When fear and despair gripped me, not losing hope was the thing that helped me best at fighting it and seeing beyond. Good memories, talking with nice people, praying or recognizing my strengths were good ways for me to nourish hope. I have learnt to consider discouraging times as a passing moment. When I now think about these bad times, I see them differently. In fact, I made it!

 

Do not lose hope even in the most difficult and discouraging moments and think that they are temporary so they don’t last forever.

I remember that when I left I was very determined not to lose the money I brought with me and also to start earning to support my family as soon as possible. I had never been so concerned about money until then. Indeed, in some occasions the desperate need for money put me in situations of danger. However, throughout my experience I realized about the importance of considering money in relation with many other aspects of my project in order to protect myself and my future plans. This helped me at avoiding disappointments and managing better my resources, experiences and exigencies according to my personal project.

 

Consider the need for money together with other elements that are important for your personal project.

During the organisation of the travel and the journey, I had to deal with some people that I didn’t know well and couldn’t trust because it seemed to me that they wanted to take advantage of my weaknesses and lack of options. To protect myself in such cases, I tried to understand their intentions while having my objectives clear. I have learnt that it is important to assess all the possibilities and alternatives before accepting proposals coming from others, even if it seems to be a unique opportunity or the best solution to my needs.

 

Try to understand the real intentions and reliability of unknown persons before trusting them, keeping in mind your wellbeing.

When I left home, I knew that I was likely to go through illegal situations without intending do bad things but just because I would not have had other alternatives. I understood that when I could not see any other alternatives, sometimes a solution that was illegal appeared nonetheless to be “good” or “right” to me. Yet, I realised that my choices were very limited. However, I have experienced that it is better not to break the law in order to avoid further troubles and also to protect myself. This is why I always asked for information in this regard if there was something I was unclear about.

 

Avoid situations that may lead you to break the law since, even unintentionally, this could endanger you, cause you further problems and threaten your future.

After departure, I started facing unexpected situations that did not correspond to my initial plans and this made me feel unsecure and afraid. However, my strength to overcome difficulties surprised me. From then on, I realized that considering and believing in my personal resources and capacities makes me see how strong I am and help me at having more confidence with myself, above all to deal with changes in plans. In many occasions, the exchanges and relations that I established with other people further helped me at understanding and valuing these resources.

 

Value and use your personal resources and capacities, you can do it even in the most difficult moments
  1. Preparing for changes
  2. Departure
  3. Preserving symbols
  4. Reviewing the personal project