Events & Blogs

I opened my eyes grudgingly… my bed was warm, contrasting with the air I breathed in: invigorating, crisp, and cold. But I had to get out of my cocoon. It was a school day, and I was a teacher. As I fumbled to put on my thick wool slippers and bulky robe, I noticed a strange silence. A heavy, muted kind of quiet. Was something wrong? I parted the curtains and glanced out — a winter wonderland had quietly crept in overnight! The trees, the meadow, the fences were all adorned in fluffy white. I was elated. Ski time! You may have guessed: I’m not in Valencia, Spain. I’m in Bishop, California — my hometown nestled at the very foot of the mighty Sierra Nevada. Yes, everyone knows about California’s beaches, but it also boasts some of the highest peaks in North America. In fact, higher than anything in Spain. Growing up in Bishop, winter meant ski days — actual official school days where we’d head to Mammoth Mountain and spend the day on the slopes. Skiing quickly became one of my ...

From Mammoth to Mini: A Ski Tale

I opened my eyes grudgingly… my bed was warm, contrasting with the air I breathed in: invigorating, crisp, and cold. But I had to get out of my cocoon. It was a school day, and I was a teacher. As I fumbled to put on my thick wool slippers and bulky robe, I noticed a strange silence. A heavy, muted kind of quiet. Was something wrong? I parted the curtains and glanced out — a winter wonderland had quietly crept in overnight! The trees, the meadow, the fences were all adorned

English

Darcie Khanukayev

2 days ago2 min read

I remember my first Valencian orange juice. It was thick, sweet, and sunshine in a glass. I’ve been hooked ever since. As I was preparing it one morning, my friend Xavi watched with curiosity as I squeezed the orange — pulp and all — into the cup. “Does everyone in California drink it like that?” he asked curiously “No,” I laughed, “most people drink just the juice. But I love it with the pulp, too.” A flicker of horror flashed across his face. Just a blink. Then he quickly recovered. «Bit of an overreaction», I thought to myself. However, I remember that look — those moments when I’m caught up in conversation, speaking freely, and then, for a second, something in the air shifts, like a moment of unspoken shock. Spaniards will not correct your Spanish, it is considered rude, but every once in a while, their face will give it away. In these moments, I mentally rewind, scan the sentence, and usually find it: a gender slip. I switch the noun from masculine to feminine...

Communication is Connection (Not Perfection)

I remember my first Valencian orange juice. It was thick, sweet, and sunshine in a glass. I’ve been hooked ever since. As I was preparing it one morning, my friend Xavi watched with curiosity as I squeezed the orange — pulp and all — into the cup. “Does everyone in California drink it like that?” he asked curiously “No,” I laughed, “most people drink just the juice. But I love it with the pulp, too.” A flicker of horror flashed across his face. Just a blink. Then he quick

News/Events

Darcie Khanukayev

Jan 52 min read

The late afternoon air whipped my hair wildly, blocking and then revealing to me the vast plain tinted gold and rich pink. As the sun slid behind distant hills, the air not only whipped my body, but also my soul. The glory extended out of me into laughter, and it, too, was whipped away. «This is my Queendom», I told myself, pretending I was living hundreds of years ago in this very place. In my glee, I secretly searched for a silhouetted dragon flying out of the setting sun! I have felt the same in California, for example on a mountain top in the California Sierra Nevada Range; the sheer beauty and wildness of Yosemite is breathtaking.

Castles, and Dragons, too

The late afternoon air whipped my hair wildly, blocking and then revealing to me the vast plain tinted gold and rich pink. As the sun slid behind distant hills, the air not only whipped my body, but also my soul. The glory extended out of me into laughter, and it, too, was whipped away. «This is my Queendom», I told myself, pretending I was living hundreds of years ago in this very place. In my glee, I secretly searched for a silhouetted dragon flying out of the setting su

Book Club!

Darcie Khanukayev

Apr 25, 20252 min read