🌌 My First Real Aurora Borealis Moment In North America ✨

 🌌 My First Real Aurora Borealis Moment In North America ✨ There are moments that feel so unreal that your brain just sits there buffering like a broken WiFi connection, and last night was one of them. Imagine looking up and realizing the sky is literally glowing in green light like the universe hit the saturation slider. That was me. Frozen. Speechless. Fully in my feelings. Absolutely convinced that the sky had just decided to give me a personal show.

The funny thing about bucket list items is that you expect them to come with a big announcement or some fancy timing. You imagine saving money for a trip, planning an itinerary, waking up early, all that responsible traveler energy. But sometimes life just does the wildest plot twist and hands you a dream on a random night. No planning. No warning. No weather app drama. Just magic. Pure, surreal magic.

That is exactly what happened when the aurora borealis danced over North America last night. It started with our school group chat. Someone said the skies were acting up and that the lights might be visible near campus. At first I just scrolled past it. But then another message came in. Then another. And the next thing I knew, my classmates were already outside, texting like the world was ending in sparkly green beams.

So naturally, I followed.

Walking out under that sky felt like stepping into another world. The horizon wasn’t just dark. It wasn’t just the usual campus night glow. It was painted. Blended. Streaked with soft green waves that moved like they were alive. The effect was so soft and slow that you almost missed the motion, like the sky was breathing. And I stood there, in utter disbelief, realizing that yes, this was happening, and no, this was not a drill.

Aurora borealis has always been on my bucket list, mostly because people treat it like the boss level of sightseeing. Everyone posts it like they conquered some cosmic challenge. And I get it now. Seeing it in person feels like the universe letting you peek behind the curtain. It does not look real. It does not feel real. Your brain starts glitching like, wait a second, is this allowed.

What made the moment even more wild is that I technically saw the aurora before, when I was a little kid living in Iceland. But I was three years old. I barely remember anything beyond snow, sweaters, and the vague memory of cold air. I had zero pictures of the aurora from back then. No cute baby photos with the sky glowing. No magical childhood moment of me pointing at the stars. Nothing. Growing up, it always felt like a story I heard but never actually lived.

But last night changed everything. It felt like closing a loop. Like something I missed finally came back to find me.

And it happened here of all places. In Boston. While I am studying for university. While I am just trying to survive deadlines and group projects and all the academic chaos that comes with existing as a student. It felt like the universe gave me a soft reward for staying alive long enough to witness something this incredible.

The scene around me was just as wholesome. My schoolmates casually turned the campus field into a stargazing event. People were lying on blankets, sharing snacks, taking pictures, trying to breathe through the excitement. The vibes were unreal. No loud noise. No lectures. No homework stress. Just us and the sky. It felt like the world paused. Like the universe pressed the slow motion button.

Everyone kept whispering the same thing: no words can express this. Because really, how do you put into language something that feels like a dream turning into a memory in real time. The aurora shimmered and swayed quietly, like it knew we were watching. Every time the colors shifted even slightly, everyone gasped. It was one of those moments where strangers suddenly feel like friends because awe brings people together.

I kept staring and thinking about how small and big everything felt at the same time. Small because the universe is massive and glowing and beyond anything we can ever fully understand. Big because it makes your whole life expand for a second, like your chest fills up with every good memory you forgot you had. The aurora does something to you. It softens you. It makes you feel grateful. It puts your life on airplane mode, even if just for a moment.

I took photos, obviously. Because if the sky is going to perform, the least I can do is document it. But even then, no camera can really capture how the lights melt into the atmosphere. No sensor can mimic the softness. No image can hold the feeling. The emotion hits deeper than the photo ever could.

What shocks me is that the aurora might appear again tomorrow. That alone feels like a personal blessing. When nature gives you two nights in a row of something people travel across the world to see, you do not question it. You just say thank you and get your jacket ready.

