I am from the whisperless part of the city where cars only pass by occasionally 

I am from confusing roads that twist, turn and go in loops

I am from a cramped yet cozy home

And from doing homework on my desk, looking out the window with a view of a clouded grey depressing sky

I am from sleeping in my bedroom where I can hear cars in the middle of the night zooming by With music on full blast

I am from muffled voices of people and their dogs as they stroll by

I am from walking up to my door after a long exhausting day feeling relieved 

And from silence in the house when everyone is doing their own thing except once in a while When there is clicking of the keyboard or a random car or a loud scream from the young kids Who live next door, but usually nothing

I am from 9 years long years of ballet training to get to pointe

I am from hoping to become an artist who can paint dreams and inspire others

I am from one day hoping to find my true art style that I am constantly searching for

I am from eating all kinds of noodles — ramen noodles, egg noodles, rice noodles, pasta noodles, stir fry noodles, glass noodles, spaghetti noodles — I could go on

I am from the indulgent aroma of butter, brown sugar and vanilla in the cookies as they bake

In the oven

And from sugary sweets that I simply cannot resist and love to eat

I am from enormous trays and plates of food on the Lazy Susan as everyone waits their turn to Get food on their plate

I am from the nostalgic sound of layers and layers of many inaudible voices and conversations All happening at the same time

And from red envelopes embellished with gold patterns with money inside

I am from being called little to no nicknames 

I am from my parents telling me things so many times that it sometimes bores me

I am from seeing masks everywhere around the world, even in places I have never been to Before

And from eagerly worrying and wondering, confused about the Ukrainian and Russian war as I Watch and see an abundant amount of media speaking about it, too many to count 

This is where I am from.