MEZRAB STORYTELLING

Kiki possesses a gift that, although enviable to most of us, puts her in conflict with her idea of herself.

Bipin's brush with death while learning to swim gave him a new outlook on life. Content warning: This story discusses suicidal thoughts. If you are feeling overwhelmed, please seek support. www.findahelpline.com

For mortals like you and me, the only oasis of eternity is the moment we spend with each other. Enjoy Salomé's account of the instants she shared with her ageless father.

How long will you commit to a joke before it becomes your life? Rutger's edgy sense of humor took him far beyond his comfort zone. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

Growing up is more than just being allowed to consume mature content. It's revisiting and revalorizing the role of our parents in shaping us with their displays of love and discipline during our childhood. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

We all have these relationships in our lives that, for various reasons, we wonder why we put up with them. Instead of focusing of answering that question, why don't we explore the other questions that arise from it? Join Olga in diving into the fishbowl. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

If there's such a thing as different genres of stories among the ones we hear in Mezrab, a favorite is certainly "Grandmas' Stories." This is because some of us didn't have grandmas around, or they were, but sucked at storytelling. However, we're lucky that Rapha's grandma was an excellent storyteller , and so is her grandson. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

Phillip opens his mind and heart to us, delving into how he struggled to prepare a story to establish a deep connection with us. It makes me think of how we're still monkeys, going around shaking trees, thinking we're looking for food when all we look for is company. But Phillip's metaphors are better than mine. Enjoy. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

Sometimes I have the suspicion that certain events happen just so that someone can tell the story later. It is the case of Michael's experience. Although his wild ride from hospital to hospital, heightened by opiates and swarming wasps, is completely true, it almost seems like it belongs to the realm of fiction. Despite our strong distaste of this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

In one of our LGBTQ evenings, Sinead tells the story of Saint Brigid, the icon that inspired her childhood crush: Xena, the Warrior Princess. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

There are people in this world who seem to have figured out what it means to be a human being. When that person happens to be your grandmother, that's a voice that stays with you for life. In this story, Nadine shares the most important lessons she learned from her grandmother.

When it comes to avoiding the cycle of destruction, our only hope is in remembering the past. Aryeh intertwines the love story of his grandparents during WWII with the parable of Rabbi Ishmael and the tragedies of this day and age. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

For most of us in Mezrab, English is a second language we use to connect quickly with each other. However, it's often the unique flavors that each of us adds to the language that really makes the connection. Asya shared with us her experience of falling in love while attending school in Türkiye. It'll probably resonate with you, not simply because she tells it in English, but mostly because you're human. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

Rasha is Palestinian with an Israeli passport. Her family's story is one of displacement ever since her grandmother was expelled by the Israeli army from her village during the Nakba of 1948. What does being at home mean when you are a refugee in your own homeland? Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

Every week, Mezrab welcomes hundreds of immigrants who came to The Netherlands by choice or by necessity to make a new home. The person writing this (AKA me) is one of them. Especially in these times, it's cool to hear a native Dutch person relating to our experience as fishes out of water. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

When Irina discovered her house had been broken into and her possessions stolen, it initially seemed like a terrible crisis. Yet, when you're making a new country your home, the tough moments often reveal the blessings in our lives. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

Have you ever had a crush on a historical figure? Imagine being able to have a coffee with Napoleon, or exploring the countryside with Joan of Arc, or having a long conversation with Alan Turing. Farnoosh confesses her historical crush is Princess Taj, the jewel of Persia. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

Every once in a while, we have a night in Mezrab called Off the Page, where we tell stories inspired by books. Violeta took a creative twist on the assignment, offering a scathing review about a book her boyfriend gifted her, which she hated thoroughly. Enjoy this cautionary tale on the art of selecting the right book as a gift. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

The best starting point for any project is the moment it begins. Picture this: you're on your way to a job interview at a senior retirement home. Suddenly, you find yourself surrounded by a group of seniors, all eagerly expecting to be entertained. Sounds like the promising start of an incredible project, doesn't it? Well, it's also the start of a fantastic story. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.

Discovering our own voice and identity is a long journey for many of us. However, some people are exploring uncharted territory when it comes to understanding themselves as something that society has yet to recognize. This path is not without its difficulties, but the rewards are plenty. Despite our strong distaste for this platform's corporate conduct, we use it to share our stories widely. We appreciate your understanding of this frustrating compromise.