Standing there under the glowing sky made me think about all the things in life that feel far away but somehow find you anyway. It made me think about how full circle life can be without you even realizing it. Little me in Iceland never imagined that grown me in North America would get another chance to see the same lights. Maybe that is the real magic of this moment. Not the green colors. Not the spectacle. But the quiet reminder that things you thought were lost can still return to you in unexpected ways.

Watching the aurora gave me a sense of belonging that I cannot fully explain. Maybe it is because the lights felt like a connection to my early childhood. Maybe it is because the sky felt familiar in a way nothing else has in years. Or maybe it is simply because witnessing something so beautiful makes you realize that the world is still full of wonder even when life gets overwhelming.

Whatever the reason, I walked back to my dorm house feeling lighter. Calmer. A little emotional in the cutest way possible. The kind of feeling that makes you look at your life like a cinematic montage. Aurora borealis does that. It gives you main character energy. It gives you soft healing. It gives you a moment that lives in your memory rent-free.

Tonight I saw the sky perform. And I am still not okay in the best way possible.

But here is the real question. If last night was already this magical, what on earth will tomorrow bring?

Maybe the universe is not done with me yet. Maybe the sky has another secret waiting. Because when the night glows once, it feels like a miracle. When it glows twice, it starts to feel like destiny.

🎃 I Wore a Paper Bag to Our Halloween House Party and Somehow It Worked 😂

 🎃 I Wore a Paper Bag to Our Halloween House Party and Somehow It Worked 😂 You know it’s officially spooky season when you find yourself standing in the living room with a grocery bag over your head, praying it doesn’t rip before someone takes your photo. That’s exactly how my university Halloween house party went this year: chaotic, hilarious, slightly vegan, and 100% unforgettable.

Halloween parties always bring out the weirdest, most creative sides of everyone. But this year, ours felt like the kind of cozy chaos you only see in coming-of-age films: small house, string lights that flicker like they’re about to give up, and everyone dressed in a mix of “last-minute costume” and “I actually planned this since August.” I went full Nevermore Academy student, uniform and all, because Wednesday Addams energy just speaks to my soul. Then I added the now-infamous paper bag head, thanks to a trend that Tyler wouldn’t stop talking about. You know the one where you draw a pumpkin face, doodle random chaos with black markers, and wear it like a badge of irony.

Tyler was the one who convinced me, saying, “Trust me, it’s low effort but high impact.” And he wasn’t wrong. The look was halfway between creepy and cute, and somehow it matched the vibe of our small Halloween get-together perfectly. Imagine a mix of pumpkin spice candle scents, lo-fi playlists, and people arguing about which version of Dracula is superior while sipping on apple cider.

We kept it chill this year: no loud club, no haunted maze, just a small potluck in the house where I live. The best part? Everyone brought food that could’ve fit in a cottagecore cookbook. Because half the group is vegan, we had tofu skewers, veggie pasta, mushroom sliders, and pumpkin cookies that disappeared faster than gossip after finals. I didn’t even realize vegan food could taste that good until I found myself going for seconds.

What made the night special wasn’t the decorations (we didn’t have many), but how we turned an ordinary space into something magical. We hung fairy lights, carved one slightly lopsided jack-o’-lantern, and played a mix of nostalgic Halloween hits that had everyone laughing, especially when someone accidentally queued a Christmas song. At one point, someone even started reading out loud from a horror book, dramatic voice and all, while the rest of us threw commentary like we were at a bad movie screening.

That’s what I love about these nights. They start as small plans, “just a few of us hanging out,” and end up turning into these memories that linger longer than the glitter in your carpet. Between laughter, terrible photos, and book talk that somehow got deep, it felt like time slowed down for once. We weren’t stressing over grades or projects or deadlines. We were just a bunch of college students pretending to be characters for one night, finding joy in paper bags, thrifted outfits, and shared stories.

I’ll admit, the photos turned out way goofier than expected. Picture me posing dramatically in a Nevermore uniform with a grocery bag over my head that says “BOO” in messy marker handwriting. Tyler photobombed half my shots with his pumpkin grin, and someone added filters so heavy! But that’s what makes it fun. Halloween doesn’t have to be cinematic perfection. Sometimes, it’s just about the inside jokes you’ll be quoting until next year.

