It was a quaint little village: crowded wooden houses with tiled roofs and narrow dirt roads winding in between. The place was perpetually awash in a shade of dusty gray; infinite layers of dense clouds clogged the sky and encircled the village in a sphere. The village was its own little cloudy microplanet, a dreary snowglobe floating through a mysterious void. One day, the clouds … Continue reading I recorded a dream
November 24, 2020 My family and I haul my belongings from the car into the house. When we’re done, a haphazard mound of duffels and totes is piled along one wall of the kitchen. We let out a collective sigh of weariness and relief. I am finally home after three months, and we are all safely back together as one unit. Unpacking can wait until … Continue reading First Time Home
One of Duke’s supplementary essays asked me to share an experience of mine related to a community I belonged to. Sixteen year old me presented herself as a lofty, wannabe poet; I touted myself as being an “explorer and a seamstress.” I wrote (and I both smile and cringe as I read this now), “Scouring all that my school has to offer allows me to … Continue reading Finding Community
Fifth weekend Continue reading College // First Month
They say look to the future and don’t dwell on the past… well sometimes I think it’s good to wallow in memory for a bit. I miss the presence of people. More specifically, making music with people. I miss being in the same room with one hundred other instruments with one hundred other people, all breathing the same air. We’d all breathe in together at … Continue reading Musical Memory
Friends are great! Continue reading End of an Era
In the distant past when the coronavirus did not exist, I would always be busy. I’d be a summer camp counselor chasing after sweaty kids in a park, wood chips stabbing the soles of my feet. I’d be on a plane, juggling my stack of books with the small cup of complementary water on the tiny tray table while the recycled cabin air dried my … Continue reading Summer in Quarantine
I have never been one to voice my strong opinions about polarizing situations. But to me, what I have been seeing is the violation of basic human rights. Blatant racism and ignorance. These days have got me feeling extremely uncomfortable, which is good. We can’t always live a comfortable life. We’ve got to accept, embrace and act on change. It’s not just the current events … Continue reading My Rough Cut
Who would’ve thought, huh? For three years, we’ve seen three batches of seniors relish in the last semester of their high school career. We’ve seen them wear that carefree look on their faces as they strutted around the school, knowing that their work there was basically done. On May 1st, we looked longingly all the different college shirts they wore to see where each had … Continue reading To the Seniors (again)
Check out the last paragraph of the “2020” post for a slight chuckle Continue reading Times Like These
Katie Tan 