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The Beginning
The first part of our story takes place in Hermosillo, Sonora, located at the very northern portion of Mexico. I was born in a military hospital not too far from where my parents and my siblings lived at. It must have been quite a sight: a chubby, bug-eyed baby girl wearing balloon-patterned one-piece pajamas. I happened to be the only baby residing at that particular hospital that was otherwise packed with soldiers in training. -
Period: to
The Life of Luz
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The Scrooge Experience
When I was in third grade, I belonged to a Christmas choir that was part of my school's music curriculum. We sang traditional Christmas carols both in English and in Spanish, as it was a bilingual school. One of the most memorable experiences I had in that choir was the time we had to sing during a play based on Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. It was an outdoors play, and it was a particularly cold night. Yet, I was happy as can be. We sounded great despite our nervousness and numb noses. -
The Exodus: Part 1
After a grand total of eleven years of being a part of my existence, Mexico reached a chaotic climax in which the streets were no longer safe to walk when it was dark. The country's economy plummeted, pushing the Moreno family to make a decision: we had to leave. A church in Sacramento, California (USA) contacted my father, claiming they wanted him to work with them. With only one suitcase on one hand, and excitement on the other, we began our journey. -
The Exodus: Part 2
Navojoa, Sonora is a land very similar to Australia in the sense that it appears as though everything is trying to kill you. Summers are extremely hot, there are traces of radiactivity a few strides away in the desert, there was lead in the water pipes, and insecticides that have been banned in the U.S. for almost a decade are still being used. My siblings and I stayed there with our grandparents for four months, while my parents were in CA finishing the paperwork for our legal stay. -
The Promised Land of Pines and Squirrels
After those long months in the almost-inhabitable land of Navojoa, my parents came back for us, and we boarded a plane that would bounce off to Arizona, then to California. Upon stepping onto Sacramento, we were received by hundreds of pines. The air was blessedly cold. We would live in a small 100 year-old house the color of Pepto-bismol for the next four years. My sister and I attended a school with 98 students, and where we all had to go to mass every single morning. -
Leah die Katze/Leah the Cat
When we were in Mexico, we had 8 pets. We had to leave them all with different owners, as we could not take them with us when we moved to the United States. Our family was virtually incomplete, until it wasn't. On December 18, 2008, I walked into my room after a long, rainy school day, to find a large, bright red box sitting on my bed. In it was a green-eyed, fluffy ball of fur. She became my furry child, for lack of better terminology. She is now 8 years-old. -
My Father and Gregorian Chants
My father, Rafael Moreno, is a hispanic Catholic music producer, singer, and songwriter. He taught me that it is possible to find beautiful truths throughout the ghastly events of history. He also taught a group of approximately 20 men and women, myself, and himself how to sing in Latin. It all began when the bishop of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Sacramento asked him to create a Gregorian chants choir to perform on the Saturday mass, as well as the Christmas mass. -
"Arcadia? Where in the world is that?"
Four years trickled by, and it was time for my family and I to look for a better place. My dad found a company that fit his profession in the most unlikely of places: Arcadia, California. After driving for eight hours, we reached a place very different from Sacramento. For one, the streets were cleaner, there were less homeless people, it was warmer, and the population was 90% Asians. The school had a total of 4,000 students, which was monumental compared to the 98 in Sacramento's school. -
Santa Monica Pier
It was our first time on the beach since we moved from Mexico, and we celebrated my sister's birthday. The pier looked beautiful, and there were so many interesting stands of people who created crafts. At one point, I dragged my sister to the cold ocean water where she yelled, "IT IS TOO COLD" and I held on to her as the water crashed against our knees. We laughed so much on that trip. -
Carter Fialkowski
When I was in Sacramento, I was friends with a fellow we shall call Carter. He was four years older and unlike other boys I had met before: sarcastic, witty, with a very offbeat humor. I made him my role model for a time, and he unconsciously challenged me to stand up for my own beliefs. Carter died on November 7 of 2012, at 19 years of age. It was after his death that I realized it is possible to continue getting to know someone even if they are no longer present, and the magic of simple words. -
The One With The "Spam Sushi"
My friend Daisy and I went on regular, improvised after-school adventures. One day, she asked me if I had ever tried a spam musubi, after which we ended up going to a small restaurant near her home. The food there was amazing. We ate, talked, and laughed until our stomachs were hurting. Although we drifted apart after she moved to Long Beach and I moved to Arizona, this is still one of my fondest memories of her. -
My Grandfather, the Gentleman
José Carlos Moreno was my grandfather. He wrote so many beautiful poems and short stories during his lifetime, very few of which he published. On the birthdays of his grandchildren, he'd always give us a phone call, and recite a poem he made specifically for the occasion. He had this fantastic mustache: there was no grandfather without the mustache, and no mustache without the grandfather. He passed away while listening to my father's music after three months of cancer. I will make him proud. -
George R. Hensel Ethics Essay