The funniest part? The paper bag trend actually became the unofficial theme of the night. One by one, people started grabbing spare grocery bags and doodling their own designs. By midnight, we had a full gallery of weird bag faces: vampire teeth, anime eyes, cryptic symbols, even one that just said “I’m tired.” It turned into this unexpected art jam that made the night feel like a mini creative therapy session.

We didn’t realize it while it was happening, but the whole thing mirrored what we love most: storytelling. Half of us are readers, writers, or bookworms in some way. Between bites of vegan pasta, we ended up trading book recs, talking about the novels we’re working on, and sharing what inspired us lately. The party turned into an impromptu book club with snacks and silly costumes.

That’s the real magic of small gatherings like this. It’s not about fancy outfits or how “aesthetic” your feed looks. It’s about finding people who get you, the ones who can talk about world-building and character arcs one minute, then scream-laugh about how their paper bag is too tight the next. It’s raw, messy, and genuine, which honestly makes it better than any big event with fog machines and overpriced tickets.

And okay, maybe I got a little too into it by the end. Someone played “Monster Mash,” and suddenly I was doing the world’s worst dance moves while my paper bag kept slipping sideways. Tyler kept yelling, “Adjust your pumpkin head!” and I nearly tripped on the fairy light cord. The chaos was real, but so was the fun.

By the time everyone started heading home, the place looked like a cozy battlefield of cookie crumbs, empty paper cups, and laughter still echoing in the corners. We didn’t have professional decorations, we didn’t spend much money, but we created something that felt like a genuine snapshot of college life: imperfect, heartfelt, and a little chaotic.

It reminded me why Halloween doesn’t have to be scary or wild to be memorable. It can be soft. It can be about connection, creativity, and laughing until your stomach hurts. It’s about finding joy in silly trends, weird ideas, and moments that feel like they were written just for your friend group.

So yeah, maybe I looked a little wacky in those pictures, paper bag and all, but honestly, I wouldn’t trade that night for anything. Sometimes the best costume is confidence, and the best party is one that feels like home.

Because when you strip away all the fancy effects and spooky filters, Halloween is just about celebrating life’s odd little stories, the ones you write with the people who make you feel like yourself, even with a grocery bag on your head.

Next year, we’re keeping the paper bag tradition alive. Only this time, I’m drawing something more ambitious, maybe a bat, maybe a book cover. Because if there’s one thing I learned this Halloween, it’s that the simplest ideas make the best memories.

🧠 Mental Health vs. Evangelical Bullies: Why Science AND Faith Matter ✨

 🧠 Mental Health vs. Evangelical Bullies: Why Science AND Faith Matter ✨ Let’s get one thing straight: if you’re still out here saying mental health isn’t real, you’re basically trying to argue with physics, chemistry, and centuries of medical science and spoiler alert, you will lose that debate every single time.

Mental health has always existed, but for centuries people didn’t have the language, education, or acceptance to recognize it. Instead, anyone who acted differently was labeled in the worst ways, dismissed, or shamed. Fast forward to today, and we now have psychology, research-based therapies, and actual doctors who can explain why the brain sometimes needs care just like the body does. That should be progress worth celebrating, right? Unfortunately, some people still don’t get it.

Let’s talk about a group I call “evangelical bullies.” These are not everyday people of faith, and this is not an attack on religion. This is specifically about those individuals who stand on platforms, online or offline, and declare that mental health struggles only happen because you “don’t pray enough” or “don’t believe hard enough.” To be blunt, that’s not just inaccurate, it’s harmful, outdated, and logically inconsistent.

