Eki, you have such a gift for moving memoir. You painted a few scenes here that are simply indelible. I edited this piece yesterday, and those scenes lingered in my memory, but they still felt fresh when I read them again this morning.

I grew up in the 1970s in the United States, and it's funny how so many of your experiences feel so real and present with me, despite the gap between us in both time and space.

Your writing is beautiful. Also, I know you adore film, and wouldn't this piece make a brilliant short film? Or perhaps a brilliant piece of a larger work.