The first story I chose is titled “How a Pair of Roller Skates Helped One Woman Rediscover Joy.” I really enjoyed this story and thought it was inspiring. It opens with a soft guitar strum fading in before a narrator begins to speak and it slowly fades out. The narrator gives some quick background on the person telling the story. As the narrator finishes, the guitar in the background fully fades out and the interview begins. In this interview, it is a mother and her daughter conversing about the mother’s story on how rollerskating helped her get through her abusive marriage. This interview is presented more like a snippet of a conversation but does a good job of making you feel like you are part of it. It ends by fading out into more lax music.
The second story I chose is titled “‘I Was Born In A Refugee Camp.’ Two Sisters Reflect On Struggle And Survival.” This story is told by two sisters who grew up in a refugee camp in Thailand before coming to the US. Their story was really interesting to me because, similar to the previous story, it was about finding the light in a dark situation. It opens with music fading in and then a narrator introducing the interviewees like the previous one. They also tell their story in a more conversational manner but in my opinion it is more apparent that they are trying to explain the story fully to the listeners as well. Not that the previous one didn’t but it sounds like they are more aware that they are doing an interview here. Both are perfectly fine approaches it is just something that I noticed. This one also ended with music coming in after they were finished then fading out.