Moving, romance, tattooing and clarinet: to each his own

Aged 18 to 30, they took advantage of periods of confinement to satisfy the cravings they had for a long time.

Getty Images - Leontura

Text by: Lou Roméo Follow

7 min

They fell in love, learned Russian, clarinet, tattooing, diving ... Aged 18 to 30, faced with the loss of their job, the end of their studies, or quite simply confinement, they have decided to use this time to develop new skills, or to dig into what they had wanted to do for a long time.

Covid-19 does not always mean wasted time.

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“ 

It had been trotting in my head for some time

 ,” explains Thibault, 27.

The young man, a freelance illustrator, discovered Russian literature when the first confinement fell on March 17.

“ 

I was reading Gorky, Dostoyevsky… I wanted to get to know this complex country better.

 "With the idea of ​​a trip in mind," 

when we can move around again

 ", Thibault decides to learn Russian from his Strasbourg apartment.

“ 

I bought a language method, I have apps on my phone… But I'm still learning.

 "

After several months of daily work, he now manages to decipher Cyrillic and read short texts in Russian.

Next step: interact with people.

If he begins to master the written word, the oral remains an unknown, social distancing obliges.

I want to have a solid foundation before leaving, so as not to waste time for my interlocutors,

 " explains the young man.

Fall in love in the middle of 3D printers

But the Covid-19 also allowed him to experience other adventures.

In March 2020, he responded to an ad circulating on social networks.

A group of people had bought 3D printers to make visors, but no one knew how to use them,

 ” he recalls.

He knows how to handle them, proposes himself, meets them.

And ends up falling in love.

“ 

I went to the local every day to talk to these people, all very different

,” he says.

But it was especially for Assia * that I invested myself so much

.

"

Assia launched the initiative, she is older than him, in the process of divorce, mother of a child.

And she already has other " 

suitors

."

"" 

It was an extremely intense experience

, says Thibault.

I came home in the evening in shock, euphoric, or deeply hurt

.

In their room, loaned by a political party, a room serves as a shelter for these irregular lovers.

Now life has resumed its course, but they continue to see each other sometimes, to share moments.

He remembers this “

interesting

 ”

confinement 

Moving to Mexico or Montpellier 

Arthur * has had the opposite experience: after a “

painful

 ”

confinement 

, which leads his relationship to rupture, he decides to resume the projects he had left aside during his love affair.

“ 

I had wanted to leave Tours for a long time, and we can say that the Covid-19 has accelerated everything

, he laughs.

The confinement with my ex went badly, and in June, I moved to Montpellier.

 "

Barely a month after the end of confinement, he packed his boxes, returned his apartment, and set off for the south of France by truck.

He joined friends there and has since been involved in a common project, that of opening a performance hall and residence. 

Alicia * has gone much further.

Faced with the closure of ski resorts, this young woman who usually works in restaurants in Haute-Savoie flew to Mexico in January, certain that restaurants and lifts would remain closed.

With one idea in mind: to become a diving instructor.

I was originally due to leave in April, 

” she explains, “

but since everything was closed with the Covid-19, I left this winter instead of staying to work in France as I usually do

.

Develop a plan B against precariousness 

The precariousness with which she is confronted, deprived of any prospect of employment, has also played a role.

"

 I told myself that I needed a plan B

," she confides between two diving courses.

I am in the process of taking the diving instructor's diploma, and then I plan to continue with a specialty.

 A deepening that she could not have considered if she had left in the spring, for lack of time.

The announcement of a possible reconfinement has indeed changed his plans.

Instead of returning in February, she is considering starting work in Mexico as a diving instructor, right after graduating.

“ 

I'm better off here than in France where I can't do anything other than watch the snow fall

,” she says.

In the future, I would like to resume my job in the winter, and work in diving in the summer.

 " 

► Also to listen: 

After six months of pandemic, how do young people see the future?

Cécile also decided to train.

I have an artistic training that I had completely left aside

," explains the young woman.

But since confinement, I started drawing again.

 "From Clermont-Ferrand, in eastern France, she designed"

flash

 "

for several months 

, these small" express "tattoos.

Then I spent the summer tattooing several of my friends

,” she says.

Now I would like to make one

'next to it' ”.

Especially since her work, stage manager in the performing arts, is very physical.

If he is passionate about it, she will probably not be able to exercise it all her life.

Tattooing is therefore a “

hobby

for the moment

, but it could become more.

In anticipation, she followed a hygiene and sanitation training, compulsory to practice, and begins to be paid.

“ 

The next step would be to follow an apprenticeship with a master, in Spain or Portugal, to continue learning,

” she explains.

For me, tattooing is a craft, you have to learn it through observation and practice

.

"

"I'm happy with myself"

Without the Covid-19, she told herself, she would still have " 

postponed until later 

" this vague desire that she had.

“ 

I'm happy to get back to drawing,

” she says.

And, ultimately, it can turn out to be really interesting financially

.

"

New perspectives, therefore, for the young woman, thanks to a daily life upset by the pandemic.

And the desire not to fall into inertia.

Matteo wanted, too, to take advantage of the “ 

time

 ” offered by the confinement.

“ 

Last spring

,” explains the young man, “

I did like everyone else, I watched series, I read books… but in the end, I said to myself that I should take advantage of these moments. there to do something else.

 So he chose to start learning the clarinet, another " 

idea

 " that was running through his head.

A friend lends him one, and it goes, every day, between " 

half an hour and 4 hours 

", with exercises and scales on his instrument.

I'm happy with myself

," he smiles.

I realized that I had an ear, and now I can play several songs and improvise.

 A rewarding experience, which he continues by taking private lessons from time to time.

What is he waiting for now?

"

The reopening of bars and the resumption of"

jams "

 to be able to

play, improvise and above all share!

 "  

* Some first names have been changed. 

►Also read: 

In France, the coronavirus epidemic also weakens young graduates

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