{"id":2063,"date":"2018-02-06T20:04:58","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T20:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/translatingpain\/?p=2063"},"modified":"2018-02-06T20:04:58","modified_gmt":"2018-02-06T20:04:58","slug":"defining-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/defining-me\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Defining Me&#8217;, by Shanali Perera"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"385\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\">I stumble<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I fall<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I break<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I mend<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I get back upI keep stumbling<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I keep falling<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I keep breaking<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I struggle to get back up<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I listen\u2026I feel pain<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I burn<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I weep<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I scream<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I listen\u2026.I lose sight<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I lose control<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I lose meI ask myself<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> Who I,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> Want me to be?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> Need me to be?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> Make me to be?<\/span>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td width=\"385\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2064\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/defining-me\/peres-shanali-first-image-defining-me\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/files\/2018\/01\/peres-shanali-first-image-defining-me.jpg?fit=1080%2C1920&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1080,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"peres-shanali &amp;#8211; first image defining me\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/files\/2018\/01\/peres-shanali-first-image-defining-me.jpg?fit=169%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/files\/2018\/01\/peres-shanali-first-image-defining-me.jpg?fit=576%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2064\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/files\/2018\/01\/peres-shanali-first-image-defining-me.jpg?resize=317%2C562\" alt=\"The black line drawing is showing a person trying to sit up straight from a bent over position. It looks a cross section of a person seated, taken from the side. The straightening up of the upper body is shown in 3 moving positions along with the heads, while the lower body remains as one, in the seated position. The main is black but there are orange, red and blue lines used to draw the lower back, hip, knee and leg. concentric rings of black lines are used at the hip and knee joints as well to draw the heads.&quot;\" width=\"317\" height=\"562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/files\/2018\/01\/peres-shanali-first-image-defining-me.jpg?resize=169%2C300&amp;ssl=1 169w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/files\/2018\/01\/peres-shanali-first-image-defining-me.jpg?resize=768%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/files\/2018\/01\/peres-shanali-first-image-defining-me.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=317%2C562 634w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/files\/2018\/01\/peres-shanali-first-image-defining-me.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=317%2C562 951w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 317px) 100vw, 317px\" \/><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\">I struggle<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I adapt<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I alter<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I shift<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I cope<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I listen<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\">I define me<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I defy being defined by illness<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\">I the author<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I the architect<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> I the enforcer of my life journey<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> Define Me<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\">I find me again<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\">I see me now<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\"> Do you see me?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino;font-size: 14pt\"><em>by Shanali Perera<\/em><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: georgia, palatino\">\u00a0<\/span><a style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino;font-size: 14pt\" href=\"https:\/\/www.changinglanes.me\/\"><span>Author website<\/span><\/a>\n<p>U.K.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; I stumble I fall I break I mend I get back upI keep stumbling I keep falling I keep breaking I struggle to get back up I listen\u2026I feel pain I burn I weep I scream I listen\u2026.I lose sight I lose control I lose meI ask myself Who I, Want me to be?&hellip; <a class=\"continue\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/defining-me\/\">Continue Reading<span> &#8216;Defining Me&#8217;, by Shanali Perera<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16],"tags":[28,39,72,74,76,80,82],"class_list":["post-2063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anthology","tag-body","tag-connection","tag-hardship","tag-hope","tag-identity","tag-invisibility","tag-isolation"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9mjRE-xh","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2083,"url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/a-bel-abroad\/food-for-thought\/","url_meta":{"origin":2063,"position":0},"title":"&#8216;Food for Thought&#8217;, by\u00a0Ryan Michael Dumas","author":"strongs","date":"February 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Just got a letter from disability insurance: Denied. 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