Bonn when I came back from work, by bike rides along the Rhine, visits to different museums, and emblematic places in the city. This experience with my first family helped me to integrate better and to improve my language skills.
Then I went to Helga's, who didn't live in Bonn, but in a village 15 minutes from the shop. She was very welcoming and spoke French, which made it a little easier for us to communicate. I lived on the top floor, in a sort of small studio with a bathroom, fridge and bed. I often cycled from her house to Bonn when I had finished work, to get to know the city better. Helga was very kind to me and I never lacked anything with her.Finally, the last person who hosted me was Doris. I enjoyed my stay there because I spent most of my free time with her family, who kindly included me in their activities. I also visited some monuments with them, including the Drachenburg Castle, which you can see from the other side of the Rhine. I stayed with Doris for the last week of my stay. She welcomed my mother when she came to pick me up, it was a warm welcome and the stay ended very well.
My work-place was a Biomarkt in Bonn-Bad Godesberg. I worked there for about a month and a half. I worked mornings from Monday to Saturday. During the week I started at 7:30 am and on Saturdays at 6:30 am. My main task was to stock the fresh produce section, which includes meat, cheese and dairy products. I also stocked the frozen food section, and sometimes helped out in the grocery and fruit and vegetable sections. I was made very welcome by Axel, the manager, who showed me around the shop. I underwent a week’s training with another employee (Nathan) and then I started working independently. I was able to expand my vocabulary, to the extent of perfecting and mastering it, to then use it again in my day-to-day work. This experience has been a personal enrichment, already professionally, because it has allowed me to expand my range of work experience. It also made me discover another culture, with its culinary customs, monuments and above all its language. On the whole, it was a very positive experience for me. It is a unique opportunity that does not come along very often and it is definitely worth seizing if the opportunity presents itself.
Gaëtan Santana
association of Rennes
France
