Mortality and Sea Lions
I am standing on a cliff staring out at the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Below me sea lions wail to each other as they crowd the rocky crags of the cliffs, and I am in complete awe of just how...
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A Rainbow of Silver and Grey
My white knuckles were frozen as I clutched the metal railing. Its silvery color glistened in the light. It was actually quite beautiful: The rainbow of greys...
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My Unique New York Trip
Glimpsing out our train's family room window I watched as, complete with the new World Trade building's opening that morning, the New York City skyline slowly became swallowed in a hazy mist of shrinking...
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The Guava Man’s Love
It is early in the morning, and my eyes remain closed. The room is small, antique, made of solid rock, dark and cold, but filled with the life of my family. My mother quickly comes to the small bed...
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Dolphins and Sea Lions and Whales, Oh Alaska!
Imagine this: you stand on a dock beside a silver boat, preparing to board. The spruce-scented air caresses your face, promising gentle waves in the blue water of Resurrection Bay. Before you step onto...
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Dancing in a Dream
The mountains beckon. No, wait. Not just them. Green blades of grass pressing flat...
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Don’t Rock the Boat
An hour and a half north of Seattle, in a town called Anacortes, lies a tourist trap that comprises of a gift shop full of whale memorabilia and a dock along which are a slew of...
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Sometimes All It Takes Is Applesauce
I love Disney, and I was rather...
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Open Your Eyes and Let Yourself Fly
We arrived at the La Casa Del Arbol in Baños, Ecuador. I was overwhelmed with beauty as I gazed over the mountain...
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Musings on My Father While in Moscow
My Dad always loved Russian literature. Every once in a while he’d plop down one of his books on my bed for me to read, but I never would pick it up. The books’ slow,...
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Lies of Pond Painters
When I heaved myself onto the dock, I was tinted yellow. I was also slightly oily, with subtle odors of mud and sulfur. I grinned at my reflection and breathed deeply, inebriated by the scent of crisp...
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Peculiar Friends: The Tale of A Goat And His Boy
The heat of the Saharan sun beat down on our minivan full of sweaty, tired tourists. The convection oven with wheels intensified my hunger and my deep craving for salty, deep-fried Americanism:...
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Assisi: St. Francis’ Fertile Fields
The golden glow of the pastoral Tuscan countryside had lulled us into a stupor from which our tour guide had so rudely awakened us. He announced that we were taking a stop outside Assisi for lunch, claiming...
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Nature’s Performance
The sun was beckoning for me to join him on his daily journey of rising and setting. Usually he goes on his task of bringing forth the day and making way for the night without igniting...
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Above the Clouds
I yawned for what felt like the twentieth time to clear my ears. The sign out my window said 5,000 feet. The road...
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Stormy Faces of My Past
My grandparents live in dusty, old photo albums. Like dreams I’ve never had, I see pictures of my grandmother holding my infant form and my grandfather sitting...
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A Thousand and One Nights in Persia
You are not supposed to break into a Mosque from a second story window – especially not in Iran. I scamper across the...
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Traveling to Make History
As the school bell rang on the last day, I could not control my extreme feeling of excitement. I opened the classroom’s door and ran insanely fast to the bus. I did not mind the burning sun. I just...
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I Czeched Out: Flying Out of My World and Into Another
Two words. Air. Sickness. I had attempted to prepare myself for the 14 hour “adventure”, but there...
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Parallel Lives
We walk, wearing our shoes branded with names that do not belong in this field of debris and misplaced belongings. “This was our home,” my mother...
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Light from Broken Windows
My family’s footsteps were quiet on the damp earth. That was fitting; loud noise seemed gaudy here. Even though the broken walls opened straight to the sky, the abbey retained its reverence—noise,...
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Natural Beauty and Human Strength
I spent three weeks in León, Nicaragua this summer, and almost every day, Nicaragua surprised me. My experience in León couldn’t have been more different than my life in the United States, and it...
