by Katharine Qiu, Grade 8 The first thing you notice is the silence, though it isn’t truly silent at all. It’s the absence of the man-made hum—the drone of traffic, the hiss of hydraulics on a bus, the insistent chime of a phone. In its place is a symphony of …

by Katharine Qiu, Grade 8 They often share the same space—the park bench, the supermarket aisle, the family dinner table—yet they inhabit vastly different universes. On one side, you have the teenager, plugged in, always-on, their world is a rapidly scrolling feed of information and social connection. On the other …

by Katharine Qiu, Grade 8 We often dwell on the contrasts between East and West—the bustling streets of Shanghai versus the quiet villages of the Cotswolds, the grand ceremony of a Chinese banquet against the informal warmth of a British pub. Yet, after years divided between the two countries, I’ve …

by Katharine Qiu, Grade 8 Modern lives aren’t just growing busier, but are gradually becoming more inundated with urgencies. We are overwhelmed with lateness and appointments. People feeling impatient for a 90-second wait in a queue, employees having lunch eaten over their keyboards, students racing against their assignments’ deadline… you …