Kiki's Weekly

“Okay. Pack all your clothing and the necessities, we’ll leave next week.” So that’s what I did. Like that we were moving to Miami. I asked my nine-year-old self, “what do I even bring?” So I packed up all of my clothes which left me with one box to shove my “prized possessions” into. What even were those at the time? Well, I created a checklist in my head of the things that I really needed and thought would benefit me the most. Of course, my oversized pencil case was what came to mind. At the time, we fourth graders were very into collecting sparkly and colored pens which we'd flex in class and sometimes trade with each other if we were daring enough. As soon as we arrived in Miami I had to be thrown into school mid-year. At this point, you can imagine how chuffed I felt having packed thoughtfully with my pencil case with me ready to go. Why am I telling you this? Well, because what comes from this story is this interesting fact: to this day I still use my eraser from th...

The Rainbow Nation An all-encompassing piece of a multifaceted country. “If you’re from Africa, why are you white?” “Do you live with lions?” “Is your house just a hut in the jungle?” These are surprisingly very common questions asked by foreigners that are unfamiliar with the African Sub-continent. It’s a shame that many people are uneducated about South Africa, a beautiful country filled with rich culture, natural resources, and diverse historical tales. It holds the name “The Rainbow Nation.” South Africa is an enigma; it’s fascinating that such a diverse country with so much to offer is in shadows of the universal spotlight with few people knowing much about it. What most people see as a country with developmental issues, like many other parts of Africa, is actually a haven of culture and luxury.                     Yakira Matisonn Hidden Treasure Beneath the jung...

Before reading Gloria Steinem’s My Life on the Road I researched the author and anticipated reading a book centered on feminism. I expected many of her journies on the road to be in advocacy of spreading women's rights. While she does talk extensively about her first trip for social activism in India and traveling across the country preaching for equality, I was more fascinated by her connection to the road and what it really meant to her. Gloria’s life on the road began as a child of a doting father who couldn’t sit still. She talks about her father being an impulsive and spontaneous man, never settling down for a minute and becoming a jack of all trades in order to get by. In her early years, she was forced to living on the road because she was living under the wing of her father who brought her along for all of his adventures. But in her later years, after his unfortunate death, she continued living on the road by free will. I find the idea of living on the road to be quite...