This post and others that followed, indeed sparked an idea of documenting my own cabinet of curiosities. Thank You :)
"I can feel like a native in a foreign city while simultaneously feeling like a foreigner in my own city!"- so very true. I live in Canada and my native country is India. Sometimes when I go to India, I feel like a foreigner. The sense of belonging keeps shifting and I no longer know which place to call home as both the places have merged into one fluid state for me.
Thank you, Sneha, for sharing! I’m happy that this resonated with you. I love it when other people connect with my experiences. Even if we have never met and are far apart, somehow, we are still connected based on our experiences 🖤
I love this collection of curiosities too! The way you've brought them together sparks so much inspiration in me. And so much resonates, especially about feeling like a native in a foreign city (for me, the cities / towns of Andalucía in Spain), and a foreigner in my own city (Singapore, where I grew up), although my connection with Andalucía is not through heritage but more of an emotional and soul connection. I feel like being in Andalucía helps me connect with and express the parts of me that were asleep in other places, including where I grew up. I also loved The Midnight Library! I read it on New Year's Eve in December 2020, and in the next years that followed, I came face to face a lot with all the themes explored. The concept of feeling home and belonging is so central to my life and what I explore in my writing too. I'm about to read your essay On not Belonging now!
Aww, thank you! I don't know you, but just reading your comments makes me feel very connected to you. It's great that you felt similar emotions in Andalucia 🖤 Thank you for taking the time to read and comment!
This was such an interesting read. I had never heard of Koine languages before. And you are right about the feeling of feeling like an outsider in a place that you have called home and feeling like you belong in a place far away from home. I read The Midnight Library a few years ago and I really liked the message it had for all of us.
Thank you so much, Reema :) Sorry, I am a bit late to reply. I have been travelling in Crete for the past week. I turned 40 and celebrated big. Back online again! Have a good rest of the week 🖤
Hola , Como Bien Dices En Tú Relato , El Sentimiento De Pertenencia Es Algo Que Siempre Llevamos A Cuesta Sobre Nuestros Hombros. Sobre Las Curiosidades Cotidianas Fuera De Nuestros Hogares , ( Ciudades ) , Esos Dos Bellos Ejemplos Que Mencionas , Son Pequeños Momentos Que Alimentan El Alma Humana. Mi Última Curiosidad En Mi Vida , Ha Sido Hace Unos Pocos Días , Rescaté En La Grieta De Un Glaciar Ha Una Loba Y A Sus Tres Lobeznos , Con Su Momento Álgido De La Alegría Por La Salvación De Esas Cuatro Vidas , De La Mordedura De La Loba Hacía Mi Persona , Pensando Tal Vez En El Daño Que Le Podría Hacer A Ella O A Sus Hijos , La Reconciliación Final , Al Darse Cuenta De Que No Le Iba Hacer Nada , El Traslado Casi Dramático De Todos A Mí Casa Para La Recuperación De Todos , ( Los Lobeznos Estaban Muy Débiles , Seguramente Llevarán Varios Días Atrapados En La Grieta Sin Poder Comer Y Una Herida En Un Costado De La Loba ). Ahora Mismo Están Todos Mejor , Los Tengo Durmiendo Al Lado De La Estufa Y Al Lobezno " Ajax " , Durmiendo En Mi Regazo En Estos Momentos. Bueno Espero Que Estés Disfrutando De La Mágica Isla De Creta , Por Adelantado Felicidades Por Tú Cumpleaños , Bienvenida Al Club De Los Cuarenta. Un Saludo.
¡Muchas gracias! Lo pasé muy bien con mis amigos en Grecia. Se siente raro tener 40 ahora, jaja. Espera, ¿Google lo tradujo correctamente? ¿Rescataste a un lobo real?
Thank you so much, Mariana :) Sorry, I am a bit late to reply. I was travelling. I also learned about koine languages when reading about Greek Orthodox prayers. Glad you liked it. Have a good rest of the week 🖤
I read the Midnight library last summer and had to take it slower so it would last longer. I loved it so much. I definately think the book helps put your life choices into perspective and makes you remember to make the most of the choices you make.
Thank you, Claire. :) I had a proper book hangover after reading the book. Is there any other book you took it so slow on? I need some new inspiration. Thank you for reading! I really appreciate your support.
I have been loving Ito Ogawa but I don't think that she's been translated into english. I mostly read japanese writers these days or books that take place in either a library or a book shop 🙈
I looooved Green dot by Madeleine Gray, mostly her writing. I enjoyed the reading list from Sara Nisha Adams and the podcast In Haste made me buy a few books 😆
I also discovered a french writer- Jeanne Benameur and I think I'm falling in love with her writing.
