Emma Holmes during the de Storytelling Night last week. Photo Clara Vinyeta Cortada ‘I don’t feel welcome here’ was this month’s topic at Emma Holmes’s story night. In collaboration with WUR, the show was offered free of charge for all those (international) students ‘who sometimes feel left out, not welcome or alone’. Resource student-editor Clara Vinyeta Cortada from Spain went to see if the stories could make her feel more at home here.
Text Clara Vinyeta Cortada
The topic for this storytelling night – ‘I don’t feel welcome here’ – can have a broad range of interpretations. This subjectivity is one of the strong points of this form of art, as it allows storytellers – all regular people telling real-life stories – the freedom to construct their tales.
We all started the show with a warming-up which led me to high-five the strangers next to me. I had already understood that this was no regular show. It was all about connecting with other humans. The storytellers had to face about 90 people at the audience bravely. The stories ranged from the funniest anecdotes to heart-wrenching life experiences and reflections on the struggle of coexisting with people with whom we strongly disagree.
Silent
The entire audience went completely silent at one point, all invested in a particular story. This speaker had come to Wageningen from a small (even smaller than Wageningen) town where everyone knows each other’s business, which somewhat annoyed her. However, after a tragic experience, she found herself yearning to go home to those who could share her grief. The familiarity that used to be bothersome gained a new meaning as a comforting support system that she did not find in Wageningen (yet).
Just like the clouds change colours depending on the sunlight, our perceptions of our family, home, and friends… change with our circumstances. Often, it’s only when we are far away that we can fully understand what we have back home. I’m sure many people in the audience could relate to the hardships of moving to Wageningen and building a new social circle.
Content
‘We want to provide a space for diversity by giving the stage to people to tell their stories without interruptions and for the audience to find a community’, said Emma. And as I cycled home in the dark of the night, I reminisced about Emma’s words. It was raining, but I felt content. Cultural events such as these offer a unique way to connect with people during the colder months. They help to make you feel actually welcome, after all.