My Solo Exchange Diary: Why Do I Feel So Much

I read My Solo Exchange Diary. Perhaps, this is one of my favorite works I have read for this class and I can't stop thinking about it. I am aware that My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness is at the library, however, at the moment I was ready to read this manga I was not in school and I was unable to find a working link to the story. 

Needless to say, I am absolutely grateful I read My Solo Exchange Diary instead. 

I started to read Kabi's work because I wanted a story that represented a queer individual in a realistic way. While I do wish I could have read My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, the second piece by Kabi has become perhaps one of the few works dear to my heart. Earlier in the semester I mentioned I didn't have an interest for Slice of Life stories. Nothing about a normal lifestyle seemed interesting to me. However, Kabi captured me with her story in My Solo Exchange Diary, mainly because this story felt like a mirror image of myself. Her representation of depression, anxiety, and extreme worry is something I have struggle with in the past 4 years. She expresses how hard it is for herself to get up in the mornings and how hard it is to be satisfied with herself. Not to mention, she expresses how much she wishes she could move out and make her parents proud, and this situation is exactly what I am living through right now. 

In the past 4 years, I have found it difficult to find pieces of work that are relatable to my situation. Like Kabi, I grew up in a stable house with food and a roof but I was always judged by my family. It always felt as if I had to live to their expectations and not fail them. Kabi struggles to love herself, and it is something I have had to dealt with too. Her work is absolutely relatable for those of us who can't figure out why our world seems to always be crumbling, and at least it gives us a bit of validation that we are truly NOT ALONE. 

Aside of the queer sub-story in My Solo Exchange Diary, is a piece of work I would give to anyone struggling. While it is not a positive piece of work per se, it is realistic enough to make someone realize that they are not alone. Kabi's work inspired me to want to express what I have gone through with my art.