WEBVTT

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My name is Kingsley.

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I\'m 23 years old.

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I\'ve been working in
Cameroon as a lifeguard

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for about three years.

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I really loved the job
while I was working there.

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But the salary was very, very discouraging.

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Equivalent to 50 euro.

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That\'s all I was earning per month.

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All of my salary is just for, for feeding.

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Hospital, clothing, paying my house rent,

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paying electricity, water.

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Presently in my country

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things are very, very hard.

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My father is named Clement.

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He\'s working in a plantation.

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My mom she\'s buying fresh fish and smoke.

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That\'s our business she is doing.

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Having seven brothers and sisters.

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They are not having a good living.

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Very, very difficult life.

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They couldn\'t even

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help me to complete my education.

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I have to struggle to have a better life

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in order to help my parents.

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So from this I decided to develop

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an idea of getting out to Europe.

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Everybody in my country

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they are looking for a solution

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for their children to get to Europe

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and helping their family behind.

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By the time I was about to leave

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I was not having enough money.

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So my parents said they
would, they will see

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what they are going to do to help me.

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They decided to give me their money.

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Because they have that confidence in me.

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They have that love in me.

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The amount they give me

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I was not expecting that.

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Told me not to change my character.

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Be honest wherever you go.

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You are the head of this family.

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Please don\'t forget your family.

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Each time I think of that

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it really touch me.

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Each time.

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I was very, very, very excited.

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Happy that I\'m going to Europe.

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At the same time I was sad.

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leaving my family,

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leaving my friends,

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leaving my country.

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Not knowing what is ahead of me.

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It was really, really hot over there.

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And so I bought a fuller.

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I can\'t even count

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how many times we had engine problems.

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I met with some Ghanaians.

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They advised me

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to be very, very, very
careful in the desert.

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Because in the desert

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there are criminals and robbers.

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At times, the driver also abandoned

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passengers in the desert.

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So I should just pray for my God

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to be fortunate because it might happen.

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No one knows tomorrow.

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People were coming closer to the car

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Are you about to go to Morocco?

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Are you about to go to Algeria?

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Are you about to go to Libya?

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Everybody was there to give
advice, advice, advice.

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I discovered that in that town

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almost every person is talking only about

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crossing the desert for Europe.

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I spend some days in Agadez

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looking for a confidential person.

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I come to discover that

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I\'m no longer in my country.

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I was somehow discouraged about my journey.

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I was really scared not
to fall off from the car

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because I was sitting just at the
side at the edge of the car.

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And behind me there was guys fighting.

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Get off from my leg, my leg, please my leg.

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We supposed to drive until about 11 or 12.

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The driver has to stop because

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the desert is too hot

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and the engine become very, very warm.

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So we have to rest.

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The more we driving

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the more we suffer from heat, sun and dust.

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I met another guy called Farid, Algerian.

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He had some ideas about my journey.

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So he proposed to me

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if I would like to visit
his family’s house.

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I said no problem.

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They were very kind to me, this family.

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It was very fantastic to be with them.

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They couldn\'t speak French nor English.

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I myself I can\'t speak Arabic.

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They invited me for a swim.

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I said I can not go

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since I was not legally in their country.

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They never knew that.

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So the next day early in the
morning I have to leave.

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One of his nephews accompanied
me to the border.

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Before leaving

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I couldn\'t even say goodbye
to these two young angels.

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Finally I got in contact
with one Senegalese

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who proposed for me to come to his ghetto.

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There were so many, many guys that came in.

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He tell me to wait for him to go for

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someone who is going to meet me

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to cross the ocean.

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He kept me there in the ghetto

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without calling me

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without telling me anything.

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I spent all that full month
of August in that ghetto.

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Sad, sad, sad.

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I even cry at night.

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It was miserable for me.

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I lose contact with my family.

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I\'m going to die like this.

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My family would not even see my corpse.

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I was lost.

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I was really, really lost.

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Finally he called me.

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He\'s telling me you will
be traveling next week

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so I will be coming for you tomorrow.

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We arrive Nador.

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There is a forest there.

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There are about 3000
person living in there.

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They are living in group by group

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according to their nationality.

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There\'s Cameroonian,

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Nigerians,

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Senegalese,

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Malian.

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They told us

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under these prickly trees

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we are going to live there.

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We should come out only when it\'s dark.

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They give us drinking water,

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bread with some sardines.

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We have to dig under these trees

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to create our sleeping position.

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We spent two weeks,

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these guys arrive.

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They brought a small wooden boat

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with holes everywhere.

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So we carry the boat into this water.

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The captain was struggling to

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cross the waves.

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He struggled and he succeeded

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crossing the first four waves.

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The fifth wave capsized the boat.

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The boat, it sank.

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I decided to turn back
in to help some guys.

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I brought him out to the shore.

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Guys were crying out, my brother.

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People were shouting.

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We lost two persons.

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One Cameroonian and one Senegalese.

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They are dead. They are dead.

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We should leave because

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maybe officers might
arrive here at any time.

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It\'s risky for us to stay
and look for their corpse.

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The next day

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they told us they are going to

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repair the same boat.

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I see nothing that
guarantees me that this boat

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can sail and cross the Atlantic Ocean.

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We are all discouraged.

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Four person said they are going back.

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They are not ready to die.

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The captain successfully crossed the waves.

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Water was getting in everywhere.

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Rapidly.

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People become more and more frightened.

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Guys were shouting,

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\"Hey captain, turn back,
turn back, turn back!\"

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They told us nobody should make any move.

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Our boat might capsize

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so they were calling us one after each.

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We were very, very happy.

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Now my life is safe.

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They accompanied us at the entrance.

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They said that\'s Spain,

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but don\'t create problems.

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We have succeeded.

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I contacted my only friend.

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We have grown up together.

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He\'s married to a French
woman living in France.

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So I phone him and let him
know that I\'ve arrived.

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At the train station

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I was there waiting for my friend.

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He arrived behind me

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and when he touched me

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it was a joy.

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Shouting, rejoicing.

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It was something marvelous.

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Later he carried me with
his car to his house.

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Met his wife.

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We spent all our time talking.

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That day was really an exciting one.

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Crossing the ocean, the desert,

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that was the only way
for me to make it out.

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And I did it.

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When I got my papers

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I was very, very happy.

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I was one of the happiest
person that day on Earth.

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Since arriving in France

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it was very, very difficult.

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I was even thinking going
back to my country.

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I work on machines

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in a small printing press.

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Piling papers,

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busting holes in papers.

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My salary here

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is also not a good salary.

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My family, I send them money.

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What I think I can do on my part.

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All my life here is work.

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In my country I was having my social life

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visit my family,

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visit friends

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have fun time.

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Lately, I don\'t have no fun time. Nothing.

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I\'m still hoping to

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further my electrical education here.

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To look for a better job.

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Everything is determination.

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I know with time things will be OK.

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Olivier Jobard: Do you
want to say anything else?

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No.