REFLECTION – STORY TELLING

MY COUSIN SISTER

Challenge & Selection

In my short life, there are many experiences that could qualify as life-

changing. Every new experience was, at one time or another, the first experience.

For good or bad, each instance changed the course that my life has taken. Story

telling is a great tool. Stories tend to be based on experiential learning, but

learning from an experience is not automatic. Stories are effective educational

tools because listeners become engaged and therefore remember. Storytelling can

be seen as a foundation for learning and teaching. Storytelling taps into existing

knowledge and creates bridges both culturally and motivationally toward a

solution. That why I chose story telling as my tool.

Application

I have a story about using story telling. I met my cousin sister. Always she

used to be very happy. Her name is Anita and was 15 years old. They were a well

rounded perfect family of three. When I had gone to her house, I found that Anita

was not happy in her life. She seemed to be as though something is missing and

fearful of something. So I used my story telling tool.

Insight & Approach

I started to notice her closely why she is not happy. I identified the reason.

That was a right time for me to open up with my story. I told Anita about my most

transformative experience.

I told her how I was fearful and thinking when my mother was pregnant.

Victor is someone my parents often call a happy accident. At that time, I was 10

years old and both of my parents had shown more love for me. We were what you

would call a well-rounded, perfect family of three. We neatly fit into the perfect

classification in nearly every way. We didn't realize what we were missing until

the moment that my younger brother first opened his striking blue eyes.

In truth, I resented the fact that I would be having a sibling. Nothing

needed to be added to our family, and my mother, already 38 at the time, was

considered high risk because of her age. The pregnancy itself was full of

complications that sent the straight course of my life into rollercoaster-like loops

that my 10-year-old mind had a hard time comprehending. But now, I can see how

forging through those loops helped me to roll with the punches that life inevitably

brings.

The day Victor was born, my mother took me with her to the hospital

rather than my father. Sitting with her through every contraction, I gained a new

respect for just how powerful and strong a woman could be in what might be

considered their weakest moment. Holding her hand and feeding her ice chips, I

gained a connection with my mother that I didn't realize we were lacking.

The moment my new baby brother Victor came into this world, I realized

two things nearly simultaneously. First, you don't realize how much you need

something until it's sitting in your lap. Second, my life after this moment would

never be the same. The moment he curled his chubby little finger around mine, I

understood the words "happy accident" completely. Victor's arrival was a life-

altering event that caused me to see the world through new eyes.

So I told this story to my cousin sister, it had a big impact. It had changed

her life and also changed a part of her as a person. Anita became very happy and

prepared herself to face the arrival of her new brother or sister. A little story can

do a lot of good. Story telling tool had really helped a lot to me. It is empowering

me, as it effectively conveys ideas and with practice, it is able to demonstrate the

potential of human accomplishment. So I would use the same tool for the next

time also.

