Week 4: A Big Hit with Students

If my little family and I could settle in Indonesia, if we could make a living by introducing this beautiful country to tourists from all over the world, if the money we raise could help the children of our village build a better future — these are the dreams that carry me forward. The project keeps taking shape. After registering about fifteen pre-registrations last week, we've convinced six more people to travel with us next summer. Most of these newcomers are under thirty, which considerably lowers the average age of our group. We now have future clients of all ages, from every corner of France, with disabilities or without. A promising diversity that points to wonderful trips on the other side of the world.

The AVH Paris Training Center Joins In

When my friend Yannis told me he'd forwarded my promotional email to his school's student office, I didn't expect the response to be this incredible. The message spread through most of the classes at the school, and my phone quickly started ringing. First- and second-year physiotherapy students, members of the wellness program — the younger generation surprised me with how drawn they were to the out-of-the-ordinary experience I'm offering. One student who'd just turned eighteen, super motivated, even told a friend of hers about it — a friend with no disability at all but who really wants to join our group of travelers. A teacher whose students got her caught up in the adventure also reached out. An AVH Paris group is pretty much already formed, and all that's left is to pick dates that work for everyone so their trip to Java can become reality.

An Extraordinary Encounter

"Hey Guillaume, your Indonesia adventures really appeal to me. I'm also blind, and I'm in a relationship with a Thai woman." That's the message I received last Wednesday. I never imagined that another blind Frenchman could be living a love story with a woman from Southeast Asia. I thought I was the only one with this unusual profile. Turns out I'm not. A guy just like me exists out there, and we'll probably be sharing a plate of spicy rice together in about ten months. Our phone call was fantastic. Every time he told me one of his stories, I felt like I'd lived through the exact same thing. We share similar feelings on so many things. I can't wait to meet him in person, along with his future wife, so we can share an adventure together in this refreshingly different region we both love so much.

The Target Shifts

Before launching this large-scale advertising campaign, I'd set myself the symbolic goal of forty interested people to officially kick off my move to Indonesia. In the end, I don't yet feel fully ready to leave France for good, and I've decided that thirty travelers for a first test summer is already more than enough. Since my son needs to finish first grade at the end of June and start second grade in early September, we have roughly eight weeks available across July and August to organize our trips. With an average of seven or eight travelers per group, that quantity alone would already fill our order book. Knowing that I expect 10 to 20% of cancellations, 35 is the highest ceiling I'm setting for myself before officially closing registrations. About fifteen more names to add to my list.

Coming up this week

The plan is to finish sending my mass email to every French association for the visually impaired. I have fewer than fifty left to reach out to. I also need to prepare a detailed logbook for each traveler, so everyone can check the exact program of activities waiting for them on the ground. Last but not least, we still need to choose the restaurants we'll visit and put together the daily menus we'll serve at our lodgings. The goal is to offer our guests a variety of dishes so they can discover the immense richness of Indonesian cuisine.