As a quick overview, our task for the two days we were in Calais was sorting through huge amounts of clothing donations to get them to the refugees who needed them. Though we weren't working directly with refugees (nor did we feel equipped to, being there such a short time), we were able to make a considerable dent in the giant pile of donations, and left knowing that soon, the clothes that we had sorted would be making their way to families who needed them. We were both extremely impressed with how welcoming, organized, and efficient Help Refugees' operation was, especially since it's mostly run on a volunteer basis. In addition to being productive, we were surprised by how genuinely enjoyable and fun volunteering was (with bonuses of delicious vegetarian lunches and cats). Though the mood at Help Refugees could have ranged from frantic to stressful to depressing due to the difficult situations volunteers at the camp witness daily, the prevailing feeling was one of determination and resolute optimism.
For those who are interested in knowing more (based on our limited understanding/research): Calais used to be the impromptu site of a huge refugee camp due to its location. It's a big port city on the France side of the Chunnel between the UK and France, so many migrants who hoped to go to the UK headed to Calais and established a camp there. After the camp grew to thousands, it was cleared of residents by French authorities in October. Help Refugees and L'Auberge des Migrants--two organizations who had answered the call to help the refugees in the camp--have continued to support refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and other countries by providing food and clothes to refugees in nearby camps, in locations throughout France, and now by organizing aid to go to refugee camps in Greece and even directly to Syria using their existing infrastructure.
We found out about the opportunity to volunteer here through Help Refugees' website. Though we were a bit nervous initially about what the situation would be like and whether we would be useful, we were comforted by the positive blog posts that we had seen from other volunteers, as well as the very comprehensive Volunteer FAQ. Once we signed up, we found communication to be extremely clear, kind, and thorough (thanks, Laure!).
Then, all that was left was to get to Calais. We were able to find a direct flight from Seoul to Paris, and from there, it was a pretty easy train ride from the airport to Calais, with only one change in Lille (which was actually kind of lucky since Lille is beautiful this time of year with all the lights and Christmas markets!). Once in Calais, we went to sleep immediately after all that travel so we'd be ready to start volunteering the next day. I think volunteering actually helped us get over our jetlag more quickly than we would have otherwise.
The next morning, we headed off to volunteer, where we were greeted by a number of friendly people sipping coffee out of mugs of various shapes and slogans (my favorite reading: "Prawn to be Wild"). Our volunteer coordinator greeted us, gave us some tea and fluorescent safety jackets, and briefed us on our volunteer work for the day. Ben's safety-oriented family would be impressed to know that amongst the first pieces of information we received were where the building exits were and what to do in case of a fire. Next came what we would be doing: sorting through the mountain of clothing donations to make sure that what got to refugees would be clean, appropriate, and the right size. Again, the clear organization and efficiency surprised us: clothes that were dirty or torn went to be recycled; overly fancy or impractical clothes went to be sold for donations; and appropriate clothes were then divided into mens', womens', or childrens', measured, and then carefully sorted and categorized so they could be more quickly distributed.
As you can see from the boards above, this was no small operation! Though the site we were in was by no means glamorous, it was impressive to see how many things Help Refugees and L'Auberge manage to do there: preparing meals for refugees in the local camps; sorting and distributing donations of food, clothing, bedding, tents, shoes, etc; preparing hygiene kits; providing firewood and shelters for refugees in the camps... the list could go on and on.
Time went fast as we were sorting and chatting with other volunteers from different parts of Europe, including the charming Fran (below). We were surprised by how quickly we felt comfortable and confident in our sorting duties (mainly thanks to the know-how and patience of our supervisor, Chris [also below], who was there volunteering for a few weeks). Within no time, we were elbows-deep in bags full of donations ranging from practical to high-heeled and sequined, making up games like "use all the clothing label names you see in a sentence," dashing off to different corners of the giant warehouse on various errands, and helping new volunteers learn what to do.
As we were busily sorting away, we were also struck by the care that was evident for the volunteers, some of whom are working in very stressful and sad situations in the camps. Everywhere, there were messages of encouragement, reminders for volunteers to take breaks and days off, along with information about how to get counseling if needed. This sent the reassuring message that this is a place that cares for people, and that it doesn't lose sight of that mindset even in the face of a massive challenge.
We also saw that people were true to their word about the importance of taking breaks: in addition to having us take our lunch break (in which we enjoyed the aforementioned free and delicious veggie curries), Chris would come around twice a day and make sure that all of us volunteers took a some time to get a drink and have a rest. I'm actually glad that he reminded us because we tended to get into such a rhythm of sorting, moving items from here to there, and re-packing them that I honestly think we would have forgotten otherwise. The major incentive on these breaks for me, however, was not just drinking hot, spicy chai tea with our fellow volunteers (including our friend Mo--told you you'd make it on our blog)...
...it was also visiting the super-friendly cats that roamed the property: Chat and Chai breaks.
One of my favorite moments involving the cats happened at the end of our first day: the first three or four people who walked in to a big meeting all happened to be carrying cats, so they started harassing the next person who walked in sans "mandatory cat." ^_~ This meeting was essentially a time for the volunteers to share and update each other on their various efforts. Yet again, we were amazed to be included in this right from the beginning, and we appreciated being able to hear more about what Help Refugees is doing in so many different places and in so many different ways, along with hearing more about some of the challenges refugees are facing currently, particularly those who are minors.
By the end of our second day, we reluctantly left our highlighter-yellow jackets behind, said our goodbyes, and gave hugs to many people who'd become fast friends. It was incredibly encouraging and humbling to see so many people--students, parents, whole families--give of their time, money, and effort to help others that they had never met before. Many of these volunteers were staying for a week, a month, if not longer in order to bring continuity and make a lasting difference in the refugee crisis. We feel so lucky to have met and worked beside you all.
Before we caught our train to our next destination (Ghent, Belgium), we had a bit of a wander around Calais to see the sights before we left:
The old theatre, all lit up at night
Calais' gorgeous Town Hall, built in the early 1900s
The morning of our train out: Surprisingly pink and sunny Calais rooftops after two days of rain
The theatre by day... complete with kiddy swing ride attraction. This lends it much-needed gravitas.
Town Hall looking even more beautiful and ornate by day
...with this Rodin statue out depicting the story of the Burghers of Calais, who volunteered to sacrifice themselves to prevent their fellow city residents from dying of starvation from a lengthy siege.
Yes, we did climb this tower to see the amazing view over the city... only to have our only phone decide to boycott picture-taking once we got to the top.
Oh well, guess we'll just have to enjoy this sunrise instead.
Calais' own Notre Dame, where Charles de Gaulle got married.
In honor of the Hull Carousel
We managed to see all this, plus have a leisurely walk down the harbor and a climb up the Town Hall tower, in the space of about two and a half hours. The Calais Lace Museum and War Museum could have also been worth going to, but for us, hands-down, our best-spent time in Calais was when we were volunteering.
As our train pulled away from the station and into the rolling green countryside, we were both a bit surprised by how we felt leaving Calais: happy to have had this amazing opportunity, but also a little heartsick to be leaving such an atmosphere filled with warm, caring people doing this important work. Thank you, fellow volunteers, for the encouragement and inspiration. Happy New Year to you all, and we wish you the best.
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