Inspired by The Little Prince, this article pays tribute to the “foxes” who have tamed my heart — Annie, Amandine, and Celino. Each friendship tells a story of love, resilience, and gratitude.

You will find this article in French by clicking on this link: Mes renards

As promised, here I am again with my weekly article. At first, I had no idea how to introduce this new format. Should I continue writing about travel, or return to poetry? Nothing seemed obvious until today.  
This afternoon, as I was flipping through my photos—those I took last week at the “Bassin des Lumières” exhibition on “The Little Prince”—an idea came to me. I thought of my foxes: those people who, against all odds, tamed me and illuminated my life.  
These encounters made me love France, a country I now cherish deeply. They are the ones I want to honor in this article. They are the ones I think of when I try to describe the gentleness of friendship and, above all, the infinite richness found in human diversity.  
There is something infinitely poetic about losing oneself in the light of stars projected onto the walls of the “Bassin des Lumières”, during an exhibition dedicated to “The Little Prince”. This magical place, both soothing and inspiring, invites us to explore the multiple dimensions of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s universe. It was in this enchanting setting that I reflected on my own foxes…  
In The Little Prince, the fox teaches a fundamental lesson: “One only truly knows what one has tamed.” This idea resonates deeply with me because, over the years, I have met people who have illuminated my path and, in one way or another, tamed me.  

Annie, My Rose

There are so many ways I could describe my relationship with Annie, but what stands out the most is how we began—as teacher and student. She was a passionate teacher, and I was a student often exhausted by studies and work. Yet, Annie always brightened our classes with her straightforwardness and hilarious expressions that never failed to make me smile.  
At the end of her teaching, I chose to give her a small painting, one that made my nationality unmistakable. I wanted her to remember that, even if time erased everything from her heart, there was once a student who would never forget her.  
Years later, during a documentary about my country, Annie thought of me. She searched tirelessly for my email address. Once she found it, she was no longer just my teacher —she became Annie, my friend.  
Without knowing it, she encouraged me to follow my dreams, to always seek the best, to respect all professions, and, above all, to love life. Thanks to her, I learned to cherish cathedrals, certain stories, and many books. Annie is my rose.  
“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.” This quote is dedicated to her because she took the time to tame me and impart lessons that will forever remain within me.  

Amandine, the Friend of Adventure 

I’ve said it many times, and I’ll say it again: I cannot talk about travel without mentioning Amandine.  
We met in the laboratories of the Établissement Français du Sang, in the cell engineering department. We were both interns, though she was an apprentice. At first, we didn’t talk much. But one day, we made a bet—I don’t even remember what it was about—and suddenly, one of us owed the other a McDonald’s meal.  
That’s how we traded our white lab coats for casual clothes and started conversations that had nothing to do with stem cells. I discovered her passion for horses and her poetic way of seeing life, of planting roses even in adversity.  
Her love for sports and her thirst for adventure took us across France, in search of adrenaline, memories, and ever-higher peaks. With her, I learned to embrace life in all its facets. I left behind some of my irrational fears and discovered horizons I never imagined.  
How much have we been through together? How many treasures have I gathered thanks to her?  
“What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere, it hides a well.”  
With Amandine, every adventure, no matter how ordinary, carried the promise of a hidden treasure—a precious moment to be seized.  

Celino, the Friend of Resilience

Anyone who does not love Celino simply hasn’t met him yet.  
Anyone who despairs of life has never walked through it with Celino.  
Anyone who is sad just hasn’t found their Celino.  
Celino has given me more than I could ever write. He has taught me resilience like no one else could.  
We met at a time when I was striving to become financially independent from my parents. I was a student and wanted to work. That’s how I became a caregiver—and that’s how Celino entered my life.  
At the time, I had no idea that, in learning to communicate with him, an entirely new world would open up to me. With him, I discovered what it truly meant to live with a disability. Celino showed me the heroism of a person who never let illness, pain, or suffering stop him from fully living.  
With Celino, I flew, soared, and embraced culture, cinema, gastronomy, humor, patience, perseverance, selflessness, and above all—true, authentic friendship.  
Years pass, the world changes, seasons come and go, yet even from a hospital bed, Celino still sends me a text:  
“My dearest Aliane, how are you?”  
If I don’t curse life, if I don’t pity myself, know this: I simply have the privilege of having Celino in my life.
“Try to be happy, he told me—and he would still tell me today. He wished it for me, and he always would.”

Through my three foxes, I realize the profound richness of friendship.  
As the fox tells The Little Prince:  
“One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” 
And above all:  
“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” 

Written by Aliane UMUTONIWASE