The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Iftar and Dates
Finding my community on campus through spiritual practice and vibrant tradition
My stomach grumbled loudly. I had 1 hour and 33 minutes left until I could eat, and yes I was counting down the seconds. Though this was day 5 out of 30, I hadn’t adjusted yet to my new eating schedule, so getting through classes without breakfast or lunch was mildly difficult. The afternoon had […]
Hungry for knowledge (and bananas)
Discovering what makes MIT so unique
I have officially been a student at MIT for a month, and in that time, I have juggled the role of an environmental researcher, new Boston tourist, and campus explorer, all while adjusting to the life of a first-year graduate student. Journey with me as I discover the hidden “quirks” of MIT that help foster […]
Learning from the magic bean
How becoming a coffee snob taught me about scientific experiments
It all started when COVID hit. I had all this newfound time while attending classes on Zoom and found an outlet – specialty coffee. Before I knew it, I had become a full-blown coffee aficionado who knew all about the full coffee production process and cared about flavors in coffee. I found that the best […]
Crying in C-Mart
My Asian grocery adventure in the Boston area
I can’t survive for a week without eating Asian food. Honestly, a big reason why I chose to come to MIT was because H-Mart was down the street from campus. However, after looking at my H-Mart grocery receipts from my first couple months here, I was crying (in front of) H-Mart. I realized that H-Mart […]
An ode to Kenji’s Cooking Show
How home cooking during the pandemic helped me gain a new mentor
At the start of the pandemic, my cooking skills were in top form. I had mastered scrambled eggs and had honed my selection criteria for one pot pastas (the simpler, the better). However, the pandemic and the subsequent shutdown revealed some gaping holes in my knowledge. I was suddenly home all the time, afraid of […]
