Cherbourg. Alone.
2018. Change of assignment imposed by the institution. Deaf dialogue with HR. Brest or Paris requested. Transferred to Cherbourg.
Relentless decision, intimidation, disguised threats, appeal, failure.
Resignation refused. Double punishment.
Life as a couple already shaky. Unravelling accelerated by arbitrary transfer. Break-up. House for sale. Loss of control over my life.
Arrival in Cherbourg in September. Only my dog Iroise accompanies me.
Search for accommodation. Apartments unavailable.
A campsite? “Sorry, we’re closed in winter”.
Except Collignon. It will be a mobile home.
Back and forth to Brest to empty my house. All my belongings scattered. Heady silence. A feeling of inner emptiness. Literally and figuratively.
Deconstruction of 10 years of life. Uprooting. Isolation. Loneliness.
Geographical, sentimental and professional instability.
After All Saints’ Day, winter begins at the tip of the Cotentin peninsula. Cold, wind, rain. Mobile home battered. Me too.
Negotiations concluded and resignation finally accepted. January means a new start, a new life.
www.maximilienschaeffer.com
IG : @maximilien_schaeffer
