TER: Isis
Where are you from and what defines you?
I am from the South of France, but no matter how great it is, I never felt like I belong here. I love meeting people from all around the world, traveling, photography, cinema, and art in general. I live and always have lived in a very small town with no diversity and not much ambition. As soon as I was done with high school, I took a gap year and spent a few months in New York. There I made friends from all over the world, far from the prejudices based on ignorance, and it was the best decision I have ever made.
Why do you travel?
I travel because there is so much the world has to offer and you will never know if you stay at home. I think it is so important to travel, to take a step back and reflect on what you have, discover new cultures, and become aware that not everyone is living the same way as you, nor do they have the same chances or opportunities in life. Ignorance leads to prejudices and prejudices lead to hate, and that’s how you end up with the problems we have today. Moreover each country has wonderful things to offer, in regard to nature, food, art, and surely many more. Traveling is just so interesting in every way possible.
What are you most afraid of?
I am proud that I overcame the prejudices I was educated with. I was raised in an environment where everyone was white, Christian, a little misogynistic, homophobic, and racist. Early on I started questioning these things from experience, but no one would understand me. It’s hard to disown everything you’ve ever known, especially when you’re young and alone against everyone you know: your family, family friends, and even your own friends, but I did.
Are you close with your family? Why or why not?
I am an only child for the reasons I wrote earlier. I don’t recognize myself as anyone I live or hang out with. When I finally got that, I had to understand that sometimes that you’re alone and it’s hard, but it’s ok. I still love my family. My mom and grandmother are probably my favorite people on Earth. My parents did and still do everything for me and I am grateful for that, but we just don’t see things the same way. Sometimes it feels like I have nobody, but at least I am proud I was strong enough to become the person I am today. Maybe that’s why love is so important to me. Maybe I am looking for someone to be everything to me, everything I never got from the people around me.
What’s a piece of advice you wish you could have told yourself in the past?
A piece of advice I could have told myself is that you’re young and just because adults have more experience than you doesn’t mean they are smarter or that what they say is true. Trust your own experience and don’t believe something someone says, just because they speak with confidence or if its comfortable to hear.
What’s the biggest life lesson you have learned?
The biggest life lesson I have learned is probably that if no one is hurt, then it doesn’t matter what you choose to do. You can try, fail, give up, speak up, disagree, or leave. All’s well that ends well and everything always gets better. There is no point on holding on to problems that are not really there.