2023

2023: A Year of Quiet Growth

Part 1

Seeds Sown in Stillness

I remember when my sister first got accepted into APAAS in early May. We got a letter, my parents played with her a little and told her it was a letter from Mr. Stonebarger, the Turtle Rock Elementary School principle, because she was in a lot of trouble. 6 years ago, they used that exact same trick with me, when I got my letter too. She walked upstairs, and read the letter, all of us watching from outside, with our knowing smiles. Her delayed reaction surprised me a little, but her understanding of what the letter meant posed a question for us all. She was accepted at Westpark Elementary School, not at Turtle Rock. Going into 5th grade the following year, with two more years left in elementary school, did she really want to switch to a new school, with a different schedule, and leave behind her friends and teachers? Her two weeks of contemplation left me wondering what her decision would be. The mind of a 10-year-old is so unpredictable, and knowing my sister, this would be one of the most life-changing decisions she could ever make. Just two months later, with a much shorter summer break, she started 5th grade on July 19, 2023. 

For the next month and a half, my parents and I had the whole house to ourselves for a majority of the day. We’d hear stories about new classmates, Naaya’s new teacher, her new schedule, and just observe how different the environment at her school was. More than for her, this school-switch was a really big event in 2023 for me; watching Naaya adapt to her situation, based on her own free-will, and meet both new students she liked, and also didn’t like, was refreshing. Enjoying what she chose to do, and also figuring out how to fix or push away the little obstacles she encountered occasionally, took a lot of will power and resilience, and seeing it done from someone so much younger than me was eye-opening, and allowed for me to reflect on how I was embracing my school life too. 

This summer break was maybe one of the most boring I’ve ever had, compared to previous breaks that I’ve spent. All my friends went foreign almost immediately after school said goodbye to us, and it was really awkward for me to figure out how to keep myself busy, entertained, and occupied. It was weird because I found myself in a new social environment towards the end of freshman year; I knew a good amount of new people, and made conversations that I hadn’t ever made before, and then all of a sudden, everything became so disconnected. Constantly, I would see these friend groups making plans, and hanging out, while I very much felt isolated with everyone I was so close to, being out of the country, or just not in town. Over the two and a half months of break we had, my social interactions had been so limited, at least with people from school, and now that I think about it, it gave me more of an excitement to go back in August. Suddenly getting disconnected from so many people released a new perspective of the word social to me, and wove apart what really make social dynamics and memorable interactions. Sophomore year, after it started, became so eventful, and comparing it to my rusty laid-back break, I was able to appreciate my new friends, old friends and all my memories and experiences with them even more. 

Lastly, I’ve been interning at City Hall for a year now, and it’s really been an interesting and revealing experience. Doing something so small as watching meetings and reviewing public comments really exposes the raw components of what makes our city so active and functional, rather than dysfunctional. Every big working force has so many smaller components that filter into making it as productive and driven as it is, and going to the office every week, and meeting people I didn’t know could hold the position they do hold is the most life-changing and revolutionizing opportunity. Hearing residents talk about the public transportation schedules, or their takes on construction around Irvine Spectrum, or even bullying at their children’s schools reveals that every individual lives a different version of the city we’ve known and grown up in, and I think that it’s really allowed me to look at our society in a more open way. After living in Irvine for over 12 years, I’ve gained so much insight on the functionality of this city through this internship, and I’m so glad I was able to take this opportunity this past year, and use it to transform my approach and thoughts in a genuinely better way.