Here’s the problem with that mindset: it completely ignores science. As someone who grew up fascinated by science and chemistry experiments, physics equations, the whole nerd package. I know firsthand that research, data, and experiments matter. You can’t just wish away biology. A pill prescribed for depression or anxiety isn’t a random candy. It’s the product of decades of rigorous testing, double-blind trials, and peer-reviewed studies that prove its effects on the brain. To say it doesn’t matter is like saying gravity stops working if you pray hard enough. Spoiler again: it doesn’t.

Now let’s be clear, I’m not saying every doctor or psychologist is perfect. Just like in any profession, there are good ones and there are bad ones. Some might push medication like it’s a vending machine business model, and that’s not okay. But dismissing the entire field of psychology because of a few bad actors is just as absurd as dismissing all teachers because you had one who gave too much homework. It’s lazy thinking, and it hurts real people who need help.

This is where my perspective gets interesting. Even though I love science, I also grew up in a religious environment. I was raised in a Catholic orphanage, surrounded by nuns, and I asked every tough question I could think of. I never just accepted answers blindly. Over the years, I balanced my skepticism with my faith, and eventually, I found that both can exist together. Yes, I’ve had personal experiences that shaped my belief in prayer, but that doesn’t mean I throw science out the window. In fact, my faith became stronger because I researched its history, questioned its foundations, and built my convictions on evidence rather than just words.

So imagine my frustration when people weaponize faith to shame others about their mental health. Let’s break this down with logic. If a newborn baby is born with a cognitive or developmental condition, does that mean the baby didn’t “pray enough”? That’s obviously ridiculous. If a dedicated churchgoer experiences depression, despite serving faithfully every week, does that mean their prayers don’t count? Again, that logic collapses on itself. Mental health challenges are not proof of weak faith. They’re part of the human experience, influenced by genetics, environment, trauma, and biology.

The irony is that faith and science don’t actually have to be enemies here. They can work together. Prayer can provide comfort, hope, and resilience, but you also need food, rest, therapy, and sometimes medication. If prayer alone solved everything, no one would ever need glasses, surgeries, or antibiotics. You wouldn’t get braces, you wouldn’t take vitamins, and hospitals wouldn’t exist. Clearly, we know better.

What frustrates me is when so-called “evangelical bullies” target people who are already suffering. Telling someone with depression or anxiety that their struggles are their fault for not being holy enough is cruel, not compassionate. It doesn’t align with the values of kindness or understanding that most religions actually teach. And let’s not forget that science has proven again and again that shame makes recovery harder, not easier. Encouragement, support, and access to care do the opposite.

There’s another layer here: privilege. Some people have strong support systems of having a family who understands, access to therapy, financial stability, and a community that listens. Others don’t. Imagine telling someone who grew up without resources, without a safe home, without any encouragement, that all they needed was “stronger faith.” It ignores their reality, their context, and their lived experience. Mental health doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

That’s why I’m such a strong advocate for bridging both sides: respect science, and respect faith, but don’t use one as a weapon to erase the other. If you’re someone who prays, keep praying, but also book that therapy session if you need it. If you take medication, don’t feel guilty about it. If you find strength in both, even better. That balance is where true resilience lives.

And to anyone still holding onto the idea that mental health isn’t real: explain why the world’s top universities like Harvard and Yale offer psychology programs. Are they just making it up? Dozens of Nobel Prize winners in medicine and psychology would like to have a word. Science doesn’t waste centuries studying something imaginary.

So let’s put an end to the stigma. Let’s stop labeling people as weak or unfaithful when they’re actually fighting some of the hardest battles a human can face. Let’s acknowledge that mental health is as real as a broken bone, and both deserve compassion, treatment, and understanding.

Because here’s the truth: ignoring mental health doesn’t make it disappear. Pretending it’s not there doesn’t heal anyone. But acknowledging it, supporting people through it, and using every resource available like science, medicine, faith, community, that’s how we actually change lives.

So the next time someone tries to dismiss mental health as “not real,” ask them if they also think gravity is optional. Watch how fast the conversation gets quiet.

