Dear Wendy,

June 23rd. You check your phone. 11:57. A few sub-titled screens flashing now and then ruined the absolute darkness. The lavatory light clicked green, then red. There’s something about a sleeping airplane cabin of passengers returning to their homeland that brings about serenity.

You arrive sooner than expected. Mom quickens her pace to lessen the distance between her and reunion. You hesitantly and aimlessly follow and wait for the luggage to arrive.

You stand, breathless, amid the flowing crowd of expressionless people; your feet planted on the ground as if you were on a beach and sinking with the come and go of each wave of people.

A phone buzzes at the success of a payment transaction.

A sales associate yells at customer after customer.

A commercial interrupts the hush of voices for their new speakers.

At last, you push your luggage out. Your eyes scan for familiar faces and see a pair of eyes that used to mean the whole world to you. The air is hot, yet the moment seems frozen. You rush to him. Your face melts on his soft stomach as the familiar smell of cigarettes mixed with soap envelops you.

The rest of the day is a warming blur.

It’s well after midnight before you drive back home yet Beijing is still glittering, dazzling.

Gleaming.

It’s been a few years. Everything seems to have returned to its original state. Familiar streets, familiar smells, familiar people. It’s still your familiar Beijing. Except just without you.

You fall fast asleep as the car rocks with lullabies from dad’s favourite singer Buren Bayaer. The next time you would hear one of his songs is four summers later, on your youtube recommendation. It’s the day before your flight to Vancouver and you and mom are driving aimlessly, following the sunset. It’s then in the comments when you discover that the singer had passed away a year ago due to a heart attack.

And for a long moment you stare numbly at the blazing sun in front of you, unable to speak. September 19th. You repeat to yourself over and over again. September 19th. A part of you dies in the passenger seat of that car. Tears form in your eyes before you realize that you could no longer see anything because you’ve been staring at the sun for too long. And that was all. All of that ever came out of you at the funeral of your childhood. If only I’d told you earlier.

And so the afternoon sun rays passed through the car window as it warmed your face. You let all the purposeful drivers pass you. You came here to chase the sunset, along with the shattered dreams. You came here to relive the past despite the unpredictable futures. You came here to see the Sun emerge and collide with the horizon. And anywhere, you could see the Sun emerge and collide with the horizon.

From,
Wendy

Ronald Lamola
840 Howe St #900, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2S9

Dear Ronald Lamola,

I am writing this letter to bring attention to some issues with Canada’s Child Protection laws. As suggested in the Act proposed in 2005 against exploitation of children and vulnerable people, the Criminal Code has been able to offer the children of Canada many layers of legal protection against child predators. However I do feel that the protection this Act offers is not enough for the environment these children are in today.

With the rapid development of the internet and social media, it has become easier than ever for predators to have access to the contacts of children, whether it’s through public instagram accounts or through chatrooms/servers on platforms like Discord and Myspace. According to Crimes Against Children Research Center, the Youth Internet Safety Survey has found that “1 in 7 youths has been contacted by an internet predator,” (CAC) and most victims in cases involving internet sexual crimes are “ages 13-15,” (CAC) and some even younger.

Children should have the right to be protected. They should not have their innocence and vulnerability exploited by disgusting human beings who want to ruin their innocence to fulfill their sexual desires. They deserve to grow free of trauma, and I feel that it has become harder and harder to fulfill these desires. The youtuber Anxiety War has proven this truth through his content of taping men who are examples of these Internet predators. As well as Chris Hanson, who has spread awareness of these Internet predators through his widely known TV series To Catch a Predator. The content he has filmed were all taken into consideration by their local police, and the people involved in the film are all facing legal charges for (according to Canadian Law, do note that the examples I give does not take place in Canada) specifically s. 172.1 of the Criminal code.

