Boston, Birthdays, & Byes: a Belated Recap of February 2020

“Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something you own.”
- Michelle Obama, Becoming

Hi all! I hope you are home safe and healthy. I am writing this post from my bedroom at home, surrounded by photos and posters I plastered on my wall during my sophomore year of high school. Things are bittersweet: I am enjoying the extra time with my younger sister, but my spring break was extended to curb the spread of COVID-19. Because the college called the decision after I had already left for break, I am equipped with about a week and a half's worth of clothes. Like many of my peers, I am still processing that the next time I step foot on campus, I may very well be a sophomore in college. But, I am grateful that schools across the country are striving to put the health of students and staff first and seek alternative methods of learning.

This post is a *bit* belated, but in line with my goal to continue posting consistently, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my February. Here's recap of what read, listened to, and lived in February, and what I foresee for the rest of March.

What I Read

In February, my reading pace slowed a bit. I read three books, including one for a history class, and started a fourth. 

• Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond / Diamond's book made for an interesting read, particularly because I had sampled portions of it during my AP human geography class as a sophomore in high school. While I thought the author raised valid points about the impact of geography on a country's development, his argument that the environment allowed Eurasia to become the most influential power left me with some questions. First, what about the United States? Diamond describes North America's natural resources and access to domesticable plants and animals as less advantageous than that of Eurasia, but America still developed power. Second, why Eurasia? Guns, Germs, & Steel generalizes Europe and Asia into one region, failing to explain China's growing influence and Europe's relative decline in the global arena today. Finally, although I would grant that the environment shapes human decisions, what about the impact humans can have on their environment? Geography did not force the hands of slave owners, conquistadors, and colonists. ★★★

• Miracle Creek by Angie Kim / Miracle Creek was my favorite book I read this month, and now rivals The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for my favorite fiction book of the year. Kim's mystery is thrilling and addictive. The courtroom drama not only explores the extent to which parents would sacrifice for their children, but also the barriers to assimilation that Korean families face in America. I hope to review this book sometime soon. ★★★★★

• Anna K: A Love Story by Jenny Lee / This month, I had the opportunity to participate in the Anna K blog tour and receive a galley of this novel from Flatiron Books. While I felt that some of the language meant to appeal to a teenage audience, like the use of texting acronyms, missed its mark, I appreciated how Lee managed to address nuanced layers of social commentary in this modern retelling of Anna Karenina. ★★★

What I Blogged

I also managed to get four posts up last month, keeping with my resolution to upload consistently (hooray!!).

• At the beginning of the month, I reflected on my January experiences, including a Model UN conference in Canada, my first week of spring semester classes, and good books.
• I shared my thoughts on Jeff Zenter's Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee (thank you to Random House Children's Crown Books for Young Readers for the review copy!).
• I broke my review-writing process down into seven steps and reflected on how my reading has changed since I began blogging in middle school.
• Finally, I participated in the Anna K blog tour with a review of the book.

What I Lived

February flew by quickly. After returning from a trip to a Model UN trip to Canada at the beginning of the semester, I spent the early days of the month catching up on schoolwork and learning how to juggle my new jobs at Global Playground and AidData with my other commitments. Before I knew it, the middle of February had arrived, and I was on a plane, Boston-bound, Doja Cat and Janelle Monae in my ears as the excited senior next to me danced while seated to his pre-conference hype music. Some highlights from this month:

• I completed the #Taji100 challenge! Although MUN conferences and school assignments made making time for running difficult, I managed to squeeze in time on most days for a run. I increased my average weekly mileage from January by five miles and gradually became more comfortable at faster paces. More important to me, though, is how taking on this challenge made me feel. I learned to listen to my body-- when I could push myself, and when I needed to take a day off and be okay with it. I rekindled my love with running, now preferring the quiet of an hour to myself, my thoughts, and my music to the strength workouts I committed to in the summer. I was proud that I made time to do something for myself and my personal health.

• I participated in my last MUN conferences for the year. At the Harvard MUN conference, I represented a news reporter in a South Korean Women's Presidential Advisory Board crisis committee. Although this was my first time crafting a story line in this unique type of committee, I had fun researching issues I felt more deeply connected with-- my mother is South Korean and I enjoyed learning more about Korea's government and women's rights. 

• I also directed my first MUN committee, a meeting of UNICEF for William & Mary's middle school Model UN conference. Initially, I was daunted-- two other underclassmen and I were placed with 100 energetic middle schoolers in a lecture hall and tasked with teaching them about parliamentary procedure and education for refugee children. I nearly lost my voice, but I was surprised by the students' desire to collaborate with each other to create resolutions (and how beautiful their singing voices were during impromptu karaoke sessions -- some of those kids had pipes). 

• My roommate's birthday was this month, and her family drove all the way to campus with a cake and home-cooked food for a celebratory dinner. It was wonderful.

• I also finally watched Parasite, which left me speechless, and discovered great new songs for my playlist.

I hope you all had a lovely February and start to March! Tell me, what are you currently reading? What are some activities you are doing while social distancing?