Same Footprints

Seoul, Again.

February 23, 2020

It’s cold in Seoul in January but that does little to stop me from seeing the city.

I lived in Laos for a month, spent the better part of a cold November night crying in Vancouver, sampled street food in South Korea, learned a 90s Brazilian dance style in San Diego and ended 2019 surrounded by love in Nigeria.

A Weekend in L.A.

December 15, 2019December 15, 2019

Yemi and I are in the backseat of her parent’s car listening as they recount wistful memories from living in Los Angeles. “A straight bus down Wilshire is essentially a tour of L.A.” Aunt E. says as we pass by familiar places—the second-story apartment one of her kids jumped down from, LACMA, someone’s old school. […]

Between Sand and Sea: Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

October 15, 2019October 15, 2019

Out on the open deck, I watch gleaming shorelines and isolated rock formations come into view in contrast with a striking blue seascape. Time, unhurried, seems to match the ferry’s speed as we make a slow, deliberate approach to Koh Phi Phi island. Slipping off the ferry, I walk along the shoreline and towards a […]

The One with a Thai Chef in Bangkok

September 18, 2019September 25, 2019

As the cab pulls up to Siamese Cookery House, the noise of Bangkok’s bustling streets fizzles into silence. Tucked into a side street, the building is nearly obscured by green majesty palm trees. A sweet scent of lemongrass fills the air. I inhale slowly, relaxing for the first time that day. Inside, I take off my […]

Good Morning, From Bangkok

June 30, 2019September 18, 2019

I watch morning arrive from the balcony of our rented apartment; soft yellow sunlight that filters through Bangkok’s persistent fog, illuminating her skyline. I’m dressed in a satin kimono that once belonged to my mom, a black dress whose hem stops just below my knees, and a pair of weathered white Converse sneakers. I’ve picked […]

A Bridge over Still Water: Luang Prabang, Laos

May 8, 2019September 18, 2019

Luang Prabang’s cool mountain air is a welcome change from Vientiane’s heavy heat, but the things that make this city quintessentially Lao are unchanged – tuk-tuk’s and motorcycles weave around cars on narrow roads, coffee shops are ubiquitous, as are street-side food carts selling staples like Lao sausage and spicy papaya salad. Every day before […]