Reflections from halfway around the world and a little bit more
In a hotel lobby, waiting to get coffee, she doesn't have time for disingenous interactions. She meets my half-hearted, "We should catch up!" with the insincere, American, "...Yeah." To be fair, we are at the end of a 10-month long mile. I have the guilt of my mistakes slithering down my back. My hair is …
What makes you feel safe? It's funny because I've recently been thinking about intimacy a lot, which, in my humble opinion, walks in tandem with safety. To have intimacy, you must feel safe to some certain extent or be able to break down your barriers to do so. This can obviously be an incredibly scary …
In the three months since I had moved to the equator, my vocabulary for cold had all but evaporated. Somewhere between the moutains that enveloped me, protected only by a thin sweatshirt and a measley iPhone flashlight, I shivered and adjusted to the darkness and coolness. "It's...." I half-form in my mind searching for the …
An entire year sans writing what a terrible feat to write about. There should be some better reason as to why I haven’t written anything in nearly a year, but the truth is simply that life happened. And then there was no time between job ends and new roommates to find the time to dedicate …
Wake me up when the days are over Reminiscen[ing] of a life I had I smile on and feel the closure I finally feel like me again Eleven months evaporated the second the plane landed onto U.S. soil. “Welcome to the United States,” the captain announced over the intercom, “And for those Americans returning, welcome …
“Christine! Your rice is flying everywhere! Let me help you. First, scope the food into a ball, then use your thumb to keep it in tight.” From across the table, I stare intently at my now curry stained hands. We (as in my sister-in-law’s brother, wife, and friends) are out to eat at Sammy’s Curry …
Hot water tumbles gracefully from pot to cup. Just when it appears that the pot is completely empty, a man, the tea master, deftly shakes it twice. A last bit of water trickles down. Not a drop will be wasted today. Swiftly and delicately, the tea master slides the cup across the table. “Enjoy,” he …
“Oh god damn it!” I am staring at venti cup of hot green tea in my hand. It’s from Starbucks, evidence that my iron-clad rage against the corporate machine is not nearly as strong as I though it was. Since I quit my job at Starbucks (the only job I have ever quit), I had …
“I told the boys that I care twice as much about them as I do the girls because they’re twice as important to our society.” I shook my head vigorously as soon as I heard it. While I had signed up for my Fulbright fully well knowing that I might confront attitudes towards race, religion, …
It feels bizarre that the thing which has been a “thing” in my life for the past two and half years now is now over. But as Cikgu Vi said to me, “That we call life, lah.” Things end. Things begin. We pause and reflect. We learn to move on. I am currently sitting at …
Greatfull 