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.
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Toxic Words
Every language has thousands of words, and the ones we choose, I believe, almost always reflect who we are, what we feel, and what we want to communicate. I say “almost always” because I have never been fond of certainties, and I consider doubt an essential element of life, as to not judge people based solely on what they say.
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Finding Community in Identity: Discovering My Autism in Adulthood
I've spent my whole life feeling like I didn't truly fit in with anyone around me. I’ve always felt there was something “off” about me. It was as though everyone except me received a user manual for how to be human. It took me 25 years to realize that the reason I felt different from most people is that I’m autistic. But due to my lack of education on the subject, I went that long without even knowing.
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A Change
My mother always told me that I was her sunshine. Not only is this because my name is Summer, but also because I was the only daughter in the family and was thus treated like a princess. I was told I would do great things in life and to always follow my dreams, so I grew up having many ambitions. I wanted to be a princess like many of the other girls in preschool. In elementary school, I wanted to be a teacher and an FBI agent.
