I have now been working at my internship for three weeks, and have been in Paris for over a month now. It's hard to believe that the time is going by this fast....
My internship has been going really well. The name of the organization I work for is FASTI (Federation des Assocation de Solidarite avec les Travailleurs Immigres). It is a small non-profit, non-governmental organization located on the East side of Paris near Pere Lachaise cemetery. FASTI advocates for the rights of immigrants and refugees in Paris, France and throughout Europe. My "maitre de stage," or supervisor is Anna and she is wonderful. She is probably late 20s, really tall and skinny and has a hilarious personality. I love having her as my supervisor because she is young and I feel like I can really relate to her and be myself around her. She is very patient with me when I can't find the right words in French and she's interested in what I have to say. She is always asking how I am doing and checking in on me. I really appreciate that!
I have been doing a variety of tasks since I have been at FASTI. I have done french writing for their new website, translations, phone calls, research...pretty much anything they need done I can take on. A big part of the organization right now is mobilizing against a strict immigration law that is going to be read to the Assemble Nationale (like our House of Representatives) in September. This new law, although extremely complex to learn about in French, puts more restrictions for immigrants and even refugees seeking a home in France. I have been to countless meetings and conferences where FASTI alongside other organizations has collaborated on analyzing this law.
FASTI and thirteen other organizations throughout Paris published a booklet analyzing the new law which is called "loi Besson", named for the Minister of Immigration who drafted it. As a collaborative of organizations, we are trying to get the public and other orgs throughout France educated about this law. Today, it is not a law but if it is read and passed in the Assemble Nationale, it will be. The goal is to get mobilization against this law so that it doesn't get passed in September. In the past three weeks I've sat in at least five different meetings about this law and how it will affect not only immigrants but citizens of France as well. This new legislation is truly a turning point for this country. Despite it being very technical to learn about, it has been fascinating to be a part of such a project.
On Thursday I helped out at a very long panel discussion where FASTI and the other organizations presented the booklet to the public. It was quite the event and we had over 200 people show up to learn more about it. On Saturday we hosted another education session within our network of organizations. FASTI is the federation of all other ASTIs (Association de Solidarite avec les Travailleurs Immigrees) throughout France. There is an ASTI in every province of France and we held a forum for all of the ASTIs. It was really neat to meet people
from all over France!Throughout the few weeks at my internship, I have also been able to witness many manifestations throughout Paris. The French are famous for their manifestations, which can mean strike, march, or rally. It is a huge part of French culture which is linked back to their mobilization and rising up as a people during the French Revolution. I was able to take part in La Marche Mondiale des Femmes (World March for Women) which was June 12th. It was so amazing to be part of something so big!! (Even though my colleagues told me that it was a rather small manifestation...I couldn't really believe that!) It is basically like a big parade through the streets of Paris to advocate for something, in this case women. There are people, banners, singing and chanting! We chanted "So! So! So! Solidarte! Avec des femmes du monde entier!" which means "so! so! so! solidarity! with women of the entire world!" Of course it sounds better in French because it rhymes! It was very moving to be a part of this. I have never seen anything quite like this in the United States.
I really enjoy the people that I work with. I work with all women in my office, although there are a few men that come in and out of the office for regional work. Everyone at FASTI is so kind, dynamic and passionate about what they do. It is pretty awesome to be around such intelligent people! It is interesting first working in the U.S. and now working in France. In Lansing, I worked at a small organization which advocated for children's health issues and even though the theme is different, it is very much the same environment--being surrounded by people who are very dedicated to what they do, passionate and driven. It is actually hilarious because there are people in the United States that remind me so much of people in France. Sometimes I feel like I'm in bizzaro world or something because I feel like I'm talking to their French twin!
So now that I've told you about all of the cool stuff about working in France, I'll tell you about some of the interesting/aggravating things about working in France.....
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