Though legal protection is provided, I want to propose a mandatory education programming, specifically involved in the Physical and Health Education program of the BC’s Course Curriculum of minors under the age of 16. The course would include education on the characteristics of Child Grooming, such as 1) conversations regarding sexual matters, over the internet or in real life, between a minor and a legal adult; 2) engaging in physical contact such as hugging, kissing, or other physical touch; 3) opportunities of alone times with the child; and 4) Development of a trusting and authoritative relationship with the child and the parents. This course should be taught by social workers from organizations such as Youth Clinics, who would specialize in areas related to Child protection against sexual behaviour towards a minor. This course should also advertise referral to victim services qualified for counselling regarding victimization, such as KidsHelpPhone.

The first purpose of this program is to educate youth who are vulnerable to exploitation by predators. The intention is to arm youth with the knowledge to identify the characteristics of grooming and predatory behaviours. The second purpose of this program is to provide these youth with referrals to appropriate organizations when predatory behaviours are identified or when victimization occurred. I sincerely believe that every child deserves such protection. The education and the referrals in this program will achieve in preventing and protecting children from exploitation.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,
Melissa Peng Itaqui

Dear Mr. Gatsby,

I am writing this letter to apply for a position as a sommelier in your service.

I believe that I have the necessary resources for this job, as demonstrated by my comprehensive knowledge in wine. I have had the privilege of observing this exquisite liquor over the years and have made original postulations for the art of wine tasting. Although I do not have the legal means of committing to empirical tests to validate my conclusions, it must be noted that theoretical projections are as significant as the experiments themselves. This is perhaps best exemplified by Einstein’s accurate descriptions of relativity, and Mendeleev’s revelation of the periodic table. I have developed the following principles of wine tasting and pairing.

The most exquisite wine always has the truest hue of purple. Since the primary ingredients for most wine is the grape, the wine needs to have the closest resemblance in color to the original fruit. Because the color is an essential part of wine assessing and that it could indicate the natural quality of the liquor, I recommend that when tasting wine, the sommelier should always carry with him or her a bowl of fresh grapes to use as reference.

The art of wine curating consists of two parts before the actual tasting: the visual and the olfactory input. Thus, every professional sommelier should be able to distinguish between the subtle nuances of wines’ natural scents. I have confidence in my ability to distinguish the details of a bottle of wine’s history. Give me a Cabernet Sauvignon, and I can say that the wine dates its origins to a seed from Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou in France of a batch planted on a humid day in August. As evidenced, I have a good sense of smell and interpretation. While I smell the rich scent of the wine, I would have a revelation where a series of scenes emerge in my mind for me to trace out the wine’s origin. I would see the bright sunlight dawning upon the rich and plump grapes, the wine maker’s meticulous work in the making of the wine and the sound of the cork driving into the wine bottle.

The last component of a wine connoisseur would be the tasting, which I cannot do at this moment in time. However, I hope that from my description, you would consider me as a suitable candidate.

At your service,
Leo

Dear Yale Admissions Committee,

Thank you for your interest in me as an incoming freshman at your respective institution. After a careful consideration of your acceptance, I am very sorry to let you know that I am unable to offer you my commitment and tuition for the years of 2022-2026. Your decision for offering me admission into your incoming class has received a thorough and holistic review. My receival of an outstanding number of prestigious and drool-worthy acceptances has made this decision very difficult to make, but, unfortunately, this decision is final and no appeals may be made. I understand that this may be a disappointing message, but in no way does this rejection take away your committee and institutions’ passion, prestige, and accomplishments.

I wish it was possible for me to commit to more than one institution from this extraordinary pool and I understand you are well-aware of how difficult the selection process is. Nonetheless, I hope that you look towards other applicants who you decided to not offer admissions. My fortunate upbringings and undeniable privileges have provided me with many opportunities unavailable to some of my competitors and hope that you will offer an applicant another chance of changing their lives’ path.

Ultimately, no single attribute or achievement guarantees my commitment to any single institution and I would like to appreciate your interest in me as a student. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to consider your acceptance and I wish your committee the best of luck in selecting another candidate for admission.

Sincerely,
William Wang