I am a humanitarian, traveler and writer. I was born and raised in a small village in Tuscany, Italy. I’ve always known I wanted to travel, write and play my part in making the world a better place. I always felt like a fish out of water in my family, at school and in the village. From a young age, I was interested in learning more about what was happening in the world (Internet wasn’t that widespread back then) and in writing and reading. I never had any real friends during childhood or my teenage years because I felt so different from my peers.
My “family” is made of toxic and dysfunctional people so I always felt very bad living with them. Anyone who lived in a toxic environment knows what I am talking about. I never got any support from my family, on the contrary, they always did their best to push me down. They didn’t believe in me, in my capabilities and in my dreams. It took me more than 30 years to realize they are toxic and dysfunctional people and in November 2021 I stopped talking with them (except for my sister).
As I’ve always wanted to travel and write about humanitarian issues, in 2022 I spent one week in an impromptu refugee camp on the Turkey-Syria border with Italian NGO “Support and Sustain Children”, in Athens with a local NGO working with migrants and in July I bought a one way ticket to Southeast Asia. I’ve always been fascinated by Cambodia so I came here to actually see it with my own eyes. I didn’t plan to move here, but I love Cambodia so much and now I live here. I’ve also been to Thailand and Vietnam. I travel and contact NGOs offering them to write books, articles or social media posts about the issues they tackle, the people they support and the work they do.
I also love connecting with people wherever I go. Cambodia, for instance, is such a complex country, things are not black or white. There was the genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979), the landimes and many other issues that lead the majority of people to still live very humble lives. I think this is my call in life, to use my passion and talent for writing to give a voice to those we often don’t hear from and to encourage people to travel more, to connect with each other, to genuinely care about people living in other countries and to search for the truth.
As I’ve been asked to mention people that influenced me, well, as you can guess I am not going to say anyone from my family or the people in the village I was raised in. When I was 15, maybe 17 years old, I bumped into a movie with the actress Angelina Jolie. As I’ve always searched for authenticity and something raw, I got the feeling she had it, so I started following her humanitarian and life journey. I learned about how she was going to refugee camps and other places to connect with people and write about them. She offered me an example, the proof I needed to see there are people doing something similar to what I wanted to do. I heard people say the difference between those who make it and those who don’t, it’s in having a role model, and I couldn’t agree more. Following Angelina allowed me to learn from someone with an open mind, who has travelled a lot and sees the world differently compared to most of the people.
During my journey I also met people who inspire me like those who work in the field everyday, genocide or war survivors, refugees, all amazing people that I am really honored to know. My goal is to keep traveling and keep writing about humanitarian issues. I am working on my first novel in English aimed at young people, who focuses on Afghanistan.
I know this is my mission in life. I need to connect with others and I want to encourage more and more people to do the same. We all can see how the world is seriously messed up today and we often feel these are big issues and we can not do anything about it, but I believe if we all work together, we can achieve something. We must start joining hands and genuinely, actively care for all the people who are suffering. There is a poem by John Donne that I like for the way it talks about being One.
I want to close my article with his words because each and every one of us can, and should, do something to make the world a better place:
No man is an island entire of itself;
every man
is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were;
any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
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