I believe we’re all outsiders, and that fitting in is overrated. In one way or another, we belong to a group that sets us apart, or we’ve had a singular experience/s that does the job of pushing us to the peripheries of “normalized society”.
We’ve each had a peek of what it was like looking out and looking in, but the world wants to put us in tribes, closed boxes, and remind us of how we are different. To be fair, it’s what the brain does, binary, black and white thinking, but it’s our job as higher beings to find the connecting threats, to feel the pulse, and find freedom in the fringes. Humanity depends on it—and it’s also good fun.
I'm interested in what we share, what brings us together, like a good “the time I accidentally shit in my pants” story. Mortifying in the moment, but hilarious in retrospect. Storytelling does an amazing job of opening minds and building bridges, which is why I find the craft endlessly fascinating, and love to read.
"We make ourselves whole through stories" - Dan McAdams
My name’s Lani, and I’m a first-generation American writing about Gen X and working class childhoods, living abroad, and the experiences that define us.
Nice to meet you.
Hi Lani! I found you through Mika's find your tribe post. Glad I did, I've been looking for more people living abroad in Asia. I live in Thailand, and I'm moving to Spain in August.
Where in Cambodia are you? And how long have you been there?
Hi Lani, l know we have already met 😊, what strikes me is that society focuses on what makes us different rather than what makes us similar. I have predominantly worked with diverse ethnic communities in my career as an English teacher for Non English Speaking Background migrant and refugee adolescents. Their stories have taught me so much and l have always thought that the physical body is a reflection of our Earth landscapes, we all bring our own beauty to the whole landscape of humanity ☺️🙏