A memory: the beginning of ending fear

by Camila Ríos Nuricumbo (Mexico)

A leap into the unknown Italy

Nervously, I really was. It could even be my middle name. I was in the boarding room, looking around all those who just like me, we felt ecstatic and waiting to hear the flight departure to Rome. I did not know what I expected, I had a duality of thoughts, like the nostalgia of seeing my family and friends say goodbye to me and the other, of excitement and momentum for living a first experience. I was leaving two months, alone, without prior knowledge of all that it means to travel. It was ten-thirty at night, time to board, people started to line up and I began to notice that there were many young people in groups and few families. The wait was over. I got a window. No one else sat in the two seats in my same row, so I was grateful to be able to go as many times as I wanted to the bathroom. They gave us dinner, I remember that was lasagna, tuna salad with olives, red fruit jelly and a glass of water. From my nerves, I could not eat, I just wanted to sleep and wake up to know that we had already arrived. After 12 hours of the flight, we landed in Fiumicino, Rome. It was not my main destination; I was one hour away from getting to Bologna. The atmosphere already felt different. Now I was afraid to get to my final destination as I hadn’t thought about paying for a hostel that night, so it was easy for me to sleep at the airport and wait for the next day to go to the hostel. I didn't start seeing movement until 7 a.m. The bustle began to get stronger and stronger. I considered that it was time to leave the airport, and I decided to take the truck that took me to downtown. I felt tired, but that didn't stop me. I looked for a place to have breakfast and make some time to arrive at the required time to the hostel. Italians don't eat breakfast like in Mexico, the kitchens didn't open until 1 p.m., so the coffee shops only offered me bread and an espresso. I carried a single backpack, weighed 13 kilos, so I went to a park that I found on the way and get some rest. People there were began to see me with curiosity. I hadn’t noticed that the place was full of people from Africa. I had read about the extensive migration of Africans in Italy, but it was there that I realized the impact of it. I found it surprising, I was a migrant too. I stood under a tree and leaned on my backpack. I closed my eyes. I began to feel someone approaching me. I turn around and a guy was approaching. I thought it would get my attention for lying on the grass, but no. I got nervous, but I had to dissimulate. Me, woman, looking like a tourist, traveling alone. Easy target. He began to talk to me, I felt invaded. He offered me marijuana and to go with his friends. I clearly did not accept and decided to leave the place. I only thought about what I could do if someone attacked me. It was time to go to the hostel. I arrived and they gave me a room. There were three bunk beds in it, with no signs of any roomer. I settled down, took a good bath and went down to the cafeteria for something to eat. I was starving so I chose the first thing I saw. Upon returning to the room determined to sleep, I discover that there was already one more person in the room. Anna was her name. She also traveled alone. We quickly became friends. That day, I realized something important. Fears can be faced; making new friends is the most enriching thing and, without doubt, the experience of traveling on your own can be difficult at the beginning, but that’s where the new learning begins. No matter how many times I travel again, the first experience of a trip alone will always be my greatest learning of my life.