Where I Learned to Bloom

When I first discovered the existence of this Youth Exchange, the only thought that crossed my mind was: “That’s cool, there should be something like this for everyone.” At that point, I signed up mainly because I wanted to travel, without really having any expectations about how things would unfold.

I simply wanted to escape my everyday life, where I no longer felt like I belonged, with a mind filled with emotions and negative thoughts that had refused to leave me for the past year.

So, I arrived in Lemele on July 17, 2026, at this beautiful farmhouse which, from the moment I arrived, reassured me with the wonderful energy surrounding it. I met the other members of the group, and I heard many people stuttering around me. During the first few days, despite what one might think, this made me more tense than anything else.

Hearing someone other than myself stutter made me anxious and tense, because I found myself imagining that I was stuttering too. I didn’t yet know what to do with that feeling.

I was surrounded by people who were living through something I knew intimately, yet had always been used to experiencing alone: stuttering.

You feel it coming. You try to avoid it, but of course, it is faster than you. Your body tenses up and you stutter. During and afterwards, you can feel shame, fear, and sometimes anger.

And yet, something was different.

For the first time, I didn’t need to explain my stutter. I didn’t need to wonder if the others would notice it, or did I need to hide it to avoid an uncomfortable situation.

As the days went by, the workshops and conversations gradually began to ease that tension. We talked about our fears, our dreams, and our experiences. I found myself surrounded by people who, despite their differences in culture, personality, and background, felt many of the same things I did.

I realized that I wasn’t weird. I wasn’t alone. And most importantly, I didn’t need to hide.

This realization allowed me to discover a part of myself that I had never allowed myself to fully express elsewhere: being a little weird, laughing, being vulnerable, taking up space.

And above all, I discovered that I actually liked being surrounded by people.

I saw myself being sociable, cheerful, curious, attentive, funny, and spontaneous. I saw myself listening to others with genuine interest and learning from their stories and cultures.

Spending a few days in such a caring, loving, and protective environment felt like receiving the water and sunlight I needed to bloom, like the colorful tulips of the Netherlands.

And I had a thought that almost surprised me: “But… is this person really me?”

For a long time, I thought this version of myself only appeared very rarely. I thought perhaps it was only a small part of my personality, almost an exception.

But during this week, she was there every single day.

I realized that perhaps I had never lacked sociability, confidence, or personality. What I had been missing was an environment where I felt safe enough to let those parts of myself exist.

I could simply be Michaelle.

And I loved that person.

I arrived in Lemele wanting to travel, without really knowing what I would find. I am leaving with a community, memories, an enormous amount of love, and above all, a new image of myself.

I came looking for a journey.

I didn’t know I would find so much more.

Thank you to Stamily, the national organizations, the volunteers, and everyone who made this week possible. Thank you for the conversations, the laughter, the hugs, the little notes, the stories we shared, and for this beautiful enchanted interlude.