Vancouver! On a Budget!
"Little one! Little one! Would you like a fresh baked cookie Little one?" My 4 foot 6, 11-year-old sister (who HATES being called short) whipped her head around in anger only to see a friendly, elderly...
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Bitter Teas, Sweet Views
In June, the Tea Club from my school took a week-long trip to Japan. Japan has an incredibly rich culture revolving around the growth, presence, and consumption of tea, so we thought it would be an amazing...
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Land of the Royal Bengal Tiger
“Who are you?” The question that appeared on my last summer English assignment kept lingering on in my head as I flew back to my home country, Bangladesh, for the first time since I came to America....
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To Hell and Back
This was the summer of our epic father/son journey out West. My dad and I set out on a six-week adventure full of camping, hiking, mountain biking, rafting and fly fishing. We mountain biked the Deadman’s...
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India: A Tale of Two Worlds
As the plane descended, I peered out my window toward Chennai and witnessed a stark contrast. Surrounding gleaming skyscrapers and glimmering hotels were slums that stretched out from the city center....
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Discovering My Irish Family Heritage
My heart raced as the van slid around yet another tight corner, narrowly missing the oncoming traffic by inches and sending me sliding into my fellow passengers. Was I in a car chase? An action movie?...
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A Sicilian Timetable
By the time my two aunts, grandmother, and I finally boarded our six-hour-late Volotea flight from Venice Marco Polo Airport to Palermo, Sicily, it was way past dinnertime. I had long since stuffed my...
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Ponds, Pagodas, and Prayer at NanPuTuo Temple
A warm blanket of heat enveloped me as I clambered out of the group van. I had prepared for a fun school-organized trip to China, but hadn’t prepared for these conditions. Sure, I had faced high temperatures...
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