Ciao Ragazzi! It’s me, your favorite volunteer. If you are new in this blog, welcome! If you are keeping up, you already know that on my last post we did an Interview with Zoe,an EVS volunteer living in Milano, in order to show the differences between doing an EVS in a big vs small city. So today the second part of this interview project is going to take place.
From Paris to small city here in Italy, Romane is going to relate her story and giving us the other point of view. Grab you Tea, and prepare to do scroll.

Let’s start with a little introduction, please present yourself.
I’m Romane, I’m 24 and I come from France. Directly after school, I studied 3 years of German literature and 2 years in social politics. When I got my master’s degree, I felt the need to have completely new work experience, to travel and to learn a new language. And so I decided to do an EVS.
Did you take into consideration the place where you are living starting doing the EVS?
Absolutely not! I just wanted to find a project in the field of media. It could be in a city or in a village, in Italian or in another country, I didn’t care, for me, the most important was the project. Finally, I found a project on a radio in a very small village ( 4000 people ) in the mountains, close to Torino.
What is like doing EVS in a small city?
Just before to begin the project, I worked in Paris. To go from a giant city to a very small town was really strange at the beginning. I missed the nightlife with bars, restaurants, club. I missed also the “cultural life”: cinema, exhibitions, theatre, etc. But finally, I’ve gotten used to my little place. The landscape is just magnificent, there is no traffic and pollution like in Paris, I can go to work by foot. Every week I walk in the mountains, I meet friends on the river or in the different gardens of our houses.
Finally, I don’t feel the need to go to bars or club because we are more than 15 volunteers in the place and we always meet each other and organize a party together.
How much is your pocket money? Do you think is more difficult or easier to manage your pocket money according to the place you are living now?
I receive every month 270€, of course, it’s easier to manage my pocket money in my place because there are no “temptations” of the city life (bar, cinema, etc.). We just spend the money on food or drinks in the supermarket and it’s quite cheap.
Do you consider that is easy to make friends in your city?
Yes, it was easy because like I said we are a lot of volunteers here. I’m happy because I made Italian friends too in my workplace and in different parties ( Friends of friends of friends ).
What are the bad side and the good side of living in your town?
For me the bad side of living here is the difficulty to join the big city nearest, Torino, or to travel in general, always it’s just a mess: we have to take a bus which never comes, and after trains which always are canceled. The good side is really to enjoy the mountain: climb, ski, hiking. And I think we are nearest with all the other volunteers because we’re together in the middle of nowhere!
Do you have any advice for future volunteers?
For me, the volunteer has really to pay attention to the project more than to the place, there are always good things and bad things to leave in a small or big city. ( even if I recommend to all to come in Torre Pellice !!! )

That’s all folks! I would like to thank Romane for this collaboration and of course, you to stick with us until here. If you think this is over, you are wrong. My next post is going to be a little “reflection” about both interviews which the main objective is to clarify in order to give you all the information for making a good decision in your EVS.

My name is Carmen Alcobio and I see you next week!