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Adventure Was Waiting
In 8th grade I was that kid who would leave my parents for about 3 days, having had enough freedom and adventure, and come back home as quickly as possible. But that completely changed when my mom convinced...
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Endings and Beginnings
We had accepted a quest. A wonderful,...
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Getting Lost, Being Found
I am alone. Five days have gone by on my trip to France and Italy, and my geography teacher lets me roam the streets of Assisi, Italy, alone. My Romanesque sandals aid my feet across the cobblestoned...
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People in Paris
I received news that Paris was a journey foreseeable...
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The Language of Kindness
A gentle breeze blew through the vivid green rice fields and made the sea shell wind chimes above me sway. I was surrounded by the mountainous green hills of northern Thailand, but I wasn’t paying...
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Home of the Soul-less
The 18 hour drive from Virginia to Florida was exhausting but all the while worth it. I was on my way to go to Cuba. As I walked onto the plane, my heart filled with excitement. I haven’t been there...
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Ode to the Ocean
It was my first day in Little Bay (Philipsburg, St. Martin, Dutch Antilles); my first day in paradise. Clear water,...
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The Summit—Climbing the Philippines’ Highest Peak
The morning was cool and damp as I carefully stepped onto the rainy trail littered with dead leaves. I was zipped into my waterproof jacket to stay warm (and as dry as possible). FINALIST 2015...
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Popped Tire
I do not believe the sky that hangs over Wyoming is the same one I can currently see out my window. There is something magical about it, something completely unreal--it’s as if the sky was not above...
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To Fathom the Unfathomable
“2015 will be a big year for launchin’ rockets”The...
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There’s Nothing Chicken Soup Can’t Fix: An Adventure in Urubamba, Peru
Beads of sweat coated my forehead as I took a deep breath and stared at what was in front of me, eyes narrowed and concentrated. A million thoughts ran through my mind, and I glanced back and forth...
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To Honduras With Love
The bus rocked furiously. The wheels on our bus weren’t only going ‘round and ‘round. They sprung up and down and swayed side to side. The roads weren’t even roads at all, just tracks paved...
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Alaska: Weather, Whales and Waves, Oh My!
“How is it still raining? It’s pouring down harder than yesterday. We woke up at 6am, planning to paddle 10 miles up to Emerald Cove. My kitchen group ate our leftover Cinnamon-Raisin Bread before...
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Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Good Food
I wake up to the rich, reedy sound of an accordion-not something you would normally hear in the streets of America, but then, I’m not in America.I’m in the home of my Aunt Lidia and Uncle...
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An Unusual Layover in NY City
My grandfather recently died and we travelled back from our home in North Carolina to Belgium, where the rest of our family still lives. Although we weren’t exactly in a cheery holiday mood, my parents...
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Lesson Learned
Slapping yet another mosquito off my arms I sigh and trek through the small gap in the trees. Dr. B, our field botany professor, decided to get off the magnolia...
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The Taxi Driver Temper Tantrum
Paris is a city with a bite. It’s absolutely beautiful with its elegant architecture and silver Seine, but every once in a while it will bare its teeth and show its ugly side. One minute you’ll...
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Sand Castles in the Sky: A Trip to Sodus Bay
When people think of New York State, several iconic places come to mind: Niagara Falls, the Big Apple, the Thousand Islands, and the Adirondacks. Many New Yorkers have visited these places, so hearing...
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A Musician in Kenya
I’m no economist, no political expert, no social worker, no activist; I am and was a high school student with his mind-set to pursue music and science. Though aware of avoiding the naive thought that...
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Haunted Tunnel
The brilliant twinkling of innumerable lights creates a stark contrast against the dark, night sky. The radiance engulfs us, silhouetting towering buildings. Chicago beckons through the car windows...
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The Third Time’s a Charm in NYC
The white picket fences have become stained with dullness and predictability. The porches and decks have collapsed in coziness, and the SUVs and minivans have lost their new car smell and shine. Even...
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Finding Family
On the way back from cleaning out her locker senior year, she was was hit by an ambulance. This is where everything began.My father got married years ago and had children: two boys and one girl,...
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