Arrival
Hello, my name is Louis. I am French, more precisely from Britanny in western France. I arrived in Istanbul on the 26th of January and will be at the convent for the next five months.
Studying engineering in Paris, I decided to take a gap year. During the past six months, I worked as an intern in Annecy, in the middle of the French Alps. I left the snowy summits for volunteering here, in Istanbul. I am sent by the Dom&Go organization, the volunteer service of the Dominican province of France.
What struck me the most on arriving was the presence of mosques everywhere. I was expecting it but it is quite characteristic to see a minaret on every street corner. For me, having visited mostly Christian countries, the presence of mosques is not usual.
The first few days were spent exploring the convent and the surrounding area. I am very impressed by the historic density of the city. The city is so big that each district is very distinct from another.
What is my mission here?
I update this website regularly with original articles or with updates to existing articles. I also help in the library. Some rooms are being restored. To allow these works, I have to move some books. I also get to do a bit of gardening. I helped Claudio cut and shred the branches. I also tried to find a way to use the many oranges given by the orange trees. A solution for this is to make maramlade and canided fruits. Outside of the convent, I help one day a week at the Salesians’ school for refugees. I teach a bit of everything (math, sciences, geography, English). The children are quite unruly and sometimes just being able to speak to the whole class is a huge challenge. Finally, I help once a week in an association on Istiklak that helps refugee women to take care of their children or to handle their maternity.
Bonjour Louis. Le printemps s’éveille sur Istanbul. Je souhaite votre conseil. Je suis en visite jusqu’au 30 mars. Ma cousine Diane, très croyante, a perdu la vie ce dimanche dernier à Montreal. Je ne pourrai rejoindre ma famille pour les funérailles. Où puis-je me recueillir et offrir une messe?
Bonjour Suzanne,
Nous célébrons un messe au couvent chaque matin à 8h. Nous prierons donc pour votre cousine Diane dans les prochains jours.
Bien à vous,
Louis