And finally, one of my favourite writer is Elif Shafak ! I haven't read her last two books but they are on my shelves, waiting.
Tugba I have a feeling of not belonging as well here in Mexico City. I love it here, but I know I'm an outsider at the end of the day. I don't know if I feel I "belong" anywhere. Maybe in the mountains, separate from civilization. I hope one day I can feel this sense of belonging where I currently live.
Just caught up on Curiosities #1 after reading #2 - this is a great idea for a regular column or installment. It got me thinking about several of mine - one of which is getting the full treatment in my newsletter tomorrow (I've become completely obsessed) but there's also this rock I found on the beach in Northumberland, England with lots of holes in it that sits proudly on my desk. I treasure it.
Thank you, Diana! Do you mean the Pulaski Skyway? Wow, it looks amazing. I love the black-and-white. You wrote that you are leaving New Jersey. Where will you be moving?
Yes, I meant the Pulaski Skyway! I love thinking of it as a curiosity I've collected. It simply demanded to be photographed in black and white. Yes, we are leaving New Jersey (though I plan to visit often) and heading for the beautiful Berkshires in western Massachusetts. It's been many, many years in the making, and feels momentous to finally be moving there next month. Mountains, rivers, lakes, incredible biodiversity, and finally a dedicated studio to work out of, I can't wait to see what curiosities we discover up there!
Jodi, thank you so much! Sorry for my late reply. I was travelling for the past week. I turned 40, and I had a big celebration with my friends. Oh wow, about your wedding. That is so cute! It is a fantastic theme to have for a wedding. How did you decide it? Are you a big fan of Alice in Wonderland? Have a good rest of the week 🖤
Amazing! Do you still have the book? Was it just an introduction, or what exactly did it contain? I'm so fascinated by it. I never looked into what books were on the topic.
This post and others that followed, indeed sparked an idea of documenting my own cabinet of curiosities. Thank You :)
"I can feel like a native in a foreign city while simultaneously feeling like a foreigner in my own city!"- so very true. I live in Canada and my native country is India. Sometimes when I go to India, I feel like a foreigner. The sense of belonging keeps shifting and I no longer know which place to call home as both the places have merged into one fluid state for me.
Thank you, Sneha, for sharing! I’m happy that this resonated with you. I love it when other people connect with my experiences. Even if we have never met and are far apart, somehow, we are still connected based on our experiences 🖤
I love this collection of curiosities too! The way you've brought them together sparks so much inspiration in me. And so much resonates, especially about feeling like a native in a foreign city (for me, the cities / towns of Andalucía in Spain), and a foreigner in my own city (Singapore, where I grew up), although my connection with Andalucía is not through heritage but more of an emotional and soul connection. I feel like being in Andalucía helps me connect with and express the parts of me that were asleep in other places, including where I grew up. I also loved The Midnight Library! I read it on New Year's Eve in December 2020, and in the next years that followed, I came face to face a lot with all the themes explored. The concept of feeling home and belonging is so central to my life and what I explore in my writing too. I'm about to read your essay On not Belonging now!
Aww, thank you! I don't know you, but just reading your comments makes me feel very connected to you. It's great that you felt similar emotions in Andalucia 🖤 Thank you for taking the time to read and comment!
This was such an interesting read. I had never heard of Koine languages before. And you are right about the feeling of feeling like an outsider in a place that you have called home and feeling like you belong in a place far away from home. I read The Midnight Library a few years ago and I really liked the message it had for all of us.
Thank you so much, Reema :) Sorry, I am a bit late to reply. I have been travelling in Crete for the past week. I turned 40 and celebrated big. Back online again! Have a good rest of the week 🖤
Hola , Como Bien Dices En Tú Relato , El Sentimiento De Pertenencia Es Algo Que Siempre Llevamos A Cuesta Sobre Nuestros Hombros. Sobre Las Curiosidades Cotidianas Fuera De Nuestros Hogares , ( Ciudades ) , Esos Dos Bellos Ejemplos Que Mencionas , Son Pequeños Momentos Que Alimentan El Alma Humana. Mi Última Curiosidad En Mi Vida , Ha Sido Hace Unos Pocos Días , Rescaté En La Grieta De Un Glaciar Ha Una Loba Y A Sus Tres Lobeznos , Con Su Momento Álgido De La Alegría Por La Salvación De Esas Cuatro Vidas , De La Mordedura De La Loba Hacía Mi Persona , Pensando Tal Vez En El Daño Que Le Podría Hacer A Ella O A Sus Hijos , La Reconciliación Final , Al Darse Cuenta De Que No Le Iba Hacer Nada , El Traslado Casi Dramático De Todos A Mí Casa Para La Recuperación De Todos , ( Los Lobeznos Estaban Muy Débiles , Seguramente Llevarán Varios Días Atrapados En La Grieta Sin Poder Comer Y Una Herida En Un Costado De La Loba ). Ahora Mismo Están Todos Mejor , Los Tengo Durmiendo Al Lado De La Estufa Y Al Lobezno " Ajax " , Durmiendo En Mi Regazo En Estos Momentos. Bueno Espero Que Estés Disfrutando De La Mágica Isla De Creta , Por Adelantado Felicidades Por Tú Cumpleaños , Bienvenida Al Club De Los Cuarenta. Un Saludo.
