This essay participated in the March 2026 edition of the IndieWeb Carnival by James, which was about museum memories.

It was the mid zeroes, and, barely an adult, I considered everything I did during that week in London a life-altering experience. Staying at the studio of my friend Titus, a fashion photographer I knew through a website I remember as mailfriends.com, I took in every second of my first solo trip abroad.

• First of all: not a great week. I continue to struggle to notice when I feel stresed or overwhelmed, and it never fails to result in my body giving me a clear sign. On Monday evening, in the midst of a busy work month, my body said “SIT. DOWN.” I needed undtil well into the weekend to feel myself again.
• One of the signs my body knows to give it a very mild version of conversion disorder: I lose the ability to listen to a conversation while I walk without feeling very dizzy. Isn’t the body a beautiful, very annoying, but magnificent thing?
• I start back up at work on Thursday, working the mornings until the weekend. It’s good to acknowledge things aren’t great., It brings clarity and rest.
• On Friday evening I attend the first edition of a new local film club I joined. It confirms what I already know: I love the horror genre, and I love discussing cinema with people who didn’t finish film school Anja I’m looking at you.
• Ever since we visited Hija de Sanchez in Copenhagen Anja and I have gotten really into Mexican food. By now, I’m so well-versed in the art of a simple-but-sublime taco, that I whip up a delicious meal. Who knew tacos required so little filling?
• On Saturday, I visit Micropia, a zoo-adjacent museum about microbes. I expect to be queasy throughout the entire visit, terrified by the unfortunate-looking mini animals that live in and on every part of my body. Instead, I’m amazed by the beauty of nature. During the mini class I ask a question about algae: if their bodies move towards light and they’re under a microscope for a while, where light comes from all sides, what happens to their health? The laboratory assistant tells me the museum swaps petri dishes regularly so that the algea don’t die. What happens before death, though, I wonder.
• On Sunday, Chenelva comes over for afternoon drinks. She’s one of those rare people: an instant connection and plenty of common ground to grow out friendship on. We marvel at how little we know about queer BIPOC Amsterdam.
• We’ve completed the first season of the Dutch reality show “B&B vol liefde”, in which B&B owners invite four dates into their home. Hate-watching reality television with Anja is one of my favorite pastimes.