Finding Myself from the Summit in Colombia
"I am American. I was born in America. My skin complexion might be slightly darker but I am American no matter what.” I had these words engraved in my thoughts and no one believed them more than I...
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Rediscovering My Roots
400 years of my family’s heritage lies rooted south of the American border, in Guadalajara, a blossoming city located in the heart of Mexico. An economic recession drove my immediate family out of the...
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Irish I Could’ve Stayed
Going into this trip, I was more excited to see cute red headed Irish boys than I was to see the Cliffs of Moher. I was more excited for the puns I would put as my captions on Instagram than I...
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Seoul-searching
Over the past few years, I've chastised my friend for being obsessed with Korean culture without understanding what Korean culture really is. I was angry because I thought her interaction with Korea, one...
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A New Set of Cultural Binoculars
“You’re just different. You look like us, and your family is from here, but you’re so American,” Marilyn told me for the twentieth time. I understood well enough that being first generation...
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Remedy for Myopia
Lift up your eyes and see Windy Gusts o’er ocean corn: Prairie Vanishing. Lift up your feet and soar; Clouds stooping to harvest rain So farmers...
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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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Home Sweet Home
Just before I turned the knob of the door that would lead me to the family I hadn't seen in 9 years, I took a deep breath and berated myself for being so nervous. This is your family! I said to myself....
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Elephant Adventures
“It’ll be great!” my father exclaimed with enthusiasm. He was referring to an elephant riding attraction he heard about earlier that day. We were in Thandwe, a small village in the Southeast Asian...
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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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