My mother is quirky, or maybe I just don’t get her. One year, I asked her what she wanted for Christmas. Despite being mentally prepared for an answer that was painfully practical, I was still shocked to hear that Saran wrap was a top contender. When I asked her what she wanted for Mother’s Day, she told me to get better grades. When she sent her first email in 2009, she shoved … [Read more...] about Visibly Western: Musings from the Sweatshop
shanghai
The Cost of My Skyline: A Reflection on Shanghai
Answering where I call home is always tricky. As I say “Shanghai,” rhyming it with an American vernacular to “Slang-high,” I grimace and anticipate the shock. “Wow, your English is really amazing,” is usually the first response. Following a series of “Wow, were you adopted?” or “Did you come here when you were really young?” I finish the song and dance of explaining that … [Read more...] about The Cost of My Skyline: A Reflection on Shanghai
Follow your dreams at home and abroad
You never know who you are meant to be until you have to figure it out. This moment of clarity is an instant that no one could ever forget. When this process unwound, until the brevity of clarity finally hit me, I was running. I was running through London’s enormously historic Hyde Park, just steps away from Pepperdine’s home at 56 Prince’s Gate. Fall was rapidly approaching … [Read more...] about Follow your dreams at home and abroad