Hi! My name is Astrid, I’m 24 years old and I come from France. To be honest, I never dreamed of doing a short-term ESC project in Armenia. This is an opportunity that was offered to me by the association I have been working for this year in France. I thought it was a great opportunity and there was no reason to refuse such an offer – and I’m glad I came here.
The two months went by extremely fast. I cannot believe that it is already over, when it feels like I almost only just arrived. At the same time, I feel like I have spent much more than two months in this country, because so many things happened. I never had time to get bored or feel homesick. Every week was full of encounters with new people and trips to beautiful places in the country.
It was a very interesting experience to live in an ex-USSR country and to experience the persisting influence of Russia in daily life. In spite of it, Armenia still has a very strong culture and traditions of its own, and I’m glad I had the chance to get to know them better during my stay here, the highlight being having the chance to attend an Armenian wedding.
I felt very welcomed by Armenians, whether in my host family, with friends or at my working place. They all wanted me to have a good time here and were willing to show me more about their culture. I would say that the human factor was definitely the best part of this project, as I also got to know a bunch of really nice international people through two Erasmus+ projects. My Armenian skills sadly didn’t improve very much, but I got the chance to practice my English, Spanish, Italian and even learn some Russian.
Of course there were also some less pleasant moments during those two months. I nearly had an accident every time I sat in a car, but here I am, safe and sound in spite of the craziness of Armenian drivers. I also really struggled with the weather, so boiling hot during the day and so often stormy in the evenings. Finally, I have to admit that I didn’t feel very stimulated by the work at the language center, even though I liked this activity and the woman I was working with was very nice and welcoming. I don’t feel like I gained significant experience or new skills that I will be able to use in my professional life in the future. But maybe it’s just too soon for me to realize all the benefits of my ESC project.
All in all, I’ve had a very good time here, I enjoyed stunning landscapes and warm company, and I hope I’ll get to see all the lovely people I met here again.
