This is Kasia’s second mundane narrative. She is a great mother and friend – but she is also a historian finishing up her PhD. This gives her a unique perspective.
Click here for part 1.
I am on a ‘historical’ tour.
As a historian I have the privilege to study peoples’ stories. And these stories are unusual, often unpredictable. Some have a happy end and some are without an end.
When I open the files in archive, when I read diaries or old newspapers, I am invited into someone else’s biography, perspective and experience.
I read about ordinary people in extraordinary time. Their life was tested by remarkable events, their concerns exposed. Many had to travel because of the decisions that were made between politicians and governments.B y writing diaries they could process their emotions; they could uncover their fears and surprise. Their ‘true self’ is brought to light.
Can you imagine that tour is not always fun, adventure and something one waits for?
When I study their stories, I learn about people. I come closer to another human being who, in the midst of life changing events, reveals the truth about himself.
Some become cruel, some heroic.
Some turn to God, some curse the fate.
Some leave the family, some help others.
Some follow the rules, some break the law.
Some kill, some give life.
Each story is unique. I learn to understand the author. And to understand I have to leave behind my opinions, my knowledge, my customs, my culture.
I learn about myself.
Welcome to Day 27 of 31 Days of Mundane Narratives! For the month of October I will be a storyteller. Together with a few friends we will browse the forgotten photos in our galleries and tell the stories that are so often lost in busyness.
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