Réunion YOUTH EXCHANGE
On Friday 13 February a group of West Norfolk Young People embarked on an exciting visit led by by King’s Lynn Arts Centre’s Assistant Director, Elise Prosniewski, to Adfir - a host organisation in Réunion. The project was funded by Erasmus +. The Arts Centre has applied for funding for a return visit to King’s Lynn in August.
ADFIR is a non profit organisation which works for sustainable development, youth actions, projects and social inclusion. This French association receives funding from public bodies and is based in the town of Saint-André. Their mission is to:
· Enhance the environmental and tourism development;
· Promote training and integration of youth;
· Promote sports and cultural activities through events;
· Raising awareness of sustainable development and ecology.
Liam Briscoe, King’s Lynn Arts Centre’s European & Education Awareness Intern, is providing us with a daily blog detailing the ten day trip.
Saturday 14th February
We arrived to a warm welcome on the island after a very tiring ten hour flight from Paris. Each member of the group was given a rose, a symbol of love, as a welcome gift. We were then transported from the airport to the mountains, where we would be staying for the next few days. The group instantly fell in love with the breath-taking views of our new surroundings.
Once we had arrived at the lodgings we took part in a series of activities so that everyone could introduce themselves. We shared our names and other facts about ourselves to one another before sitting down to have lunch together. We enjoyed breaking bread with our new friends and were offered a range of local hams, chicken and salad to have in our rolls.
Afterwards, both English and French members of the group sat down to play a game of ‘Uno’ together. This was a great way to share English and French language as well as creating some friendly competition.
Later on the Réunionese cooked a traditional meal for us, which consisted of layers of a local fruit from Réunion and white sauce, much like lasagne.
After the meal we were given the opportunity to watch a musical performance in front of a cinema. The group then returned to our cabins in the mountains, feeling very tired after a long day, but very much keen to explore more of the island.
Sunday 15th February
Today the group had an early start and headed to one of the local parks here on the island. Sundays are a day of family activities for the people of Reunion, when time is spent getting together, eating, talking and enjoying each other's company.
AFIR had set up marquees with a range of activities for the public to take part in, these included sack racing, dominoes and a cake sale. To help with the fundraising for the youth exchange, the group were first asked to introduce themselves in French on a stage in the middle of the park. We were then given the task of selling raffle tickets with which the public could win prizes such as blenders and massage kits. This provided us with a fantastic opportunity to talk to the local people, who welcomed us in a friendly manner. People would often ask where we had travelled from and for more information on the exchange.
Once again we sampled some traditional dishes made with chicken, fish and rice, which was eaten with our hands which is the local custom. There were also some extremely hot onions, which took some of the girls by surprise!
We were entertained with a comedy performance by a local group, who visit schools to address important issues on the island such as how to prevent and fight AIDS. One of the events involved traditional dancing, which we were given the opportunity to take part in. It was wonderful to feel welcomed into the Réunionese culture. Sundays are a family day here and we have felt completely embraced by our new Réunion family.
Monday 16th February
The day started with a series of small vocal rhythm activities, in which we had to repeat a series of actions demonstrated by group leaders. This provided us with a much needed wake-up call and got everyone ready for the day!
We then went for a small walk higher into the mountains. Close to our cabins we found a tourist information centre, surrounded by a series of buildings that housed studios for artists. The artists welcomed us in and showed us how they make their craft, which gave us amazing insight into how people make their living on the island. It's pleasing to see that on Reunion they give art and craft an amazing opportunity to thrive.
We then returned to our cabins and split into three groups. Each group had a different task: the first would go to the cyber café to begin working on the blog; the second would prepare dinner, and the last group gathered plants and flowers to decorate the cabins for the evening’s festivities.
The night got under way with music, and the Reunionese were more than happy to help those of us less talented at dancing! Then my personal highlight of the night came - the food! We ate on banana skins as per Reunionese tradition and used our fingers, which now is becoming more natural for us, when eating dinner. It was an evening filled with celebrating and showing respect to the African culture that has shaped this island.
Today provided us with an understanding of how island life is, and how heritage plays an important factor.
Tuesday 17th February
Our day started with a brief visit to the ADFIR offices and we had the chance to meet some of the members of staff. Following this, the group had a bonding session with a series of songs from England -'row row row your boat' was particularly enjoyed by everyone!
We then had a short journey to the town hall to learn more about the history of the island, and how the island is formed of many cultures and religions. We then ate rice, chicken and pork for lunch at a local restaurant which was extremely well received by all, and tasted a lot like Chinese food.
Next was a visit to a sugar and rum production plant. We were lucky enough to be able to taste a range of jams and cakes which had been produced by using locally grown sugars and rum. After this, we received a tour of the facilities and learned about how they make and store different type of rums, and were given a selection of rums to taste – all of which had been made on-site.
We ended the extremely warm, and very long, day by heading to a local waterfall to relax and soak our feet. The views were spectacular and really made us wish we could stay here on the island!
Wednesday 18th February
Today we were working alongside a theatre production group, taking part in a series of activities designed to help us bond. We stood face to face as the leader told us a series of emotions which we then had to replicate. Our next task was to throw a series of invisible balls to each other whilst saying the colour that we imagined them to be (in French, of course).
