Riz is a young man who wanted a better life. He wasn’t running away from war or danger in his home country. He just wanted to find a job, earn money, and have a chance to live in a better way. His cousins live in Manchester, in the UK. They told him to come and promised to help him. They even paid for his trip and arranged for people they knew to help him cross into the UK. These people were part of a smuggling network. His cousins said it would be safe, so Riz trusted them.
His journey started with a long two-day bus ride to Brussels. From there, he got into a taxi that took him to France, near the city of Dunkirk. In the woods near Dunkirk, there are camps where many migrants live while they wait to cross the English Channel. That’s where Riz ended up. He found many people there from different countries. Some were from his own country, and they were kind to him. They invited him to stay in one of their tents.
In the camp, people stayed mostly with others from their own country. They had a kind of unspoken rule that separated different groups. But the living conditions were very poor. The food was barely edible, and there were no bathrooms. Everyone had to live in the cold, dirty forest. Some people had been stuck there for weeks or even months.
Riz noticed that not everyone had the same chance of getting on a boat. There was a system, a kind of ranking. People with more money or connections got to leave sooner. The ones without had to wait, sometimes for a very long time. Some even missed their chance when the boat got damaged from overcrowding before it even left the beach.
Thankfully, Riz’s cousins had paid for a spot with someone more trusted and organized, so Riz only had to wait a few days. One day, he got the signal. It was time to go. He walked with others from the forest to the coast. It took about two hours. When they got to the beach, the smugglers who arranged the trip left them there. They didn’t want to be seen or arrested. The migrants had to handle everything themselves.
They found the small inflatable boat, still deflated. None of them were professionals, but they worked together and figured it out. They used a foot pump to fill it with air. It took time, and some were unsure, but eventually the boat was ready. They pushed it into the water and started their journey.
At first, there was a sense of excitement. People were smiling, talking, and full of hope. They believed they had made it — that the hardest part was over. But after some time on the open sea, things changed. Large waves hit the boat, and water splashed over everyone. It was freezing cold. Their clothes got soaked. The boat moved very slowly. The mood turned quiet and tense.
The trip across the Channel takes hours, and it’s exhausting. People sat in silence, cold and scared, hoping they would make it to the other side alive. Every wave made them more anxious. They didn’t know if the boat would hold or if they would be spotted.
Finally, after four long hours, they saw a British Border Force boat in the distance. At first, people didn’t know what to do. Then some of the men on Riz’s boat began shouting and telling everyone to throw their passports into the water. Riz was confused. No one had told him this would happen. But when he saw everyone else doing it, he joined in. It felt like he had no choice.
Soon, the British boat reached them. The officers rescued the group and brought them on board. For Riz, this was a moment of relief. He didn’t care about being arrested or questioned. He was just happy to be alive and out of danger.
But the fear didn’t disappear right away. In the days that followed, Riz had nightmares. He would talk in his sleep about the boat. His cousins had to wake him up more than once. Now, he feels better and says he’s okay, but he doesn’t like thinking about what happened.
Riz wants people to know the truth about these journeys. He says they are not worth it. The trip is extremely dangerous, especially for people who aren’t running from war. He says it’s probably the scariest thing most people will ever go through. No words can explain how bad it really feels. And no dream is worth more than your life. He advises others not to take the risk — because many people don’t survive.
