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Photo credit: Norayr Kasper, "I Will Talk to You About Time." Fotoistanbul 2015.Join our community and receive regular updates!
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Surj with Tatik (Coffee with Grandma): Reflections on first love and heartbreak
As the closest connection to our ancestors, grandparents provide an incalculable wealth of knowledge, in the form of stories and lessons. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected the elderly, driving a physical wedge between us and our living treasure troves, who are left isolated and as fragile as ever.
At h-pem, we will publish a series of pieces, titled “Surj with Tatik,” dedicated to grandparents and what they mean to us. Some will be about rites of passage and discovery, others about heartbreak and family, food and careers, but at the heart of them all lies love. Check out the first piece below!

On this day - Jun.15, 1899: avant garde artist and sculptor Yervand Kochar was born
On this day in 1899, Yervand Kochar was born. An avant garde artist and sculptor, Kochar was an integral force in the development of 20th century art, founding the Painting in Space art “movement”—in its most literal sense.

Hiraeth: Longing for home
Hiraeth (pronounced [hiraɪ̯θ][1]) is a Welsh concept of longing for home. "Hiraeth" is a word, which cannot be completely translated, meaning more than solely "missing something" or "missing home." It implies the meaning of missing a time, an era, or a person, including homesickness for what may not exist any longer. It is associated with the bittersweet memory of missing something or someone, while being grateful of that/their existence. It can also be used to describe a longing for a homeland, potentially of your ancestors, where you may have never been.
("Hiraeth," Wikipedia)