🎉 From Scholar to Black Belt: How Taekwondo Saved My Focus and Sparked My Writer Life 💥

🎉 From Scholar to Black Belt: How Taekwondo Saved My Focus and Sparked My Writer Life 💥 What if I told you the single biggest upgrade in my life didn’t come from a book, a grade, or even a paycheck, but from tying a piece of black fabric around my waist? Yeah. Today, I officially became a black belt in Taekwondo, and honestly, it feels less like an achievement and more like a rebirth.

Let’s set the scene. Imagine a university scholar juggling a mountain of readings, late-night essays, and the kind of deadlines that make your spine ache just by looking at them. That’s been my reality. Add on being a writer on the side, yes, the kind who stares at blank pages hoping the muse will clock in for her shift and you’ve got the perfect storm of burnout waiting to happen.

Now, here’s the twist: in the middle of all that chaos, I decided to walk into a Taekwondo class. At first, it was supposed to be “just exercise,” the type of thing you pick up to check the self-care box.

Spoiler alert: it became so much more than that. Today, I got promoted to black belt. Let me repeat that, because my inner child is still screaming: I. Am. A. Black. Belt.

And let me say this clearly: martial arts is not a sport. It is an art and a way of life.

For anyone outside of training, a belt might look like a marker of physical ability, but it’s not about that. It’s about discipline, patience, humility, and learning how to live with intention. Earning a black belt is proof of transformation. It’s a reminder that life isn’t about winning or losing, but about how you grow through every lesson on and off the mat.

And trust me, I needed those lessons.

Martial arts became the most unexpected therapy for my mind and body. I didn’t walk in thinking, “Oh yeah, spinning kicks and forms will fix my stress.” But that’s exactly what happened. Every kick was a reminder to focus. Every stance was a way to anchor myself back into the present moment. When I was training, I wasn’t drowning in deadlines or stressing about the novel draft that wasn’t working. I was just there. Breathing. Moving. Living.

And because I can’t resist being curious, I didn’t just stop with Taekwondo. My journey led me toward Judo and Hapkido as well. If Taekwondo taught me power, Judo showed me redirection, and Hapkido reminded me that flexibility is strength. Each art gave me a different philosophy, not just for training, but for life itself.

There were times I almost quit. Between my health struggles and the heavy demands of academics, it felt easier to give up. But martial arts whispered the same lesson over and over: “You’re stronger than you think.” That mindset didn’t just stay in the dojang. It followed me into my writing, into my studying, into my everyday existence. Suddenly, I wasn’t just surviving long nights of work, I was approaching them like training sessions. Focus, discipline, and perseverance became my tools.

Writing, after all, is its own kind of battle. It’s quiet, frustrating, and full of invisible challenges. But training rewired me. The way I drilled kicks a hundred times? That’s how I began to treat revisions. The way I endured sore muscles after practice? That’s how I handled writer’s block. It’s all connected.

People often ask me, “How do you balance being a scholar, a writer, and a martial artist?” The truth is, martial arts makes balance possible. It isn’t something I squeeze into my life, it’s the foundation of it. Without the discipline, clarity, and grounding that martial arts gave me, everything else would collapse. With it, I feel sharp, steady, and unstoppable.

Most importantly, martial arts gave me community. A dojang isn’t just a training hall; it’s a space where people come together with respect, dedication, and shared purpose. That community became a lifeline. On the days I felt drained or unmotivated, it was my instructors and training partners who reminded me that showing up is already victory.

At its heart, martial arts taught me what life is: showing up. Not perfectly, not without flaws, but with consistency and intention. That’s what carried me from white belt to black belt. That’s what keeps me writing, even when the words don’t come easily. That’s what keeps me studying, even when my brain feels tired. It’s not about the belt, it’s about the person you become while chasing it.

So today I celebrate the black belt. But what I really celebrate is the transformation that came with it. Martial arts gave me more than techniques or titles. It gave me a way to live.

Maybe the belt is just a piece of fabric, but the lessons I earned while training? That’s a way of life. And if martial arts can reshape me, it can reshape anyone who dares to step on the mat.