¡Muchas gracias! Lo pasé muy bien con mis amigos en Grecia. Se siente raro tener 40 ahora, jaja. Espera, ¿Google lo tradujo correctamente? ¿Rescataste a un lobo real?
It was really interesting to read about koine languages!
Thank you so much, Mariana :) Sorry, I am a bit late to reply. I was travelling. I also learned about koine languages when reading about Greek Orthodox prayers. Glad you liked it. Have a good rest of the week 🖤
No worries, hope you had a good trip ✨ I'm going to take a look, thank you for the recommendation. You too~
Oh Tuğba, loved this piece- as expected.
I read the Midnight library last summer and had to take it slower so it would last longer. I loved it so much. I definately think the book helps put your life choices into perspective and makes you remember to make the most of the choices you make.
Thank you, Claire. :) I had a proper book hangover after reading the book. Is there any other book you took it so slow on? I need some new inspiration. Thank you for reading! I really appreciate your support.
I have been loving Ito Ogawa but I don't think that she's been translated into english. I mostly read japanese writers these days or books that take place in either a library or a book shop 🙈
I looooved Green dot by Madeleine Gray, mostly her writing. I enjoyed the reading list from Sara Nisha Adams and the podcast In Haste made me buy a few books 😆
I also discovered a french writer- Jeanne Benameur and I think I'm falling in love with her writing.
And finally, one of my favourite writer is Elif Shafak ! I haven't read her last two books but they are on my shelves, waiting.
Tugba I have a feeling of not belonging as well here in Mexico City. I love it here, but I know I'm an outsider at the end of the day. I don't know if I feel I "belong" anywhere. Maybe in the mountains, separate from civilization. I hope one day I can feel this sense of belonging where I currently live.
Thank you for bringing part of one of my homes to my inbox Tuğba! Loved reading it just like the other ones :)
Thank you so much, Sara! I'm now back, and I already miss being in Athens. But it's also great to be home again. Have a good rest of the week 🖤
I know the feeling, the coziness of home is truly unique! You too, Tuğba 🩷
Just caught up on Curiosities #1 after reading #2 - this is a great idea for a regular column or installment. It got me thinking about several of mine - one of which is getting the full treatment in my newsletter tomorrow (I've become completely obsessed) but there's also this rock I found on the beach in Northumberland, England with lots of holes in it that sits proudly on my desk. I treasure it.
Thank you, Diana! Do you mean the Pulaski Skyway? Wow, it looks amazing. I love the black-and-white. You wrote that you are leaving New Jersey. Where will you be moving?
Yes, I meant the Pulaski Skyway! I love thinking of it as a curiosity I've collected. It simply demanded to be photographed in black and white. Yes, we are leaving New Jersey (though I plan to visit often) and heading for the beautiful Berkshires in western Massachusetts. It's been many, many years in the making, and feels momentous to finally be moving there next month. Mountains, rivers, lakes, incredible biodiversity, and finally a dedicated studio to work out of, I can't wait to see what curiosities we discover up there!
Beautifully written. I’m already looking forward to #3 (but only when you and your curiosity are ready).
Thank you so much! Sorry for replying late. Have a good rest of the week 🖤
No problem, I knew you were travelling. Enjoy your week too - we finally have some warmer weather.
Cirque du Soleil has a show called “KURIOS: Cabinet of Curiosities.” It’s a fantastic show.
Loved this article here and the other one you linked about Cabinets of Curiosities.
Also, I had an Alice in Wonderland wedding. It was inexpensive by wedding standards and highly creative. I am also an artist. 🎨
Jodi, thank you so much! Sorry for my late reply. I was travelling for the past week. I turned 40, and I had a big celebration with my friends. Oh wow, about your wedding. That is so cute! It is a fantastic theme to have for a wedding. How did you decide it? Are you a big fan of Alice in Wonderland? Have a good rest of the week 🖤
Amazing! Do you still have the book? Was it just an introduction, or what exactly did it contain? I'm so fascinated by it. I never looked into what books were on the topic.
Gosh I love plants! I will try and get it second hand on WOB. Thank you so much! Have a great weekend 🖤