I am from parents who yell

I love you

as I walk out the door every morning

I meet them again at a dinner table full of sarcasm and quick-witted jokes

In a backyard full of green, I am from endless opportunities for adventure and I explore valleys to mountains of outdoors with my siblings as a break from our thoughts

A breath of fresh air

I am from a childhood of traveling through markets, hostels, seas, and unfamiliar places

The smell of cigarettes still clings to my tongue like it did to those hotel walls

And I hear the laughs of my parents as they realize they booked an apartment in the middle of the Red Light District

From a close family that expresses love not through affection but through words, I sometimes feel an absence of physical touch

I live a very privileged life that I take too much for granted, and I am from a school that is 90 percent white but talks about diversity like it’s there

I have earned to be creative because I am from a family that strikes to do things their own way and I am encourage to believe what I want to believe

Surrounded by a community that stands up for justice and marches for

women’s rights

gun control and

our environment

I have learned that there are good people out there, whomever they may be

I have tough skin because I am from an activity that praises one body and excuses the next, and I have been taught to to critique not others but myself, as I am forced to look in the mirror and fix what is wrong

I am from a group of friends that has made me realize that not all people are your people, though they have taught me laughter, love and expression

Through movement I have found a voice and learned to communicate through shapes

I am from my own curiosity, and asking questions has led me to thinking my own thoughts and listening to others’

I am from a family that has taught me to build my own beliefs but to never miss an opportunity to talk to someone about theirs

And from this I have been able to grow on my own while still knowing where I am from