When the translation just doesn't work

Connection and peace—sometimes that's what I think that's all we're searching for daily.

In this episode of Half Bloom, I’m coming back in a more casual, unedited way—just me on my veranda, brewing coffee, and letting my thoughts land where they land. I share a bit of closing my cafe, maybe not the full personal story, but the real shift underneath it—how I never wanted coffee to feel like competition, and how I’m trying to return to coffee as connection.

Then we go deeper into the season I’m in right now:

• What does it look like to rebuild your mind after living in survival mode?
• Why do I feel both obsessed with languages and afraid of them?
• And why can’t “learning more words” fix the fact that everyone still speaks their own emotional language?

I've been obsessed with the new Netflix K-drama Can This Love Be Translated?, so to relay my thoughts regarding it, I wrote a journal entry and read it to you on this episode on the fear + love of translation, and reflect on how language, identity, and relationships are way more tangled than we think.

And because I needed something concrete to hold onto, I share the one thing I’m choosing again: reading—how books saved me as a kid, and how they’re saving me again now. (Including a quick takeaway from Be Your Future Self.)

☕ Today’s coffee: Come to Rest “Oh Rosie” blend—strawberry-forward when hot, rose tea as it cools. The perfect amount of intensity, balanced and comforting.

💭 This week’s questions:

• Where in your life do you feel like you’re stuck “translating” yourself to be understood?
• What would peace look like for you this year—like, practically?
• What’s one struggle you’ve had while learning a language?

If you’re in a reset season too, I hope this episode feels like a soft place to sit—and a reminder that it's necessary to alter and rewire our brains again

And also, here's the link to subscribe to my newsletter!
https://nadiaxcoffee.beehiiv.com/
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I hope you can find the segments we go through to ignite some sort of softness, playfulness, hopefulness, and kindness in our lives.

Timestamps:
0:00 intro
0:59 after closing down my cafe
2:49 let's brew some coffee (feat. come to rest)
5:57 going to cafes--should I do cafe tours?
6:50 learning about myself and finding peace
9:01 back to the coffee flavor notes real quick
9:30 talking about "can this love be translated?" and my deep thoughts on languages and communication
13:21 reading my journal entry post on my thoughts of the drama (on substack so feel free to follow along: https://nadiaxcoffee.substack.com/p/fear-of-languages-of-translation)
18:20 reflections and motivations stemming from the drama (connections, reading) 
19:56 story on how books saved my life 
23:43 books I'm reading (be your future self now, breast and eggs, sekai kara neko ga kieta nara) and the life lessons I've gotten from them
31:41 ending thoughts and questions for you

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See you all next week!

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for happiness, always
Sincerely, Nadia

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