Too many of my family members, friends, and at times myself, find ourselves to be mad as well — A few months ago, I wrote a story that details how and why I identify as biracial. However, my cultural background is Black. Black culture, specifically poor, Black culture is all I knew, aside from what I saw on television while growing up as a child. Due to some of…

My mind is still processing my unexpected stroll through the red light district in Amsterdam — Since Amsterdam, located in The Netherlands, is only a 4 hour train ride from my new abode in Germany, and my birthday is approaching, I decided to visit for 3 days…

Television and movies reveal what is already unfolding in the present day — A year and a half ago I visited Amsterdam for the first time and happened to stumble through the famous Red Light District. It got me thinking about legal prostitution, sex trafficking, and artificially intelligent sex workers, among other things. My boyfriend is pursuing his master’s in cognitive science, which…

Clothing, judgment and the weight of the world are a few things that people try to set aside inside a typical massage room — I used to be a licensed massage therapist for more than 10 years. I can still hardly believe some of the stories I’ve heard from my clients, as well as co-workers. I have worked at a few legitimate, upscale spas that provide various massage…

It marked the end of my massage therapy career, undergraduate school, time with my cat, and life as I knew it in the United States — As we collectively approach the three-year mark since COVID-19 reared its ugly head, I was already lingering on memory lane. I had written a story about my newfound fascination with coed naked saunas in Germany that reminded me of my trip to Iceland five years ago. It filled me with…

Despite the crazy and unpredictable climate, Iceland is by far one of my all-time favorite countries to visit — In February of 2018, I flew to Iceland for the first, but certainly not my last, time. I was making the best out of a shitty situation that I found myself in due to a friend who was no longer my friend. I decided to make the best of that…

There are plenty of good reasons to explore them but my top reason might surprise you — Yesterday, I had a life-altering experience that was so simple yet profound. I spent four hours at an incredible spa that is open to the public but also part of a four-star hotel in northwestern Germany. Before moving to Germany a year and a half ago, I had heard about…

What I have discovered in all there is to love about Deutschland, aka Germany, after a year of living here — One of the first things I care to mention that happily surprised me about Germany is the cultural diversity that I witnessed early on. A high number of people moved to Germany from Turkey to help rebuild after World War II. …

I had never doubted the fact that I would have children, but then things began to change — My childhood was hard and seemed to take forever to get through. I was eager to become an adult and have full control over my life. I watched too many of my family members and friends of family members struggle terribly. My grandmother had eight children 20 years apart. My…