Een lichtpuntje op Palermo
Gisteren publiceerde La Sicilia een verhaal over mijn hardloopreis van geluk, met extra aandacht voor de vluchtelingen en daklozen in Palermo, en al het goede werk dat Maurizio Maria D’Amico en Missione di Speranza e Carità daar doen.
Dank voor het verhaal, Rosario Scollo!
Engelse vertaling, vertaald door Ferdinand Jose Espineli:
Coen Cuijpers:”112 days of walking around the world starting from Holland to reach Palermo.”
“I did this marathon journey to highlight the awareness and significance of small things that surrounds our lives, even with just a little smile that we used to encounter everyday”
Even if we live in a gloomy day here in Sicily for the continuous embarkment from North Africa and Kurdish from war, still there are people who transmit positivity and fills the heart of others of confidence thru his own experienced.
Coen Cuijpers,38 years old, is a Dutch degree holder on Computer Science from a town of Gennep, in the south east of Netherland. He has walked (ran) for 112 days for a long journey through European countries ending in Palermo south of Italy to manifest his solidarity with the migrants, to the less fortunate, and to all the people who are suffering!
For a couple of days, he was hosted of the artist Maurizio D’Amico, and accompanied him during his sight seeing visit in the city. “I did this marathon journey to highlight the awareness and significance of small things that surrounds our lives, even with just a little smile that we used to encounter everyday”
A few years ago, I had problems with depressions, I suffered with it! And my friends have helped me little by little, let say even in a very small thing…. through these things like; just walking together, and listening to the music. With those small things, slowly…. they made me feel that I was worth something, that my life is valuable! My friends!! I am very grateful to them and with this journey of mine, I wanted to give back something to the society through my experienced which have helped me to go on and hopefully to help others too to move on!
HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR THIS JOURNEY?
“I created a star model plan specifying the elements to work on. I have asked some people for help, other small group/community for suggestions and advises to conceive this plan and I started the project. So, I planned the marathons and made a list of the materials to carry on my backpack and I ran 6 marathons in 6 days through Limburg as the ultimate test! For the rest, I have planned the important thing as possible for any eventual thing that may occur that I can always be ready. And as I run through every path of different direction, I have met migrants.”
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN THE CITY OF PALERMO AS THE FINAL DESTINATION?
“Because of the Refugees! I have thoughts of many negative things and expecting a negative belief in Sicily but upon arriving and staying here I didn’t see nor found it here, despite of many difficulties I heard regarding with the social conditions of the community/people.
My intention was a race towards Positivity, because most of the persons I have talked to and encountered during my courses were full of Hope and reciprocally, I have learned that mostly are looking for a change of the situations for the betterment even to start again from the very beginning or from the bottom facing courageously the consequences that will follow.
Here in Palermo, I found the community of Biagio Conte “Mission of Hope and Charity” a secular community with a great significance for me, as it showed me to inspire others. In this community I stayed for a few days and have learned on how to assist the refugees, the deprived and homeless people.