![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
BLOG “TREASURES”
Three items were positioned on the classroom desk on Thursday-- one of unimportance, one of value/ importance and one meaningful paper item. The first item was an orange-coloured, beat up, old comb. A Cleopatra 400 brand, with black hair dye left on it. At first, I didn't know who this comb belonged to, as it was thrown aside into the unimportant pile of objects. So I drew conclusions. This person has changed her look recently. Maybe she threw this comb away because it was dirty, used, and old news. Perhaps she doesn't care much for superficiality, for her appearance, though the functionality of the item is clear. This is a useful object. In fact, when gazing at the unimportant pile I noticed a similarity between all the items. They were all practical items all necessary and functional and useful but not special or extraordinary. When I finally discovered its owner, I got the full story. This comb belonged to Kathleen.
“Combs are really cheap,” she says. “I can always buy another one.” She uses this item everyday; it is part of her scenery, so it doesn't really matter. To her, combs are a dime a dozen perhaps. Perhaps this is true. One can buy a comb at any dollar store, drug store, shopping mall. They are cheap commodities, easy to come by. Thus, of no real value.
The next item was one of more value and importance. It was Kevin's bag full of sea shells and one tiny emerald. My first thought was that these items were especially significant because they represented a memory of a time or place that was important to the person carrying them. My first instinct was right. Kevin picked up the shells while travelling in South America. Some of them were from diving sites in the Galapagos. The emerald was from a friend who travelled through Columbia and went emerald mining. He really wanted to bring something back with him from those places, as part of a keepsake, part of a memory. It was important to him, because it helps keep these memories alive. I thought this was a very interesting story, I wanted to learn more about his travels. It was amazing to me, how simple an item could have such a story behind it.
Finally, the last item in the bunch, was a piece of paper, actually, a mini flyer of a concert called World Beats located in Australia. I found its owner, Johnny, and started chatting about the flyer. It was obvious that it was from a concert or night out, a flyer that he had picked up once at this event with pop music and free drinks advertised on the front. The story behind it is very interesting. Johnny lived in Sydney, Australia for seven months, and every Thursday night he and his friends would go to this pub crawl at a bar on King's Crossing. It was a ten minute walk from where he was staying. At the time he was reading an interesting book and used this flyer as a bookmark. The music was loud and the walls decorated with old jeans. There was a mini stage and a bar. And everyone gathered around to hear this English guy sing Limp Biscuit. This flyer represented a fascinating part of Johnny's life, partying in Australia.
All in all, what I noticed about the treasures were that everyday items were pitted against real treasures like the sea shells and mementos like the flyer. The significant items were almost like souvenirs brought back from interesting places, and the comb was an everyday item that could be tossed aside. Other unimportant items followed suit. There was a nail clippers, a paper clip, sewing thread, paper coffee cup, among others. They all were everyday commodities that were useful but not special. Whereas the important items were sentimental in nature, not common but special.
Three items were positioned on the classroom desk on Thursday-- one of unimportance, one of value/ importance and one meaningful paper item. The first item was an orange-coloured, beat up, old comb. A Cleopatra 400 brand, with black hair dye left on it. At first, I didn't know who this comb belonged to, as it was thrown aside into the unimportant pile of objects. So I drew conclusions. This person has changed her look recently. Maybe she threw this comb away because it was dirty, used, and old news. Perhaps she doesn't care much for superficiality, for her appearance, though the functionality of the item is clear. This is a useful object. In fact, when gazing at the unimportant pile I noticed a similarity between all the items. They were all practical items all necessary and functional and useful but not special or extraordinary. When I finally discovered its owner, I got the full story. This comb belonged to Kathleen.
“Combs are really cheap,” she says. “I can always buy another one.” She uses this item everyday; it is part of her scenery, so it doesn't really matter. To her, combs are a dime a dozen perhaps. Perhaps this is true. One can buy a comb at any dollar store, drug store, shopping mall. They are cheap commodities, easy to come by. Thus, of no real value.
The next item was one of more value and importance. It was Kevin's bag full of sea shells and one tiny emerald. My first thought was that these items were especially significant because they represented a memory of a time or place that was important to the person carrying them. My first instinct was right. Kevin picked up the shells while travelling in South America. Some of them were from diving sites in the Galapagos. The emerald was from a friend who travelled through Columbia and went emerald mining. He really wanted to bring something back with him from those places, as part of a keepsake, part of a memory. It was important to him, because it helps keep these memories alive. I thought this was a very interesting story, I wanted to learn more about his travels. It was amazing to me, how simple an item could have such a story behind it.
Finally, the last item in the bunch, was a piece of paper, actually, a mini flyer of a concert called World Beats located in Australia. I found its owner, Johnny, and started chatting about the flyer. It was obvious that it was from a concert or night out, a flyer that he had picked up once at this event with pop music and free drinks advertised on the front. The story behind it is very interesting. Johnny lived in Sydney, Australia for seven months, and every Thursday night he and his friends would go to this pub crawl at a bar on King's Crossing. It was a ten minute walk from where he was staying. At the time he was reading an interesting book and used this flyer as a bookmark. The music was loud and the walls decorated with old jeans. There was a mini stage and a bar. And everyone gathered around to hear this English guy sing Limp Biscuit. This flyer represented a fascinating part of Johnny's life, partying in Australia.
All in all, what I noticed about the treasures were that everyday items were pitted against real treasures like the sea shells and mementos like the flyer. The significant items were almost like souvenirs brought back from interesting places, and the comb was an everyday item that could be tossed aside. Other unimportant items followed suit. There was a nail clippers, a paper clip, sewing thread, paper coffee cup, among others. They all were everyday commodities that were useful but not special. Whereas the important items were sentimental in nature, not common but special.
