Category: Life

  • The Dangers of Anti-Aging Narratives

    The Dangers of Anti-Aging Narratives

    A month ago, I presented my speech, “Keeping Up Appearances: The Dangers of Anti-Aging Narratives,” in front of my school. I had spent all semester writing, researching, and thinking about this topic, and my presentation was a culmination of my efforts and thoughts. Learning about and speaking on this subject was a transformative experience —…

  • Eighteen Going on Eighty

    Eighteen Going on Eighty

    I turned eighteen several days ago. Considering I have been mentally eighty for several years, physically turning eighteen feels… almost natural. Eighteen is a strange number. Legally, it carries the weight of adult jail, child adoption, marriage, voting, and endless terms & conditions. But eighteen is also an expecting number, waiting for me to act…

  • How I Am Secretly An Elderly Woman

    How I Am Secretly An Elderly Woman

    Recently, I learned a new piece of vocabulary: “octogenarian.” According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it refers to “a person whose age is in the eighties.” The word encapsulates how I often feel internally. Although, physically, I am a young lady, I have always been an old soul at heart. Some may find this idea odd…

  • Transfixed

    Transfixed

    On a crisp summer evening a few days ago, I attended the Schuman Symphony No. 4 concert in Grant Park, Chicago. The cool wind brushed my face as I sat down on a rickety red chair in the free seats section. The stainless steel exterior of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion glimmered before me, intricate in…

  • A Defense of the “Quiet Ones”

    A Defense of the “Quiet Ones”

    “Why are you so quiet?”  This reoccurring question has haunted me my entire life and will, I imagine, continue to haunt me. As many of you may know or have come to understand, I am an introvert. I prefer listening to speech, small huddles or one-on-one conversations to large groups, renewing my energy in solitude…

  • Becoming

    Becoming

    Dear friends, How are you faring? Please forgive my silence recently. Due to fatigue and artistic stagnancy, listening to music has felt more cathartic than blogging in the past two months.  Regarding academics, I’ve settled into the rhythms, the pace of classes and after-school routines, of the second semester. Although the heaviness of workload oscillates, I have (relatively) adjusted to…