Everything was gone. Empty. They had ransacked my house by the time I got back from my college trip to New York and Connecticut, but I expected this to happen. My tía and tío had scheduled the movers...

It was past 10 p.m. as I pushed around the curled-up pasta I threw into a boiling pot of water. It was barely made well; in fact, it seemed to be disfigured into weird shapes that resembled ovals more...

It was Saturday morning. It was every summer Saturday morning. It's always muggy and scorching hot, but just not as hot as it will be later on in the day. Our shirts stick to our bodies from the sheer...

At the age of 9, I received my very first award. A shiny gold medal. I was so proud. But yet, I still craved validation from my parents. My naïve young self went home flashing my shiny gold medal and...