22. A Letter To Someone You No Longer Speak To

Dear -,

I remember when we used to hang out and watch so many Disney movies together on the weekend. You usually ordered chicken nuggets and adored listening to Hilary Duff. I lost count of the times we spent watching ‘What A Girl Wants’.Remember the voices we used to record on the computer in our attempt to imitate Lilo’s voice from ‘Lilo & Stitch’? How many ‘Shirley Temple’s do you think we ordered during our time at the compound? Do you also think that the ‘Teen Room’ was overrated but remember feeling extremely curious as to what used to go on in there?! You would sometimes feel jealous of your younger brother when I would spend time with him and claim that he was trying to steal me away from you. 
One day, we were playing a game with an electronic device which had the options of ‘Truth or Dare’; after being dared to pat my head and rub my stomach in cyclic movement, you asked me to tell you a secret. You were one of the first people I think I ever told that I felt “different” to.. although I wasn’t afraid to tell you it. I sometimes wonder why it felt so natural and easy to open up about it. Maybe it was because I felt more at peace with who I was before puberty.. even though what I felt was not represented in any popular media (that I had access to) ten years ago.
I often wonder about the person you are now, if you recall the long days at the recreation centre, if you still think about the afternoons we spent together when a song by Hilary Duff or a movie with Amanda Bynes appears.
I think after the bomb, a lot of friends who said they would never lose touch did.. not because they never valued their friendships but because that’s the way life is sometimes. Who knows, maybe sometime in the near future we’ll drop each other a line and talk about those days and reminisce about them with smiles and nostalgia.

Love, 
Marilena

Online Users

21. A Letter To Your Ideal Self

When we’re younger, we tend to idealize our future selves in hopes of fulfilling our deepest desires; Will we manage to do X before this age? Will we succeed in Y? Will we be okay if Z occurs?

When you were younger, you pictured yourself in your late teens/university years and you had certain expectations. Some of them were met but others were not. I guess it would be interesting to see where your full potential could lead you if you wouldn't allow your "limitations" to hinder your will and passion.

There’s a fire in your heart; a strong yearning for experiencing it all, for traveling, learning and sharing with others. Maybe you’re making changes to one person’s life and maybe there are a couple more .

You know Armenian and Arabic. You have read most of the classics and don’t have to re-read philosophy excerpts numerous times in order to grasp what is being said. Your knowledge of history is broad and diverse; you don’t fight back tears or cry when you’re angry or in debate for a just cause. 

I feel closer to you than I have ever before. Undoubtedly, my younger self would be awed and proud of who you turn out to be.

Online Users

20. A Letter To Your Mother

Dear Mama/Momma/Mamila/Mamily/Mom,

I feel like tearing up and I haven’t even completed a sentence of this letter. Now there’s lump in my throat. What can I possibly begin to say to you in a letter?

You have been through so much during your life. You have sacrificed a lot to be where you are now and I envy you for the entirety of your being. There were times when I couldn’t understand some of your opinions and vice versa. As a mother, it must be hard for you when you have your child and your beliefs clash with each other. I don’t know what you think.. I am at peace just by knowing you love me and want me to be happy.
I envy your faith and baking skills (I keep forgetting to ask you for your infamous apple and carrot cake recipes)!
I love how we sometimes have Skype conversations that are primarily supposed to be 10-15 minutes long but instead end up lasting at least an hour; I love the directions you give me and the way in which you give off a vibe of “seriousness” whenever I ask you how to cook a particular food on Skype or when we’re together.
I love how during special occasions when we’re all together you get emotional during a toast; I love how we sleep in the same bed on the first night we see each other after months of being apart or before I travel back to the UK and how we hold hands and sometimes talk until we’re too sleepy to continue.
I love how you refuse to allow me to come home with the bus from the airport even though I don’t really mind.
I love how passionate you are about gardening and have a taste in floral patterns for certain items such as mugs, table cloths, towels, clothes and paintings.
I love it when you hug me and “let go”; I love how you weren’t and are still not hesitant to cry in front of me for fear of appearing weak in my eyes because you’re “supposed to be the parent, the strong one” – and you are so so strong, Mama, you have no idea.
I love how you treat your children’s friends as if they were your own children; I love how you manage to say something in a serious tone while expressing genuineconcern for some of the habits of students in the UK (e.g. “Why don’t they wear socks with their shoes?”  or “Doesn’t this boy have a mother?” – when a boy was wearing Bermuda shorts and a t-shirt in freezing weather) but it sounds hilarious!
I love the fact that we’ve given your smell a nickname (‘Mamila’) – it’s a mixture of perfume and soap. Speaking of soap, ‘Clean On Me’ shower gel probably is getting most of its’ profit from you.
Mama, you sweet, beautiful, chic woman you; you’re loving, patient, supportive and selfless and we are forever grateful to you for this.

I love you, darling.
Marilena

Online Users

15/02/15

‘Maria-Eleni’ -
The combination of 
Two names.
In an emergency, by the time it gets called out,
There will be a need for some sort of a financial claim.
Maria; the elegant, the gentle, the wise.
Eleni; the selfless, the anxious, the child-like eyes.
Though I know names do not determine the nature of one’s soul
I am responsible for being myself and that is my strongest desire; my life long goal.
While Maria has been gone for five years
And Eleni loves Turkish series which bring her to tears
I will hold their names, their pronunciation will be loud;
I will leave a legacy of dignity and make them proud. 




Online Users