"I went to Chevreaux in the Jura region of France to help maintain and restore the local castle. I heard about WWV through my father when he had a WWV rep give a presentation at his school. He thought I might enjoy the experience of working at a castle, as I am about to start studying History at University - he was right.
"It was very well organized from day one. There were young people from Canada, Russia, England, the United States, Wales, Israel and of course France. We had varied tasks, like clearing the undergrowth which was not always easy as certain places were very steep, and reconstructing the steps of a stone spiral staircase.
"The local people made us feel very welcome, and two stone masons came every day to organize and show us what to do. We also put on a little presentation for the local people's amusement. We worked Monday to Friday to about 3pm. We then had some time for ourselves. However there were trips arranged for us in the evenings. We went to a street theatre festival which was very different and great fun, a Jazz festival as well as walking and swimming trips to the local lakes and waterfalls. The scenery in this area is breathtaking. We also did an exchange trip with volunteers from Presilly castle, and we entertained and fed each other.
"The Chevreaux group was literally from all over the world, and we really gelled. We still contact each other a lot. Did I enjoy it? Yes! Would I do it again? Definitely!"
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