IMPOSSIBLE
Primary school and high school did not go well for me. I have always been home-loving, going out was difficult and in high school going to class was the only reason to leave my house. I felt too vulnerable when I left home and it was becoming more and more difficult to confront the exterior word and the crowd, which could be hostile toward me.
AWARENESS
After high school, I enrolled in the community aid project for young people. My advisor made a mobility survey, mandatory for finding a job. We note that I hardly ever get out and all I did was walk out three miles from my house. So she offered to train me to go alone by bus to Bordeaux. I had my transport card made and one day I told bus number 5 to go to a department store in downtown Bordeaux. I was stressed but I managed to do it and then I was able to start over regularly.
THE CHALLENGE
I love the world of manga and video games. One day while visiting the centre of Bordeaux, I discovered the existence of the japan expo in paris, an exhibition on traditional Japanese culture. I told myself that if there was a place I would like to go, It was there, but I couldn’t afford it and it seemed very far away.
I spoke to my advisor at the community aid project and she offered me a small budget to go.
THE ORGANISATION
Given the budget allocated, I had to find a cheap hotel but I was terrified of losing myself. So I looked for the closest hotel to the exhibition which blew my budget. I booked my train tickets, prepared my itinerary (I had to take the train, the metro and the RER…). I prepared everything and I finally went to Paris for the Japan Expo, which would have seemed unimaginable a few months before.
I'M_POSSIBLE
During this stay, I had several difficulties and moments of panic. My suitcase’s handful broke on the way and then in the RER I realized that I had forgotten my checkbook, I had to take transport to and from my bank to collect money from an agency. I ended up with a large amount of cash on me, which made me even more stressed. On the spot at the exhibition, I was able to relax a little, but as soon as I had to go back to the hotel, I was not relaxed at all. On the way back I almost missed my train, so I wasn’t in the right car and I was trying to reach it between stops. When I finally found my seat I probably bothered the person next to me because I kept talking to him with the pressure going down?
In the end this trip was much more stressful than anything else but I know that I was able to do it and that I will be able to do it again, maybe to go to other exhibitions and this time enjoy it more.
Illustrations © Élodie Tchibanda