Towards the end of the workshop we played a game similar to splat: the leader called out one of our names and that person had to duck. The people to their left and right then had to ‘shoot’ each other. The winner stayed in the circle and the loser would sit and watch from the outside. The last two survivors would go back to back and have one last show down to decide the final champion.
We enjoyed this as it was a fun and interesting way of bonding with each other - plus a little added competitive bonus!
Thursday 19th February
Today was our last morning in the mountains. The group sat down to have breakfast for the last time in the cabins before starting to clean and make sure that all everything was in the correct place.
Once this was finished, we packed up the vans and said our last goodbyes to the cabins. For the rest of the week we will be staying on the west side of the island near the beaches of La Reunion. On the way we managed to stop at one of the many Hindu temples on the island. The statues and colours were breath-taking, and really made us appreciate the many beliefs that live and work in harmony here.
We arrived at our new house which has all the modern appliances we could ask for (including wi-fi)! This pleased a lot of the group as they could finally let loved ones know how they are getting on. After everyone settled in, we went for a little walk into the town nearby and had a small shopping spree. Afterwards, we got to dip our feet into the beach - its clear blue waters are just stunning.
For the night’s activities we went to a bar for an open mic night. Two participants (one English and one Renuionese) sang a song that they wrote together. The crowd loved them and we were given a warm welcome once again.
Friday 20th February
Today started with a storm - very fitting that it happened on the day we were due to have ‘English Night’! We had some free time in the morning to prepare actives for the evening and make decorations for our new house.
In the afternoon we went to the market to buy some gifts for loved ones and for tonight's entertainment.
Before the evening festivities started everyone had their face painted. English flags, Union Jacks and phrases like "I love England" were on display. The night’s dress code was ‘anything red, white and blue’. Some extra decorations were made for people to wear from ribbon - like bracelets and headbands.
For dinner, we made three different casseroles for the Reunionese people to try - one beef, one chicken and one pork. We made a range of foods to accommodate the various religious beliefs which restrict eating certain types of meat.
To start the night’s activities, we had to do the test that every Englishman has to do - the Marmite taste! The reactions were mixed (as always), but sadly it would appear it was not well received by the Reunionese people.
Before dinner we had a series of traditional Norfolk/ English dances. The maypole dance was the most rewarding for everyone as we got to see the ribbon tied up at the end. After we danced we ate the casseroles, followed by sponge pudding and sweets for dessert. We then had tea and sang old war songs. The rest of the night was spent dancing and playing games such as ‘pin the crown on the queen’.
Saturday 21st February
This morning we headed off to some of the local beaches. The views of the island are stunning and continue to take our breath away. After stopping for a while, we went to a turtle reserve to learn about trade and what the locals craft from turtle shells. It was interesting, yet shocking, to see animals being used in such a way, and some of the group found this particularly distressing.
Later on we had some free time to explore the island further before getting ready for the night’s activities.
In the evening, we sat down to a hearty meal before setting out to sample some of Reunion’s night life. Everyone put their best frocks on and we walked down the road to a local bar. It was surprising to us how familiar the place seemed – it was as though someone had picked up one of King’s Lynn’s night clubs and moved it to the island. It seems we can’t go far without being reminded of home and just how small our world is!
Sunday 22nd February
The day began with an introduction into how the Reunionese create traditional instruments, and the ways in which other islands and cultures have influenced a change in technique over the years. We were then taught how to make own versions of them The process involved hammering canes onto small wooden frame to form a box and small beads were then dropped into the box which allowed us to make sounds by shaking – similar to a maraca.
We kept with the musical theme in the afternoon. The girls had written a song about England and Reunion Island, which they then had the opportunity to record in a local studio with the help of some musicians. The end result was remarkable and we all felt extremely proud of their efforts. I still can’t get the song out of my head!
Monday February 23rd
It is our last full day on the island and, understandably, everyone is feeling a bit down about it. We have all loved our time here, the sights and people of Reunion have really made this exchange a once in a life time opportunity.
This morning we started out by learning traditional styles of craft, making photo frames and flowers from fabric. The challenge with the photo frames was grasping the weaving technique – the Reunionese made it look far simpler than it was! After a little practice though, we all managed to get to grips with it, and were really proud of our efforts. It was rewarding to see our hard work pay off.
During lunch the heavens opened and what looked like a storm started. We were worried that this might spoil our plans for kayaking but, luckily, the rain stopped just as we finished eating. We made our way to the beach as soon as we could and, after a brief health and safety talk about sharks, headed out to sea in the kayaks. The waters were pleasingly calm and after seeing a lot of fish and coral (no sharks, thankfully!), we made our way back to the beach and headed home for the last night of activities.
When we returned to the house we had our faces and bodies painted in our favourite characters, animals, football teams or just traditional patterns. We then sat down and had our last dinner together before celebrating with an old favourite – karaoke!
This exchange has brought a group of strangers from different sides of the world together and, in a way, made us into a small family. Leaving tomorrow will be hard but we are grateful to have met such wonderful people, and look forward to welcoming them to England!
