The street dead-ended into a dusty trail as I left suburbia and entered the Cherry Creek State Park. The Denver sun reminded me of my first day in India, and my mind began to wander. It was very different from home in every conceivable way. The landscape was unsettling; trees grew where buildings might [...]
Mr. Maes, my kindergarten teacher, was very patient with me. I spent many weeks failing to translate the numbers on the digital classroom clock to hands rotating around a circle. Sitting in my classroom, he’d tell me that it’s OK to fail because that is how we learn. After weeks of frustration, I finally got [...]
My dad spends an inordinate amount of time reading about the decay of a civilized German society in the lead-up to World War II. I was never sure why he searched for answers about something that happened a century ago. I felt protection in the safety net of time and a sensibility in the America [...]
Einstein’s theory of relativity tells us that large objects bend space and time around themselves to generate gravity. From my seven-year-old students I developed my own theory: children warp your perception of the world the most, pulling you into their orbit. I began tutoring to share my cosmic love for science. However, I quickly discovered [...]
Darwin’s Arch fell on May 17, 2021. The iconic Galapagos formation cracked down the middle and slipped into the Pacific Ocean. The role of Darwin’s Arch in its ecosystem cannot be overstated; it was the centerpiece of a rare community, a familiar habitat for the dozens of plant and animal species endemic to the Galápagos [...]
I unwrapped the small box, casting the colorful ribbons to the side. But, as I peaked inside, my heart dropped. I stared at the green disk lying on a blue velvet cushion. The fat jade bracelet sat there like a pair of handcuffs. I let out a nervous laugh. What was my aunt thinking in [...]
“Gotta catch ‘em all!” I teased Will as he ran off in pursuit of his next Pokémon. We were strolling through Washington Park for Pokémon GO Fest, the 5th-anniversary event for the best mobile game ever created. My involvement in Pokémon GO came primarily from my cousin William, who moved to Colorado right before our [...]
We had been trudging through the forest for hours with no luck. The cutting echo of three-day-old rain dripped splinters of moist chill deep into our bones. It was mid-fall, and the surrounding woods of San Miguel County seemed to pulse with signs of the coming winter. The canopy, consumed with the [...]
My feet were constantly sore. I tried everything. I swapped my Converse for Nikes; I donned an Ace bandage; I even soaked them in Epsom saltwater, but no relief. A trip to the pediatrician revealed I have Pes Planus, colloquially “flat feet.” My underdeveloped arch, which falls abnormally low and flat, causes mild pain in [...]
I placed the mouse’s fidgeting body into the isoflurane tank. It went limp after thirty seconds from the anesthesia, and with mechanical precision, I transported it onto the surgical table, steadying its head with metal clamps and bolts. Staring at the motionless body, I was suddenly reminded of an old memory, and my present reality [...]
