Where I'm From

I am from blackboards and numbers,

From the white chalky dust and the squeaky expo markers.

I am from the university’s natural science libraries and the chemistry department’s offices,

From the single-player games I dominated and the entertainment I invented during solitude.

I am from 365 days of daily blog posts,

From the satisfying click-clacking sounds of my mechanical keyboard.

I am from round metal chopsticks and large tempered-glass lazy Susans,

From spicy Chinese reganmian and freshly made piping-hot tostones.

I am from my father’s collection of ties and my mom’s shoelace tying technique,

From my friends’ deepening voices and changing interests.

I am from the English I write at school,

the Spanish I shout during sports,

and the Mandarin I speak at home.

I am from the smell of sunshine of my grandma’s laundry,

From the scent of dirt and nature of my dad’s garden on the balcony.

I am from the magenta flowers that bloomed around my piano professor’s fence,

From the intricate classical pieces that I have been trained to dissect and analyze.

I am from a family of nomadic learners,

From questions that blossom out of seemingly ordinary phenomena.

I am from my experiences and all the people who contribute to them,

From a life that I would not exchange for the world.