My Storytelling Journey

How a workshop helped me realize the power of connecting through stories

Written by Megha Nanda

I come from a diverse land, home to innumerable cultures, beliefs and opinions. As a result I have grown up with the realization that there are a number of factors that contribute to making a person who they are. Culture adds to a part of our personalities, but it is only that. When I moved to the Netherlands to study with 20 nationalities, I found moments where we all had the same energy, happiness and excitement, fear and insecurities flowing through us and at that point, no one cared to ask where we came from or what culture we belonged to. This is also what I observed at the Storytelling Workshop hosted by Pocket Stories.

In a matter of a few hours, 10 strangers with vastly different backgrounds were able to open up and share some of the deepest, and most personal moments of our lives, because we felt safe and connected.

Before attending the workshop though, I was in 2 minds. Being an introvert and socially awkward, sharing my life with a bunch of strangers wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my Saturday. However, because I had already signed up and something about this workshop intrigued me so I decided to stick to the commitment. In hindsight, it was one of the best decisions I made. The first impression when I walked in to the venue was that of familiarity. I met Ingi and Shah, and it felt like meeting old friends in my living room. There was not an ounce of awkwardness.

That helped me to immediately feel relaxed and look forward to the rest of the day. During the course of the workshop I found so many people whose stories I could relate to and these are people who I never thought I could have anything in common with and had never met before.

The Storytelling Journey workshop helped me comprehend that the bond formed through sharing stories is profound and very powerful and it is something we all need to experience in today’s world.

Our personalities may differ due to culture and other factors, but in the light of shared experiences, shared humanity, does it really matter? Maybe if we focus a bit more on the basics, on having conversations with each other, we will realize that we are not so different after all.

This one experience encouraged me to become more actively involved in this continuous dialogue on inclusion, migration and diversity. Often all its takes is a realization that we can do more.

Because as John Lewis said, “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”