The season was a golden time filled with the sticky sweet syrup of childhood idealism. These days were a peculiar transition, the times before I was thrust into womanhood and the brutal expectations that came along with it. The days of childhood were gone, and the welcoming world as I knew it began to change. Unfortunately, my naivety did not change along with it. 

I’ll be the first to admit that cancel culture has its appeal. There is a certain beauty in speaking up for what’s wrong and holding people accountable. The idea of canceling can seem to empower the voiceless and reinforce that each one of us has the ability to revoke the power we have given to anyone with a platform. But over time, I, and several others, have started to perceive flaws in the phenomenon. Aside from being rendered practically futile from its consistent overuse, and sometimes overblown reactions, a fundamental shortcoming presented itself: cancel culture does not allow for growth.

Venezuela is a land of contrasts and disparities of all sorts, where even its citizens have a hard time truly understanding what is going on sometimes. In the midst of a week-long blackout that affected the whole country, you could find Venezuela's higher class playing tennis and relaxing by the pool in country clubs. The difference in realities that Venezuelans face gives way to misconceptions about the situation in the country.

Most people would tell you they have a home. Me? I have homes. Yep, that’s right, plural.

My story tends to confuse a lot of people. The truth is, when someone pegs the classic, “Where are you from?” question, the answer is longer than a couple of sentences. At this point, I’ve almost memorized a speil that plays like a loop in my head.

Dubai is often labeled as having no culture: only 15% of the population is native; the other 85% are expatriates who immigrated to Dubai. People from outside Dubai explain that a city’s that when a plethora of cultures come together, a city’s culture can be lost when they clash.

Although Israel was founded in order to give Jews a place of solace and is considered a Jewish country, not everyone is Jewish. In fact, only about 76% of the population is Jewish. This doesn’t mean fully Jewish, either. "76% Jewish” means that those included in that percentage has at least one Jewish grandparent. The rest of Israel is a mixture of Muslims, Christians, Druse, Bedouins and more. Jerusalem is a holy city for Jews as well as Christians and Muslims which attracts many non-Jews to live in Israel. 

I will confess: being Venezuelan is exhausting. It is difficult to say goodbye to friends and family members who are leaving Venezuela forever. Yes, there is corruption, instability, a terrible government, a lack of food and basic resources, and constant blackouts, but I am proud to be Venezuelan. But you should remember all the great things that make Venezuela incredible.

As soon as I say “I am Indian,” a series of stereotypical questions come my way. “Do you speak Indian?” or “How are you so fluent in English?” are asked quite frequently. However, my personal favorite, “Do you ride on elephants?” is easily the best. (By the way, no, we do not ride on elephants).

The land of the snow-capped Alps, Switzerland, is home to Gruyère cheese, delicious chocolate and some of the best watchmakers worldwide. The small country, situated in the heart of Europe, is often somewhat hidden by a mysterious aura: what goes on in the country whose beautiful landscape garnishes chocolate boxes and fills our Instagram feeds? Having lived in Geneva, one of Switzerland’s major cities, since the age of 3, I consider myself to have a strong Swiss identity. 

From the popular “brown parents” memes to TikTok trends, Indians have a significant involvement on social media platforms. It has empowered global users to broadcast ideas and to share content through forms of communication, creating unique online communities. I perceive it as the inevitable western influence on Indian culture. Having witnessed the development of social media for the majority of my life, the pungent traditional values alongside modernization in India have exposed me to a variety of aspects which allow me to become aware of the social media’s strong and ever-growing influence.

For the majority of my life, I saw my middle names as empty vessels that were probably meant to carry some deeper secret of my personal identity, but every time I saw them written out on my passport or some other official document, all I saw were words on paper. They were a part of me, but in the most superficial way possible.