It Really Do Be Like That Sometimes

As we made our first loop around the main quad, there were people on the side who joined in with our shouting and slowly merged in with us. More people funneled in from different directions, growing the stream of bodies. I remember looking across the main quad and seeing the front end of our snake of protesters beginning to make its next loop while so many were still trailing behind me.  The sound of our voices all chanting in unison created a loudness that was impossible to ignore. We made our points clear with rhyming phrases that were easy to remember. Generally I’m a quiet person, but the energy of the crowd and the urgency of the issue led me to shouting louder than I ever have before. A couple of times, I remember thinking to myself “aren’t we bothering people?” and “I hope I'm not inconveniencing anybody.” I had to remind myself over and over that being annoying is the point. People won’t pay attention unless we make them. If no one listens, then nothing will change. Of...

Many people don’t know that I have an older brother because he’s 29 and doesn’t live at home or visit much. Well, here he is. Where are we? A prairie? A hiking trail? Believe it or not, but we’re actually hundreds of feet above the ground in the rooftop gardens of Facebook’s Menlo Park offices. It took us about half an hour to hike from one end of the long strip of buildings to the other. While this trip was super fun because I got to tour his office, eat amazing food, and see the ocean and mountains in California, it was also really stressful. I had never traveled completely by myself before. I think my heart rate was around 170 before boarding the plane. TSA also didn’t help with my anxiety since they gave my dad a full pat down (he came to the gate with me because my mom wanted to make sure I didn’t get stranded in Chicago if something happened to my flight). Even though I remained a nervous wreck on the plane, I was still excited. Being away from home for a week let me escape t...