Last June, I had just turned off the light to go to sleep when I received a Whatsapp text message from my mother’s sister, my Tia N who lives in Ecuador. My Tia N is my mother’s older sister and one of the most loving people I know. When I visit her in Ecuador, she... Continue Reading →

When I was a little girl, my father came home on Valentine’s day with two single roses for my grandmother and me. Each rose was bright red and accompanied with a tiny teddy bear the size of a rose petal. Our gift came protected by shiny clear plastic that would never be protective enough to... Continue Reading →

I saw him during his last summer alive. He wasn’t the same anymore. He had aged ten years from the last time I saw him, two years before and he could hardly speak because his stroke had paralyzed part of his face. Before I got on the plane back to the States I thought about... Continue Reading →

It wasn’t long before I moved to New York City that I fell in love with it. I was five years old and I got butterflies at the sight of the skyline at night. Papi would proudly point at it, smile really wide and say “That’s your city! The best city in the world!” My... Continue Reading →

When I was a little girl, my dad would give me a pen and paper and we would sit down in our living room to write down my new year resolutions. One resolution I made every year was that I would stop being so chatty in class because well, I LOVED to talk. I talked... Continue Reading →

I was ten when I reached my life’s peak (I’m kind of kidding but I’m also kind of not kidding). I stood on stage for so long at my elementary school graduation that my feet started to hurt. My time on stage began with my valedictorian speech and ended with Papi meeting me at the... Continue Reading →

“As you practice building a home in yourself, you become more and more beautiful.” – Thich Nhat Hanh The home within myself is as safe as my childhood bedroom, as sacred as my grandmother’s voice and as firm as my block on Herkimer Street. The dim light from my desk lamp and the lavender scent... Continue Reading →

My queerness used to be like dough. It was soft and easily manipulated. I didn’t have a name for it and the way I defined my sexuality kept changing as I tried to figure it out. When I sat in church, I prayed it would go away. When I met girls in middle school who... Continue Reading →

***I want to recognize the privilege I have as a college-educated woman, a person with professional experience, access to resources, English-speaking and able to read. My ability to step out of my routine is a privilege within itself. Everybody is in different circumstances and has a different process. This is just mine.  If fear is... Continue Reading →

When I was a teenager, I was a complete nightmare. I had an attitude that made my grandmother’s face go pale and a toughness that very few people could break through. All of my feelings and the trauma I experienced as a child had transformed into concrete. As a teenager, I really didn’t know how... Continue Reading →