I ended up with the first place of my school district in a writing contest. I believe this was one of the key moments that validated my wanting to become a published writer. The essay theme revolved around the concept of ethics, and asked the contestants to write about a moment in which they had to face an ethical dilemma. I chose about a friend who texted me about her intentins to committ suicide, and the events that followed. Luckily, the ambulance got to her in time, and she is still present. -
From Arcadia to Arizona
Three years of excellent Asian cuisine, a remarkable course of AP English, and several walks in the Arcadia Arboretum, we moved for the third time in the span of seven years. It was strange to see our apartment bare, without any furniture or any trace that we'd lived there. A six-hour drive later accompanied by Leah the Cat's occasional meows of complaints, and we reached our destination: Gilbert, Arizona. The air was crisp, warm, the sky was extremely blue, the clouds extremely defined. -
Totopo the Second Kitten
My older sister, Susana, always had her way of persuading the family of something. She has a talent for knowing exactly what is missing from our family, and how to be stubborn in order to fix the situation. In this case, she worried over whether Leah die Katze was constantly cranky due to a lack of a playmate. After months' worth of speeches, research, and willful perseverance, we adopted an orange male kitten that we named: Totopo, due to the tortilla-chip shape of his ears. -
Long-Term Goal: Play More Often With the Cats
Totopo and Leah require human attention every now and then. When they aren't asleep, they chase each other. Yet, that does not seem to be enough to tire them by nightfall. They have to use their energy in something else, so I do want to play more often with them instead of wasting time surfing the internet and playing random online games. Real life is more important than pixels. -
Long-Term Goal: Herbs
My family appreciates plants. Especially plants with medicinal purposes. When my dad had kidney stones, he went to an Asian doctor who gave him several teas and capsules containing ground-up medicinal plants. In a matter of weeks, his kidney stones were gone without the need for surgery. I want to be able to do what this doctor did: use accessible plants to heal someone. -
Short-Term Goal: Culinary Arts
I love food. I love the chemical process involved in cooking or baking it, and the final tasty product. Before deciding to go for a career in writing, I intended to attend a culinary school and learn about International Cuisine. I still intend to do the latter. After all, one has easier access to all types of tips and advice online. I plan on studying a different type of cuisine every month after graduation. Maybe the first month will be Vietnamese foods such as pho and tapioca pudding. -
Short-Term Goal: The Biggest Loser
I am not the healthiest lass out there. Admittedly, my lack of upper body strength could make any self-respecting coach weep. This is why I have decided to make a more-than-decent effort to exercise regularly. To swim again once the weather becomes warmer, and to jog. Maybe it'd be a good idea to do arm weights. Thing is, I am repelled by weights since I accidentally dropped a 25-pound one on my right foot. No bones broke, thankfully. Just my pride. -
Short-Term Goal: Waking Up Earlier
I have a tendency to wake up at around 11:30am during weekends and school breaks. My dad constantly complains about this habit, and I do have to admit that it would be better for me to wake up earlier. To seize the...morning, if you will. It is only after I get up at late hours that I realize my day has been considerably shortened. Therefore, starting this weekend, I'll train myself to wake up half an hour earlier than I typically would during weekends and to go all the way back to 9am. -
Long-Term Goal: Deustchland
Before winter break started last year, I began to learn German on an iPhone app named Duolingo. It was going great, until I stopped practicing for weeks at a time. I do want to go to Europe at some point, so it would be wise to learn a few of the languages present in the specific locations I intend to visit. After German, I want to learn Italian, French, Japanese (not in Europe, but still a lovely language), and Vietnamese. -
Short-Term Goal: Learning How to Drive
I am a person who enjoys walking. The main conclusion after a few experiences have led me to state that: Luz + Wheels = Disaster. Yet, it has become inminent that I learn how to drive. I began to think, what would happen if there is an emergency in which the only person who drives in my family -- my father -- is unavailable? There has to be someone else that can step to the occasion. Or even to go for the quick grocery-run. -
Long-Term Goal: Travel
After learning all the languages I mentioned in a previous occasion, I want to put them to good use by visiting the places that speak them. France, Germany, Vietnam, Japan, Italy. Those are a few of the goals I have in mind. I want to explore as many cultures as I can during this lifetime. But first, I ought to start by exploring this country and all its various states. -
Long-Term Goal: The Verde Project
A few years ago, on July 13th, I created my second blog. One that I intended to write in at a daily basis. However, in the culmination of almost four years, I have a grand total of 22 pieces actually published on what I call, The Verde Project. My short term goal is to re-design it and include sections where I give reviews of movies or books and such. There is also, simultaneously, a long term goal in this: to make it a point to actually maintain the short-term goal. -
Short-Term Goal: Graduation
103 days before the 18th of May, or the day I like to refer to as, 'The Horror Finally Ends'. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my years in high school. I appreciate all the people I met, all the teachers and classmates that made a significant difference in my life. But I must admit that I am not sentimental about graduating. It could be said that I'm beyond ready to start something else, to start another chapter in my life. Until then, I must step-up my grades and actually graduate on time.
