In my first year of university, I saw crowds of first-years playing games, eating snacks, and sporting matching Frosh t-shirts, aware that I didn’t have one. Over dinner, a friend said, “I’m worried you’ll be lonely this weekend.” “No,” I responded with a smile. While I appreciated the care and[Read More…]
Off the Board
A love letter to crappy Chinese food
I love crappy Chinese food. Don’t get me wrong, I love all types of Chinese food and would happily eat only rice for the rest of my days. But I love greasy, crappy mall Chinese food served in a plastic container with three divided sections: One for Canto-style chow mein[Read More…]
My thoughts on femininity as a so-called 900-pound grizzly bear
For years, boys at school called me “Boog.” When I asked what they meant, they said that it was a character from the movie Open Season: “A nine hundred-pound bear,” they would say. So, naturally, I thought I was fat. I developed an intense anxiety about eating in front of[Read More…]
A struggle meal, among friends
I looked on, half horrified, half intrigued, as she set the timer for 10 minutes. Trying to hide my disgust, I attempted to confirm that this wasn’t some kind of strange mistake, a careless slip of the finger on the time selection wheel: “Did you mean to select 10 minutes,[Read More…]
McGill’s “gatekeeper courses” are against the spirit of education
The first time I expressed my desire to attend McGill, my enthusiasm was met with a warning: “You might get in, but it’s difficult to stay in.” They meant that although the university does not have the traditionally single-digit acceptance rates of American Ivy Leagues, the difficulty and low averages[Read More…]
My cultural identity is not dependent on a language
A few weeks ago, my friend Toscane and I were stopped by a man who asked us if we were French. With our affirmative response, he excitedly expressed his love for our accent before noticing the Hamsa pendant on my necklace. Also called the Hand of Fatima, the Hamsa symbol[Read More…]
Skipping class can be a studious choice
Growing up, I had near-perfect attendance. In Grade 1, my school pre-emptively excused us all due to a blizzard forecasted for the next day. But my dad and I still crunched stubbornly through the snowfall the following morning, where he deposited me with the only teacher who had managed to[Read More…]
Making someplace a home 
Over the course of my 21 years of life, I’ve lived in nine different houses/apartments; three countries; five cities. But until recently, I couldn’t tell you if I’ve ever lived somewhere I’d call home. By Merriam-Webster’s definition, “home” refers to one’s place of residence, and also as “the social unit[Read More…]
I’ve had enough of yearning
When I open X, Instagram, or Substack looking for something to read, I am often confronted with a series of textbites: it’s yearning hours what’re y’all yearning for tn big year for yearning, longing, pining, and obsessing my playlist for yearning and sighing this month I don’t know about you,[Read More…]
The case for comprehensive education
When I applied to McGill’s Interfaculty of Arts and Science, I didn’t know what I wanted to major in, but I did know one thing: I was in search of an interdisciplinary education. I didn’t want to stay in the STEM box I had streamlined myself into during my final[Read More…]