37. Photo Voice!

A Long Way Road

Life since Australia has been a long way road! A beautiful one, with all its ooops! and all its beauty, it has been a road that has brought us lots of happiness and hopes for our future as a couple.

For nothing in the world we would change this road, although next time we know when to say NO, STOP, REVISE and GO BACK!

Slowly we have been getting to a peaceful spot in our mind, and an understanding for the need to nurturing our ideals with care and passion, without loosing perspective of what WE want, and not what is expected from us.

It is hard to be faithful to your beliefs, and with not hesitation one encounter the challenge to be seduced by the status quo of depressive and boring lives. But that is not us, and here we go for another road trip probably in a new home soon!

Before and After!

I met Mariama in 2004 and this is a photo of her when she arrived in Australia that year!

During my time with her I have been listening carefully to all her dreams and things she wanted to achieved, which she was searching in herself while in Australia and until now.

When I met her I thought she was at the beginning of something. I did not imagine it was the beginning of our relationship at all!, and indeed that was just a nice surprise, because she was in a more profound search about who she was and where she wanted to go with or without me.

She was travelling on her OWN in Australia, which is very deary! She was young and very very new to life. She was coming out of many things, including a real come out as a lesbian. Her life until now has been surrounding by games, family and relationship. She dedicated a lot of time to her studies, which made her successful. She also experienced the death of her mother, and for those who know what it feel to loose some one dear, that is a journey of its own, which takes years to understand. Mariama was not naive, but genuinely full of good intentions, and with an open hart to give in all sort of way. (These qualities are rarely in people these days!)

Some of the things she wanted was to gain her independence, to be aware of HER priorities in life, to be able to say NO when she didn’t want to do something, to not feel guilty for taking care of herself, to be strong with her words and not to get so scare to make important decisions. These were only a few of the things she wanted to achieve! And SHE HAD DONE IT!

She also wanted to work in an office and get to know what it was like to be in an “average” 9 to 5 job (knowing her, nothing can be average!) She did. She stayed during the year she promised to herself, although the temptation to leave before was always there.

Just look at her, confident, and bright, she is everything she has been asking for, and more.

She is now about to start to study full time until September the 24th, 25th, and 26th when she will attend her first exam for the Law School. She is doing this with much confidence and doing her best to pass it.

France and the world need lawyers like her, who believe in justice and fairness.!

She is so beautiful and an amazing woman, this year she will turn 30 and she is just heating the highest starts of this time of her life.

Mariama has changed a lot since I met her, and being with her during her transformation has been an honour. Many may think that I may it influenced her, but the truth is she had a plan, and she has followed her plan as faithful as she has follow her hart for me. She is in HER PATH!

She is a strong women, determine, and stubborn many times. But she gets what she wants, she has been impeccable at work and she is leaving with all the honours she could leave. People respect her, even those who would prefer not to admit it, like her boss, who has indeed become supportive of her decision to leave for her studies.

She has integrity and so much respect for friendship and family. Despite any differences she will always love them, and give them the benefit of the doubt. But she also learn to limit her kindness to her own integrity, to follow her heart and be truth to herself.

IT is not that she didn’t have this qualities before, but certainly life has given her much more opportunities, since the trip to Australia, to practice ALL WHAT SHE IS!

Arriving Well!

I personally, Cristina, I am arriving after this long way, with hands in high feeling something I cannot explain yet. It is not that sense of achievement of having mastered the French language, or having got the greatest job of my life, in the contrary those are the things I have postpone for other more important reasons.

I do not think only of myself when i have to make a decision about my future. I have sacrifice my “ego” for the sake of something different, something really “camaderious”, means something for the effort of the team that Mariama and I have formed. I am doing this with gratefulness, and it is taking me to places I have not being before.

I have learnt a great deal about myself in this period. I see and accept my faults as an opportunity to apologize to those who I have made feel uncomfortably and particularly to Mariama who patiently can see my most "tenebrous monsters" who have accompany me for long: my dear "critic", my vulnerable "girl child", my "stubborn revolutionary", and my " i can do it on my own friend" to name a few.

I have had to become humble, and accept that I don’t know a great deal of staff, and that I will not know it, at least I want to.

I know there is something important and big waiting for me to be ready. Something that needs maturity, and a great deal of inside work. As much as I feel weak, I feel strong and ready for more responsibilities in my future work. It will be something where I would help others, and something definitely fun!

And i Know WE CAN DO IT!