The first elementary school I attended in the U.S. was Emerson Elementary School located in Oakland, California. My dad was stationed at Oakland Army Base for three years, and my family flew in from Cavite City, Philippines. Before Emerson elementary, I went to a regular public school, and before that a Catholic private school … Continue reading The Way to Dream..
She sat at her favorite spot in the library. She had the desk all to herself, although four people can actually fit on the rectangular table. Everyone who spends a great deal of time at the library knows that once a person occupies the entire table, it was off limits to everyone else. If a … Continue reading Penelope
A Letter On The Eve Of The 44th year My Dearest, I know that you would love to spend the day in bed wallowing in the simple truth that your 44th year is the last year of your early 40s. You are wondering how time is such an asshole for being a realistic and practical … Continue reading A Letter On The Eve Of The 44th year
He stood at the front of one of his bookshelves eyeing the collection of books that had accumulated throughout the years. He worked for many prestigious private corporations and he believed that by displaying variations of books in his office bookshelf, those who he came in contact with would be highly impressed. The books … Continue reading SHORTcomings
I was born in a small town outside of Manila City, Philippines. The first few years of my life was spent in a town called Cavite. The residents of this town all knew each other, and they knew each of the family’s history. The house I grew up in belonged to my paternal grandparents. When … Continue reading The Nobodies, The Nothings, and The No Ones.
He sat and observed the people sitting around him. It was a busy Sunday morning and rightfully so since everyone was celebrating the one figure who gave them all life. He had read somewhere that mother’s day was a holiday that was intentionally meant for something else—the celebration of women who chose to be or … Continue reading Perspectives
I believe I have been reborn twice in my life. I was first born in Cavite, City Philippines in the 70s. I was reborn in Oakland, California in the 80s, and again in Fairbanks, Alaska in the 90s. Monique Truong wrote about her being reborn from a child born in Vietnam, to her childhood in … Continue reading Reborn.
The DelCastillo women are pretty ambitious when it comes to this life. My sister Jackie, who I've written about as my Storytexter, had two weeks to spend in San Diego for work. She's a Registered Nurse, and a Lieutenant in a military branch where female officers are still a small subset group serving their country. … Continue reading In Return.
“Let’s do a challenge while we’re in San Diego!” Jackie texted while I was in my office preparing a list of items that I needed to do before taking off for a short vacation. “Ok, we should eat Filipino food every night since we don’t do this often!” I texted back. “Yes! Let’s eat … Continue reading In Pursuit of a Quest.
The first time I wrote about my dad it was about the events that unfolded when he had a stroke. I wrote from my perspective as his eldest daughter coming into to his aid at a life altering moment in his life. I believe I will always have this perspective since this is my role in … Continue reading In Defense of Fatherhood
The Echo Muse 