Chalking up some new ways to make friends

Since I have been volunteering in Calais, I have learnt that there are many ways to communicate with people, other than just talking. I have found that one way is playing games. When we go out to distribute in Calais and Dunkirk, we always take some games with us – usually football, volleyball, cricket and some smaller activities for those who don’t like sports as much. I always make new friends when playing games, as I’m able to spend time with people, and laugh and joke with them even if we don’t speak the same language.

Today we took some chalk with us and started to play noughts and crosses on the ground. This sparked a lot of interest with the guys, many of whom had never seen this game before, and they were very keen to get involved. I played against a man from Egypt called Hamada (not his real name) and afterwards he showed me some very impressive card tricks. It was so great to see everyone interacting and enjoying themselves. Hamada said that he always looks forward to our distributions because of the uplifting atmosphere and the chance to have fun for a couple of hours. I never thought a bit of chalk could facilitate so much joy, but I’m glad that we are able to take it with us and get to know people in this way.

Written by our volunteer, Martha