While many of my kindergarten classmates went to lunch ecstatic and hungry, I went to lunch every day on a mission: to make a friend. My dad always advised me to make friends by following the other kids...
A jumble of thoughts and emotions clouded my vision as stress piled atop my shoulders, the weight suffocating my chest; and yet, as my fingers slipped through the sturdy nylon strap of my camera to rest...
I remember the mornings of my childhood vividly — the cold breeze, the scent of freshly cut grass, the melody of birds singing in the distance and the anticipation of another day at school. But what...
When I think of my old self, I think of a narrow-minded person who found it difficult to empathize with others. If I had not gone through a similar experience, I could not relate to and help others going...
Olivia is the name my friends and teachers call me. For the most part, it’s an adequate definition of who I am. But it’s not the full story; in fact, Olivia began as an extension, added only to accompany...
According to Japanese folklore, it is believed that by folding a thousand paper cranes, a person’s dreams would be granted. This is known as “Senbazuru,” a superstition that has inspired since the...
For the longest time, I came in twos.
Two matching pink dresses, the label hand-embroidered with L and H: CHelsea and CLaire. Two Elsa costumes for Halloween, a set, the polyester showering blue glitter...
Amber light seeps from windows, smiling faces shaded by olive branches that sway with wind and coffee-house jazz music. I’m writing this column during my 15-minute break, honey lemon tea nursed in one...
Lightning split the crimson sky as I aimed my flashlight into the gloomy dusk, surrounded by the chaotic voices of my campers while raindrops filled the air. Carrying heavy backpacking gear and half a...
Landing at San Francisco International Airport in the summer of 2021 after a long flight from Incheon, South Korea, I was greeted by an unfamiliar country with unfamiliar customs. People spoke a language...
After school, I would lean my head against our dinner table — our house too empty, too quiet. With my father gone for business trips and my mother busy writing countless documents for work, their absence...
