2023-08-28 16:41:00
She is very young, Juliette. At 21, the Antheitoise knows what she wants. Juliette Diederen wants to teach, she studied at Helmo de Huy to become a primary school teacher. But still she had to have the chance to find a job directly. And that’s what she did. The young woman got a job as a teacher for at least a year, she made her first comeback as Mrs. Juliette on Monday…
“I graduated in June from Helmo Huy. It’s the first time that I didn’t have a second sessionshe explains. And fortunately. Otherwise, I might not have left directly. There, I would be taking the second session exams…” But yesterday morning, Juliette was ready to welcome her first students, the first of a career that promises to be rich in encounters and discoveries for her. Seventeen children from 5 to 6 years old whom she will follow throughout the year… at the Belgian school in Burundi, in Bujumbura.
A new experience
Africa, that tempted her. Especially since she discovered Benin when she was in secondary 5 at the Sainte-Marie Institute in Huy. “We had made a ten-day humanitarian trip to Benin.” A trip that she enjoyed so much that she wanted to go back. And like, once her teacher’s diploma in her pocket, she mightn’t find a job… “On Sunday July 9, I saw an ad on a Facebook page called Instit dispo. They were looking for a teacher at the Belgian school in Burundi.” Juliette applied, her application was accepted. “What’s pretty incredible is that my parents, who were on vacation at the time, tagged me on the Facebook post…” Clearly, this job was for her, she did not hesitate. The Wanzoise was to fly to Africa on Wednesday August 16. “They forgot to book my ticket, I only left on Sunday the 20th.” Which allowed him… to see his dog’s babies, born on Wednesday the 16th.
If Juliette knew a little regarding Benin for having stayed there, she had no idea what life was like in Burundi. “It was definitely going to be a discovery, a new experience for me.” The Belgian school in Burundi, located in Bujumbura, is the only Belgian school in the country. It welcomes just under 600 students, from kindergarten to secondary 6. With children in class as soon as they are 2 years old. And the teachers? “All are Belgian. But the children also have lessons in English, religion and citizenship given by Burundian teachers.”
Juliette is in charge of a class of 17 primary school children, six girls and eleven boys. “We started on Monday. I arrived a little over a week ago. All last week, I came to class with the other teachers to arrange the premises. From 8 a.m. to 12 p.m..” Last Thursday, they gave the children entrance tests to estimate the class they should enter. The program ? “It’s the same as in Belgium, except that schoolchildren have 4 more hours of English.”
For a year, then…
Parachuted into a country she did not know, the Wanzoise immediately appreciated because “The teaching team is very welcoming. It’s true that I’m on my own and that I didn’t know anyone.” Classes will be every day of the week. “We start early, at 7:30 a.m. Until noon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but with the possibility of help with homework in the followingnoon. On Tuesday and Thursday, classes resume from 2 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. The rest of the time Juliette enjoys going for a drink with her colleagues, swimming, playing sports, going for walks, but also living in this official apartment which belongs to the Belgian embassy. She also discovers the city but only during the day because once night falls, the streets are not safe. “I feel safe during the day but I wouldn’t go out alone at night…”
Her contract, the young woman signed it for one year, until July 7 of next year. What will she do next? “I don’t know yet. I have the apartment for two years. After that, I will have to find one myself.” The other Belgian teachers regularly change countries or have married someone from the country and settled there. “I’m already going to do a year, I’ll see how it goes.” At 21, leaving your family like this is not easy. “My mom will come for 15 days in the fall, my dad in the spring. And then, I plan to come back to the country at the end of the year too.” But until then, she wants to learn her trade, discover the country and flourish.
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