Growing up in the church had its benefits, not least of which was the sense of community that fostered lifelong friendships. One of my closest friends was Eddie, who was much closer to my brother’s age than mine. He was like a big brother to me, protecting me on countless…
From the concrete jungle of New York, the trip to Puerto Rico always felt like stepping into a time machine, one that transported me to a world of deep-rooted history and timeless traditions. The family-owned land and the generational homes standing proudly on it were living monuments to our heritage….
Up until this point, I had Elementary School by the horns. But 5th grade was a tumultuous time, and after my parents split and my dad moved away, my grades dropped drastically. I stopped being a straight-A student and spent the bulk of my time distracted by my own imagination….
Sitting in our cozy living room, the sun casted a warm glow on the plastic-covered furniture that crinkled beneath me. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement as my eyes locked onto the television screen, where John Carpenter’s “Big Trouble in Little China” was playing. The first time…
If my memory serves me correctly, we got our Sega Genesis first, making it the second official gaming console we would own. I still remember the excitement that coursed through my veins as I unboxed the sleek black console, its glossy surface reflecting the light in the room. This system…
As I look back at the faded photograph in my hands, a wry smile creeps onto my face. My hairline, even back then, made me look like a cross between Eddie Munster and a young Vegeta. I was just a kid, but I already had the makings of a unique…
The “old-school” TV in our living room was a bulky, rectangular piece of nostalgia that seemed to have a soul of its own. Its dial seemed to laugh at us, with only a handful of channels and subpar reception, as it challenged us to find something worth watching. Each weekend,…
I could hear the soft murmurs of my mom in the kitchen, making breakfast for the family. My mom had enrolled me in Head Start, just a couple of blocks away from our apartment, and while I was so young, it still seems like only yesterday. This would be the…
As a kid, the Atari 2600 was my first introduction to the world of video games. I enjoyed the simplicity of the games and the sheer novelty of playing them on a screen. But it wasn’t until the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) entered my life that I truly fell in…
I remember it like it was yesterday. The soft hum of the old buffer machine my mom kept in the hallway closet filled the air as she meticulously shined the tile floor in our apartment. It was a near-weekly ritual, a comforting routine that seemed to bring a sense of…
