From Afghanistan to Paris: Finding happiness in French food service

I grew up in Afghanistan. While I was studying at high school I worked with my father making, selling and distributing furniture to surrounding provinces. After graduating from high school, I went on to work in an international hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan. I loved this work and it really inspired me to learn different languages.

At the age of 16, my dad passed away. As the eldest son, I inherited the family business and became in charge of my 3 brothers and 2 sisters. I continued to create beautiful pieces of furniture but also had to quickly improve my sales skills. I learned about customer service and even about accountability. 

Leaving home to stay safe

 

When I was 18 years old, my mom began to be worried for me because of the problems with the Taliban and the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. She was frightened for my life and encouraged me to leave my home country and start a new life. I was really frightened by the idea of leaving my family, but I knew I had no choice. I had to leave if I wanted to stay safe and alive.

In 2017, I left my hometown with other refugees from different countries, including many from Afghanistan. We didn’t know each other previously but we were together in our journey. 

At first, I didn’t know where to go and it was only during the trip that I decided that I would go to France. 

When left Afghanistan, I passed Pakistan then travelled through Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Austria and finally Italy. After 15 times of trying to get to France by train from Italy, and being stopped by the police and sent back to Ventimiglia, I took the decision to go to France by foot. This was more complicated than I had imagined. With only 25 euros in my pocket, I decided to join a group of people that I had met in Italy, and together we walked through Menton. It was winter and we experienced some very cold nights but finally, at least 1 year after my initial departure, I managed to arrive in Nice, France.

I was lucky that one person from the group decided to help me to continue my journey. He gave some money so I could take a train to Paris where I was hoping I could stay.

When I arrived in Paris I didn’t find job opportunities as fast as I had hoped. I lived on the street for 2 months without knowing how to search for help until some people approached me and advised me to ask for asylum. I contacted the association “France terre d’asile” who helped me to make an appointment at the 'prefecture' but while waiting to get my papers examined I had to go back to the streets. Fortunately, one month later, some policemen took me to a refugee camp where I was able to stay for around 8 months. I then moved twice between different refugee centers until finding my current home.

Finding work and my future

Once my papers were in order, I decided to complete a 6-month training course and managed to find an internship where I was able to work towards a professional Diploma in food service. I also focused on learning French, mainly by talking to people in the street and watching YouTube tutorials. I now speak five languages; English, French, German, Persian and my native language Pashto.

While I was searching for work as a waiter, I attended a job forum where I met a recruiter for Sodexo. Happily I made a good impression on the recruiter and was able to pass on my CV and secure an interview which went really well.

I joined Sodexo in October 2019, just before the Covid-19 crisis.

I am now a runner on the Bateaux Parisians in Paris. I support all the waiters bringing plates and food to guests from the kitchens.

I really enjoy my job. It can be incredibly tiring when we are serving up to 400 guests, but I always do my best to support everyone on the team. I love working with and serving such a wide range of different people with different cultures and different languages. I find it really interesting. My team is really kind, they support me and help me to improve my French. The Bateaux has now re-opened 3 days a week following the Covid-19 temporary closure and it’s really wonderful to be back with my colleagues.

I’m proud to have been with Sodexo for almost 2 years now. Sodexo have supported and encouraged me, given me confidence and showed me that I can achieve things. In the future I would like to develop and work up to becoming the head waiter. 

Once a week, I love to share my adventures with my family who stayed in Afghanistan. They all feel really happy to see me succeed in my new life, especially my mom. I really enjoy living in France, and dream that one day we will be here all together. 

Find out more about a career at Sodexo! Sodexo France

This article was created by Inamullah Durani, kitchen runner for Sodexo France