KARYA (2nd year)

"I was in my last year of high school when I was diagnosed with chronic Multiple Sclerosis (MS). With MS, my immune system was attacking my central neuron system which was leading me to experience attacks such as bad vision and not being able to walk. It was the toughest year of my life because I had a lot of problems in my personal life, worries about the future and a lot of expectations about myself. Because of perfectionism, I was harming myself emotionally and spiritually and at the end physically, because of MS. For my recovery, I stayed in a hospital for a week, taking litres of cortisone. Because of all these things, I was distanced from myself, forgetting who I really was. Then I came to the Netherlands. It was my first time living by myself, and it was also abroad. Since I was living in the same surroundings for 17 years, living with the expectations of others, I did not have a chance to connect with myself. When I came to the Hague no one knew who I was, and honestly, neither did I. This gave me the freedom to be whoever I wanted. I felt so free, and I rediscovered myself. I felt so much better and happier. I almost forgot all of the bad things that happened back home. I realised that I should not take things so seriously, and put so much pressure on myself. The most important thing is your health. You should always take care of yourself first. I realised that I want to live my own life, without the restrictions of others’ expectations."

(Karya, 2nd year, Turkey.)