I fasted one day last summer. I wanted to clean my system out; it is a healthy thing to do. I used to do it when I was younger. I was a lot healthier then. I was trying to get back to it, to being healthy. I had not eaten anything since the day before, …
Tag: New York Public Library
Where I Am From
I am from Qingdao, the land of beer Where even our seas get drunk Our scallions grow taller than the Empire State Building and land on each and every table I am from the land of dogs Tobi, the loyal guardian who stands firm by my side Coco, the little princess who likes to kiss …
New York State of Mind
“Next station: Forty-Second Street–Times Square,” a voice announced over the subway’s loudspeaker. That is probably my last auditory memory before I entered a complete state of awe. Or, as Billy Joel would say, a New York state of mind. Almost carried away by a crowd of people, I got off the train, and I already …
Dance and New York City
When I was seven years old, I was so envious of my neighborhood friends who wore pretty ballet clothes and took ballet lessons. I asked my mother to let me learn ballet because I also wanted to dance in pretty clothes. I didn’t know it at the time, but it seems that my life of …
City Marathon
One day, while I was strolling through Central Park, a temporary seating area suddenly popped up, and many fences with “NYPD” written on them began to surround the park. I wondered what was going on. It turned out that the famous New York City Marathon would be held the following Sunday. On the day of …
My Old and New Habits
I lived in Italy up until two years ago, and I never imagined having such a great new life in New York. Traveling is a great way to learn about the cultures of other countries, but living in a new city is really the best way to learn about people’s thinking, habits, traditions, and language. …
The Bright Stars That I Love
I have liked stars since I was young. Maybe it’s because people said that the stars shine. I moved to the United States last year. I came on an evening flight and New York’s big buildings looked like the night sky full of stars. My eyes sparkled and my heart fluttered as I looked at …
The Power of Fear
I used to live in a city on the river shore. The amazing Amazon Rainforest stood on the other shore with its lush greenery, just as Manhattan stands with its skyline to New Jersey residents. An outrigger-canoe club had just arrived in town and I was excited by the idea of paddling to the forest, …
Change of Vision About My Environment
When I was a child, I believed that my city was the only place that existed. At night, I thought that the sky met the mountaintops, but as my curiosity was increasing, my mother took me to new places, and my universe grew. I discovered that not everything was a mountain, that there were also …
The Crazy Birthday Cake
“Being loved.” For me, these words are stuck to a memory of a disaster. It happened on my younger sister’s third birthday. My family was a typical, average-income household in a rural area of Japan. From my sister and me to my great-grandmother, four generations of our family lived together. My parents always managed …
My Favorite Word
My favorite word in Spanish is “mamá.” It is a very simple word that has its identical equivalents in every language. Mom, mamma, mamãe, 쮜쮜, 엄마, anne, Mама, 徊徊. A simple word with so many meanings. When I was a child, “mamá” was the word that saved me from nightmares, pain, boredom, and distress. “Mamá” …
Why I Am Here
My mother was born and raised in Japan. She loved cats, piano, and English. In college, she majored in English literature and got an English teacher’s license. I was born and raised by a mother like that. I loved cats and piano, but I was not interested in English. When I entered junior high school, She …
The Bearded Bare Man Bearing A Bear
I was in Bilbao, the city of my birth, for a few days before coming back to New York. It was a sunny day, perfect for a little hike into the forest near Bilbao. It was the beginning of fall, and I like to take advantage of that season to forage mushrooms. Luckily, it was …
Be Careful What You Wish For
I always dreamed of visiting New York as a tourist to see live what is shown in the movies. It was one of my goals over the last few years. Because I knew how difficult getting a visa to the United States was and how much money this trip could cost, I put a picture …
Closed Doors
It is easy for me to imagine closed doors because I feel and see many such doors around me. They are closed because I didn’t open them. Sometimes I didn’t want to open these doors, and sometimes I didn’t know how to open them. Now, I want to open the door to the United States. …