borders
01/24/2018
I used to think that moving from one country to another is what exacerbates the task of making friends as a busy adult. Now I realize it's my introversion, too.
03/28/2018
I tolerated bullying and accepted ridiculous pay at my first journalism job. I thought I had no choice because I was a foreigner who needed a visa sponsorship.
07/06/2018
My EU passport gives me an enormous privilege—a privilege I didn't work for. The least I can do is acknowledge that privilege.
07/16/2018
When I lost a job because of my nationality, I understood you’re not entitled to global career dreams and wanderlust if you belong to the underclass of non-Western passport holders.
08/27/2018
The answer won't reveal much anyway. There's a better question. No, it's not "What's your background?"
01/14/2019
Self-publishing is not for losers.
01/30/2019
My biggest humiliation happened a decade ago in Brussels.
02/18/2019
When people butcher my name, I don't correct them for fear of making them uncomfortable.
05/04/2019
When I’m away from my mom, I'm used to not having her in my daily life. But when I see her and become accustomed to being with her every day, parting hurts. It feels like picking at the scab of a wound and making it bleed again.
05/13/2019
Designing a logo looks easy until you try doing it yourself.
01/02/2020
What will people think of me? I try not to care.
01/14/2020
When you simultaneously inhabit the worlds of poverty and privilege, you feel excluded and inadequate.
03/21/2020
For many diverse writers, self-publishing is the only route to publication.
04/02/2020
I’ve changed countries, but my subconscious patterns have persisted. They have followed me through all my moves.
04/10/2021
Being a citizen of the world isn't about traveling. It's about rejecting nationalism.
09/23/2023
Studying for the Canadian citizenship test exposed me to a misleading story about how Canada came to be.
02/23/2024
I've forgotten my mother tongue and I feel like a different person when I switch languages. I thought I was a freak. Then I discovered these things are common.