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Covered Mirrors and the Souls of the Dead
What is that one thing you wanted as a child? I bet you eagerly wanted to be an adult. Being an adult meant doing whatever you wanted to do. Why can't you do the things adults do? Why is the answer always "no" whenever you ask for a cool toy, snack, or game? This question I often asked myself, and finally when I was six years old, I was able to come up with an answer.
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Lessons in Korean
We learn valuable life lessons the hard way. In 2018, as I proudly stepped out of my final year of high school, little did I know that the journey ahead would teach me valuable life lessons. My post-school life began with an unexpected jab that forever altered my perspective on managing personal finances and also a surprising consideration – environmental sustainability. Who knew?
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The 11th Commandment – Don’t Rush Childhood
What is that one thing you wanted as a child? I bet you eagerly wanted to be an adult. Being an adult meant doing whatever you wanted to do. Why can't you do the things adults do? Why is the answer always "no" whenever you ask for a cool toy, snack, or game? This question I often asked myself, and finally when I was six years old, I was able to come up with an answer.
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Dubai is Perfection for Princes
I have always dreamed of visiting Dubai, the city of skyscrapers, luxury, and opportunity. I heard stories of how people from different countries and backgrounds found success and happiness in this cosmopolitan hub, and I found myself wanting to be one of them. That's why, in November of 2016, I decided to take a bold step and travel to Dubai from Kenya, where I was living, in search of a job.
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The Color Of Far, Far Away That I Found In Peru
I had never traveled internationally or spoken any language other than English. Yet somehow, something so seemingly impossible became real. I was about to step out of my comfort zone and personally experience a giant leap of a trip outside of just pictures or videos on the internet.
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Losing My Hero-in-Law
It all started in October 2022. Our peaceful lives were disrupted by a devastating diagnosis, like a riptide at the beach. My sister-in-law took Alberto, my father-in-law, to a cardiologist. Multiple tests revealed that he suffered from heart problems, and they recommended open heart surgery as soon as possible.
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We Built La Familia
Maybe it was the traveling we always used to do. A family of six that would pile into a fire-engine red 1985 Chevy van, a vehicle that could easily hold a family of six. However, we would always load the van with all kinds of toys and goodies, so I imagined it looked like Santa's sleigh, filled with as much joy and happiness as he delivered on Christmas Eve.
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Almost Lost Forever: True Love and Survival
When the extraordinary Swedish documentary “Nelly & Nadine,” directed by Magnus Gertten, was released in 2022, it was featured in over 100 festivals and received more than 20 international awards, mainly in Europe. Thankfully in the US, it is now widely available on streaming services like Amazon Prime.
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Sunset on the Mountain, Sunrise in My Head
At times when I am faced with life’s inevitable challenges, my initial and persistent thought is "I’ll never get through it this time." But I’ve come to realize each time that I have made it through, and I will continue to, because that’s just life. I like to think of myself as an optimistic, go-getter type of person, but I can’t deny that I also have a very defeatist mindset.
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‘This Is Us’ — The Drama of Body Shaming, Diversity, and Conflict on My TV
Being a voracious reader since forever, I have always been a sucker for a good story. Unwittingly, I tend to submerge myself in characters so completely that for those few moments I belong entirely to them — crying with them, laughing with them — oblivious of the tear rolling down my cheek or the smile plastered on my face, participating in their glee as well as their grief.
