A COSY CORNER
FIT IN? NO, STANDOUT…
By COSETTE AWAD
I
t’s what my MAMA used to tell me. I was the weird teenager, wearing oversized pants, shirts and hoodies. While girls my age used to collect dresses, shoes and bags, I used to collect skateboards, boxing gloves and rollerblades. There is no right and wrong, everyone is entitled to live their life the way they want. No one can tell you how to dress, what music to listen to if you want tattoos or not, nothing is too much or not enough, don’t let anyone force you to be anything you don’t want to. I used to struggle with society, I was shy around people, and I always felt different, lived between the walls of my room, and had nothing but my poetry, my books and music. Until I decided that life is not the bubble I live in. I started skateboarding and met Rudy, my best friend, he was a skater and taught me everything I know about the extreme sport. I knew that there are people like me, that I am not alone in this world and everyone is struggling to find their place in society. Then I grew up but never grew old, and I understood that life is bigger than high school, labels and the walls of my room. I lost people along the way, but their memories stayed with me. Some people stayed, others - we crossed paths again. Life is too short to fake who you are to please others. You are what you decide to be, you are unique, and because you are different you are a work of art.
you are what you decide to be 52
eYs Magazine
Myriam 38 Years Old: Since I was 6 years old, I had a tough life full of unfortunate events. All those painful experiences left a massive impact on me, playing somewhat a partial role in me being ‘different’. But all the way through, I never surrendered, and I tried to overcome everything and move forward. At University, I was kind of considered the “weirdo” because I always kept to myself, because I was unlike them; never in my life I adhered to the system, never adapted to mainstream; society made me a castaway. I was the black sheep. What made things ‘worse’ was my diagnosis as being Bipolar, which resulted from all the hardships I endured, adding to my daily struggles and driving society
