I have always been struggling with storytelling. The concept sounds somewhat easy but it is actually something that takes a really long time to become comfortable with, there are so many things to consider. Telling story about myself is much easier for me to do than telling the story of other people, I do not know where to put my opinion or if I should even evaluate what I experience; I am not sure if that is my place for me to do so. From some of the case studies Amy Hill shared with us; there is a project that lasts five days. I was very interested in how does the Story Center build trust with the victim, how do they break the ice as the victim is not familiar with the organization and especially some victims do not talk about their experience for years. For example, the victim of domestic violence would not share their story until much later, until they are sure that there is a safe place to do so.
The presentation of the language was also very interesting to me. As a non-native speaker of English, I found it very difficult to translate something into English while trying to keep the meaning of the original version. I was very surprised that the organization chooses to represent some stories in their original languages, even not everyone would understand. Furthermore, one question that was asked by a classmate was also stuck in my head; would it not be better for the victim to keep the story personal? For me, I so strongly believe that telling traumatized story makes it easier for the victim to overcome the obstacle. The organization such as Story Center is not only connecting the world together through storytelling but also providing the victim the safe place to share.
