This one is dedicated to my BFF who told me to do exactly what I want to do. So, I gave birth to this short essay. December 24, 2017: Christmas Eve Morning The last time I spent Christmas in Hawaii, I was 12 years old. My family and I lived in Kailua with my aunt … Continue reading Sunrise on a Christmas Eve
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.
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
On May 16th, I celebrated 21 years of marriage. While many may think that 21 years is a long time, in my opinion--it is not--when compared to those who've been married for over 50 years. Those couples deserve a lifetime achievement award along with a never ending supply of chocolate cake and the most delectable … Continue reading On Celebration of a Marriage
Dear Chloe, Before you were born, I was going through a metamorphosis with my identity. My life was centered on roles of being the maternal provider for our family. I became the wife, the mom, the dinner provider, the cheerleader for your Dad and older brothers. But, that began to change. I still kept … Continue reading A Letter To My Daughter On Her First Rally Demonstration.
I was 15 years old when I gave birth to my first child, a son. He was born in 1989, and there was a phenomenon that was happening to teenage girls in the late 80s. I had known 2-3 girls who were pregnant right along with me. I realized that the numbers were far greater … Continue reading Confession of an Ex-Teenage Mom
Note: This essay was written in 2010 and centers on an event that brings forth different personas from who I am as a person. The Mother: October 28th, 2002—two days before the 29th birthday and 36 weeks 4 more to go to preserve the body growing within my own. Was it enough to make sure … Continue reading The Accidental Personas
The Echo Muse 