Updated: Feb 26

Almost 30-40 minutes of my school days are spent on the school bus. It’s one of my favorite moments of the day, especially because I love rides. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve gone on long drives with my parents. There was this clown poster on one of my favorite malls that I used to like, I used to call him joker dada. My parents would take me there almost every night when I was a toddler, when the city was quiet, and the world seemed to be asleep.

Just as humans take on the challenge and promise of the new year, so do birds, trying to find their comfort in the winter and starting the new year with a life afresh somewhere other than their own. Yes, I’m talking about migration. To escape from the cold from the areas they are originally from, tons of birds migrate towards the ponds and farms near Skagit Valley in Washington, where they stay over the winter before migrating back in the spring. Back in 7th grade, when school was still remote, one of the most favorite things to do for me and my parents was to drive down there and watch them as well as the daffodils that spring during this time as well.

Learning to drive is a rite of passage for people my age, especially in the United States. Driving is a completely different experience here, the process being unique to the system. You can start driving at the age of 15, which completely blows my mind. It gives you freedom, exhilaration, and most of all, it’s fun!

It first starts by you turning 15 and getting your permit. A permit is when you can start driving with an adult with a license always in the car with you. That’s how you can first start practicing driving before getting the license when you turn 16. There are mandatory classes that you have to go through as you are first learning to drive. There are centers by the police department around the state where you have theory and practical classes. The classes can be taken in person or online, where they teach you all the rules of the road and how to drive.

Travelling to India is a different experience all together, because more than a vacation, it’s kind of like travelling from one home to another. The journey itself is a feat to achieve, as it takes about seventeen and a half hours to get there. The very first step is the packing. Every time that my friends and I are talking about travelling to India, it’s a guarantee that there would be ample amount of luggage that would be travelling with us. That’s because we’re always taking some souvenirs or gifts for friends and family in India but mainly it’s because of the amount of stuff that’s coming back with us.

As the summer is starting to come to an end, I am trying and soaking in any last bit of sunshine. That includes swimming in lakes, playing in the park, having picnics with friends, and walking on the beach. Though the thing is, any sandy beaches near Redmond are almost 3 hours away! So, I have no choice but to simply relive some of my best memories of the beach in Miami at the beginning of the summer!

It’s a wistful summer, one where every sunset digs up a fresh new memory, lost in the setting rays, casting a light on the world. This specific sunset reminded me of my trip this summer, specifically the world of Pandora at Animal Kingdom, Disney. It was a truly magical sight, walking under the beams, the vines dangling in front of me, about to embark on a ride; a ride that would transport me to a different world.

A whole field filled with the most richest color of purple! Ah, a dream come true. It feels like I’m entering a dream, as I walk through the lanes of flowers, the thick boroughs of the tightly knit petals brushing past my ankles; they give a rise to bees as they swarm around, trying to settle back down onto the flowers, feasting on the decadent nectar. Indeed, I’m talking about lavender.

Just as summer break starts, a world of vacations commences too, where people drift off as if in dreams, and take a breath that they’ve held in for far too long. And just like that, I was transported to a world where dreamers dream, and anything is possible if you believe. A world called Disneyland.

The very first time you walk through those gates is a time you’ll never forget. It’s like you step into a new world, a world full of Mickey Mouse and princesses. The big beautiful castle is the first thing you see, looming over all the other attractions at the park. It’s royal blue and gold coloring glints in the morning light as it happily puts a smile on my face. The park is allocated into different sections, with each section having a specific theme, such as Fantasy Land, Frontier Land, Tomorrow Land and more. All of these different sections contain various rides based on the theme.

As an explorer, I always like to try new things, including places. Though there was this one place my parents and I found in 2020 that we kept going back to. That was Whidbey Island. Travelling to islands here is a completely unique experience, and not something we had tried before. I hadn’t been to many islands before, especially one at such a short distance. I had always been curious about islands as a kid, wondering what their mode of connection with the city was, how their way of life was different, and what an island looked like in general.

That morning sunshine that hits the windows of your car as you glide on the roads, the mountainous scenery changing besides you will always be one of my favorite parts of the trip. I’m talking about my trips to British Columbia, Canada. They always make me feel free, like I have no responsibility on my shoulder, like a bird who can fully spread their wings.

It felt exhilarating the first time I went, because it was so surreal that there was a border to another country only about 2 to 3 hours away from my house. It felt even more exhilarating that I was able to cross it. You can easily go from the United States to some countries without the need of a visa once you have a green card, which is permanent residency in the United States, or a citizenship. I didn’t know the significance of this trip the first time we went, for me, it was just another road trip that my parents and I were taking.

Suddenly, I wake up one day to the birds’ chirping, the sun streaming in through my windows instead of the usual Seattle rainy gloom. The air feels lighter and a smile creeps up on my face. This can only mean one thing. Spring is here! I look forward for this day since the beginning of the new year, January and February being the most depressing months for me.

The weather during those two months is constantly switching its choice on raining or snowing, especially because we live in Seattle. While the only good things during those months are the snow days we get off from school, spring is a much brighter time. Since I’ve grown up in India, I’ve been used to looking out and seeing the sun every day, the sun peeking out for a bit even during the rainy season, and so, I’ve always felt happier and warmer when it’s out. Which is why spring is even more special for me.

The very first year I moved here, I was surprised when one day, suddenly, the sunset had gone an hour earlier! I was confused on what had happened and how come I saved an hour (happily, I might add), when I finally came to know about Daylight Savings Time. There are a lot of things I learned when I first came to the United States, one of them being Daylight Savings Time. That is when all the time zones in the United States move forward by one hour to extend the amount of sunlight we get during the evening. This steals one hour from the morning sunlight and adds it back to the evening sunset time, stretching it out by one hour.

Hiking is something that takes you miles away while still being in your city, just another weekend getaway. At least that’s what it is for me. Though it turned out to be so much more than that, walking through the dense forests, breathing in the alpine scent, I felt like there was so much of the world left to explore and this was the path for that journey to begin.

Happy New Year, everyone. As all good things come to an end, 2023 did too, but with it, it gave me and my family a lot of learnings, memories, and most of all, experiences. Come to think of it, our last moment before entering 2024 was also a moment to cherish. It was the first time we had gone to visit the Space Needle (iconic tower of Seattle) New Year celebration!

Something that I really love about this country is the various types of U-picking there is. U-pick is when you go into a farm and get to pick your own vegetables and fruits. We started exploring new options during Covid times as we were always searching for things to do. We started with apples. It was highly recommended by a lot of our community, since the talk of the best u pick farms was going on in all the shared community platforms. It was the perfect season as the fall leaves had just started drifting to the ground. We searched the place on Google maps and were glad to find it only a half hour away from our house. Getting ready, I wore my apple print top, signifying the occasion. The car ride had an energetic and exciting buzz around it, and finally, we arrived.