My last cultural anthropology class as an undergraduate at the University of California, Santa Barbara fell into the the hands of professor Silke Werth and her studies on Japanese culture. Our quarter assignment was to interview someone of Japanese descent and present our findings to the class. I was nervous but SO excited to share…
The Vibrant Silks Aerialist
A spotlight drew my attention to a performer delicately moving in the air as I was wrapping up my time at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s “First Friday” event. I was pulled into the sidelines like many other bystanders looking up as a woman twirled her body through silk. It was mesmerizing watching the…
The Dancing Yogi
Delaney and I sat in her house that she shares with a few other gal pals who also attend UCSB. This cozy yet open-spaced beach house overlooks a park that frames a perfect window to the Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands directly across from Isla Vista. Delaney is a 20 year old philosophy major,…
Yogic Culture
Have you ever discovered something so profound, so enlightening, so beautiful or delicious that you wanted to share it with people you love? For some it may be a recipe, scripture, or a place. For me it was & continues to be yoga. The profound intensity manifested itself when I began to see a…
Burning Man: Radical Ritual
A couple years ago I was sitting in a cultural anthropology class at Los Angeles Valley College when my professor shared her experiences about Burning Man with the class and I was enthralled. Her photos, videos, and explanations of what this magical event was left me with only more questions. My biggest takeaway was that…
Egg Rolls & Bún Thịt Nướng
It was day one of the New Year and I was excited to meet Tori’s mother who she always spoke so lovingly about. The first time I ever heard her speak of her mother, Victoria was when we found ourselves in rather diverse company. Tori being Vietnamese, Amaka being Nigerian, and myself Colombian/El Salvadorian. We spoke…
The Cyclist
For this interview I had the pleasure of sitting down with my father as he spoke of his love for cycling culture. I just wrapped up finals week at the University of California, Santa Barbara and needless to say the past two weeks were riddled with studying and not much cultural investigation. A man…
Avrum and The House of David
I had the pleasure of crossing paths with Avrum, owner of The House of David bookstore in Valley Village, CA on a rainy late-October afternoon just as he was closing up shop to prepare for the Sabbath. I found myself wandering his store appreciating this book collection as he took two calls – he’s a very…
Wat Thai: A Cultural Introduction
Back in the Fall of 2014 I had the immense pleasure of taking an Anthropology class at Los Angeles Valley College that sent me into a passioned frenzy of exploring diversity. This was no ordinary Anthropology class, yet it was the right class that calmed my nerves as I began my venture into being a full-time student…
Cultura Amerikansk 