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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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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‘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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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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Misery Loves Company
“People who are hurting tend to hurt other people,” my mom says while holding me close and listening to me cry about the day's events. “Why?” I ask in between sobs. “Because they are just unhappy with their own lives and feel miserable, they choose to make other people feel bad about themselves. It’s a vicious cycle, and misery loves company.”
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Madhu Duniya is Creating a Buzz
It is early in the morning. The sky is purplish over the treetops. The forest is still asleep. Yet, she is no stranger to this moment. Like clockwork, she readies herself. Her day begins to hum right before sunrise. It has been like this for as long as she can remember. Fellow workers are abuzz as they too prepare for the day. They know they must get a move on. Everyone prepares for the long day ahead. They all know what they must do. They all know they play a crucial role in the survival of their community.
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A Diagnosis
There was something off; I knew it. I couldn’t quite name it. But it was deeper, darker than what had previously bothered me. I was diagnosed with depression at fifteen and generalized anxiety disorder at seventeen. Depression, being familiar to me, seemed like a well-worn jacket weighing me down. Anxiety seemed like a scarf, too tight, wrapped around my throat, restricting my breathing. I learned how to manage and to wear them. But this… this was different.
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Sitting at the Table With the Dead on November 2
On the Italian island of Sardinia, where I was born and still live, there has always been a deep-rooted belief that on the night of November 1 and 2, the fragile yet unsurpassable boundary between the living and the dead becomes more permeable. In the hope that loved ones who have died will find a way to return to this earthly realm for a few hours, and to nourish them from the dark journey they must take, many families set the table as if it were one of the happiest days of celebration.
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11 Years After I Moved to South Korea, I Embarked on my Most Memorable Stay in a Korean Temple
“It’s going to snow,” my temple tour guide, Seokun, told me. The grey clouds covered the sun, and the wind picked up, causing chimes to sound in the distance. Seokun looked back at me and asked, “Can you help the monks shovel snow tomorrow morning?” Naturally, I accepted. I had been waiting for this moment, expecting it, for the past eleven years since South Korea became my home. It became my tradition to take time off to refresh in one of the many beautiful Buddhist temples across South Korea.
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Healing Beyond Medicine
Patients, diagnoses, and treatments are my life. As a medical intern, what else can I think of other than the whirlwind of patients? New challenges and lessons are what each day brings, but nothing could have prepared me for the encounter. An encounter that would leave a lasting imprint on my heart and impact my approach to patient care.
