Floating

I visited an American Bavaria this past weekend. After a post-hike feast, some friends and I shuffled satisfied toward the restaurant’s double door. At the table beside the door was a woman with her husband. She had a matcha-green fishing hat fitted as if about to slide down the back of her head. Greyish-blonde hair …

…on Seeing the US

I covered my ears between bites of pancakes, bacon, and drip coffee. Understanding everything, from the TV in the background to the Ray Ramano impression four tables away, was overwhelming. Background noise brings funny moments though. The barista who has “totally got [me] if you’re hungry, bro” or the jock telling his airport pickup “just …

On Fate

One of my favorite students is a dreamer, an artist. He began last class by telling a story about something that recently changed his life. The story ended with him finding a new community of friends, shifting his outlook on life, and a newfound sense of spirituality. He believes the entire experience was fated to …

My Degree

Most life long decisions seem to happen in coffee shops. The first tattoo I got took me 15 minutes after an Americano, moving to Peru took an hour. The largest shift in my life happened because of a chance encounter with an ASU alum at a Starbucks. Someone who, if sitting right in front of …

Nostalgia for the Future

I wrote this two February’s ago, on the eve of what became the most stressful month of my life. Going through old essays today, I think this one has an interesting resolve. Hope you do too. 2/17Airplane I just finished Joe Biden’s new book Promise Me, Dad with a sense of hope. He left with …

Coordinates and Character

Places I’ve Lived Ranked by How Much of My Stuff is (Still) There: Georgia, 2 boxes + tuxedoBuenos Aires, 1 small suitcase + bookbagArequipa, 1 large suitcase Mendoza, 4 books + 1 pair of sweatpants, Arizona, one book somewhereTexas, small buried treasure I’ve moved pretty often since turning eighteen. I’m on the higher end for …

Let’s Build a Library

When I was a kid, I had a billionaire’s dream of building a giant library on an island at 0,0 on a map. The idea was simple – everybody could get to all the knowledge in the world in one big, beautiful building. The Library of Alejandro. Let’s build it. George Peabody Library. Lame name. …