Monday Matter: Jijivisha, Pig Latin and a bullet train

Your biweekly Foreign Bodies roundup

Every other Monday, I send subscribers and gift recipients of immigrant mental health and storytelling newsletter Foreign Bodies stories I recently inhaled and adored. This is also a chance to do some housekeeping and give shout-outs and all that jazz.

First things first

A little housekeeping

Can’t taste a damn thing, but at least I’m writing

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you’re enjoying the warmer weather wherever you are. I’ve been frantically Googling how long my post-Covid loss of taste is going to last because I still can’t taste the juicy Kesar mangoes my dad brought me and it’s driving me nuts! But other than that: I’ve been admittedly having some trouble balancing school and work this semester, so I feel especially grateful for the grace from professors and editors. The (slow) writing work is finally on the upswing!

A musical start to your Mondays 🎧

One song to groove to, cry to, drive to and share

This week’s pick, recommended by reader Anh K. is Nghiêm Vũ Hoàng Long (best known as RPT MCK) of Hanoi, Vietnam, a Vietnamese rapper known for his rap melodies. In 2023, RPT MCK released his first full length album, 99%.

Resource(s) of the week

Something helpful and interesting and cool (*storytelling opportunity)

• 27th Annual Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum: An in-person and virtual event on May 18 exploring pressing mental health issues in Georgia and the rest of the country

• Chronically Lit: An online literary magazine of personal essays, interviews, and reviews by and about people with chronic illness