changing tides This month's Issue includes a summer bucket list, Zodiac sign movie recs, and interesting short stories.
a heartfelt goodbye zeitgeist members Say their farewells to the 2022 seniors
highlights Seraph.......................................4
Into the Great Unknown......5 Treachery...............................6 The Unknown Trail..............8 Bore Me, Bore Me Not.........9 Art Gallery............................10 Seniors 2022.........................11 Tips for Senior Year............12 Summer Bucket List.............15 Horoscope.............................16 Playlist....................................20
executive board Club Moderator: Prof. Mari Vega Editor-In-Chief: Lucía Garrido Assistant Editor: Estefanía Berio Art Director: Catalina Echegoyen Graphic Designer: Rocío Colón Secretary: Carolina Aguayo Treasurer: Alejandra Castro
zeitgeist members Adriana Echegoyen Alejandra Castro Alejandro Jiménez Alianys Hernández Amelie Lepretre Amy Rafinski Camila Figueroa Carolina Aguayo Catalina Echegoyen Cecilia Bengoa Elena Garrido Estefanía Berio Ingrid Rodríguez Isabella Burckhart Isabel Torres Ivette Berio Juan Montañez Julia Cabezas Julianna Feliciano Julianna Murray Lucía Garrido Lucía Oliver Mariana Cabezas Mia González Patricia Mejía Paola Figueroa Rocío Colón Rocío Solá Roberto Busó Sabrina Rodríguez Sara Terrasa Sebastián Aponte Victoria Colón
letter from the editors With great sadness and pride, we bid farewell our Senior Class of 2022 and welcome perhaps our very favorite part of the year: summer. Occasionally, it feels like it was just yesterday we dreamt of moments like graduating. What once seemed a far off future, suddenly became our reality, our destiny fulfilled. This issue is just that: a farewell to the past and a sweet hello to the near future. Each one of us feels differently about the concept of time and all it entails. I hope some, or at least one of these writings/drawings, inspire you this coming summer time. We hope you enjoy this oil painting-themed issue, our very last of this semester. We also encourage you to join our team next year and dare to share your creativity! With much love, Lucía Garrido and Catalina Echegoyen
Seraph I look down at the sand, your footsteps not too far behind. Your smile shining as brightly as the sun, and before I realize it; I'm in love. Your eyes as blue as the ocean's water, and your smile bringing me glee for hours. The sky's beauty could never compare to yours. For you, my love, are a sculpture made by God himself.
Anonymous
into the great unknown Moments keep slipping away from us to places far beyond. longing for the past, we’re forced to overcome our future, our soon to be present. It’s strange to sum up what could be, who we are, what we once wished for. even stranger is the concept of past, present and future; How each one makes us feel. How everything and anything can be altered when we least expect it, with the blink of an eye. It’s hard to decipher the meaning of such sentiments, of time, of change. We want to scream to the top of our lungs: our desires, our fears. We want to laugh alongside those we love, reminiscing the memories. We want to cry, nostalgic, that the everlasting fear of life will prevail.
Maeve
treachery I imagine reaching shore after weeks lost at sea would be comforting. Even if you had managed to convince yourself you weren’t lost- rowing with a clear purpose in mind- it would be inevitable that the tides wouldn’t have had some say on where you landed. Leaving your small boat nestled in the sand would steady you, and the heat on your bare feet would send a welcome shiver through your body. The warmth cascading down your back at midday would urge you, nearly push you, to forge a makeshift path and cast aside any greenery that tore at your skin with its outstretched arms. You would try to discern, out of chirps and slithers, caws and hisses, any intelligible sound that you could still recall from an already distant civilization. You would tiptoe on the decaying leaves at your feet, some primitive part of yourself screaming to stay above whatever the debris could be hiding. Depending on the mileage of your newly acquired piece of land, it would take you either hours or days to spot the opposite shore. The thirst that would inevitably creep under your skin would bring with it a reminiscence that you wouldn’t quite be able to place. It would seem as if it were thirst so deep it went beyond your body’s physiological needs. It wouldn’t dawn on you until the sun was well below the horizon and you had already seen the stars reflecting off a cooling southern sea. The harmonic motion of the water would seem to inch closer to you with every wave, biting off pieces of land until you hugged the peak of a mountain to keep the current from your legs. And it would be precisely then when the howling of the wind would finally bring with it tunes familiar to you: a vast eerie repertoire that would seem every bit as taunting as melodious:
“Quiero volver… a sentir la tibia arena…” “Preciosa te llaman…” With every gust of wind, a different song would prevail. Instead of these sirens’ songs luring you deeper under their spell, you would close your eyes and pray for them to stop. It would sound to your ears like the screech of a deranged spirit, scolding you in a tornado of voices that only sang to your culpability. When you braved an open eye, convinced they would not stop, you would see the waves around you overtaken with a raging fire. You would remember every description of hell you had read: unquenchable thirst in a burning wasteland. No hope of respite or of Lazarus watching from the gates of heaven with the promise of a drop of drinking water dangling from his index finger. You would be the man who thought himself too rich to ever succumb to eternal torture. And when in the distance, you saw enchanted paradise, you would know yourself lost to it and to what it could have once held. If only it had not been the tide the one responsible for bringing you back…
Lucía Garrido (11)
The Unknown Trail I have been walking for a while along the same views. I have seen the same trees for the past twelve years. Sometimes they have new flowers, fewer leaves, but the trees are positioned the exact same as the year before. I walk along the familiar trail out of habit. The underwhelming views while walking at a slow pace are somewhat comforting. Conformity is who I am at that moment, until I suspect someone is following me. I feel eyes on me as they get closer. A chill goes down my spine. The trees around me change colors as their leaves fall at a rapid rate. Their hands try to meet mine as if we were friends. I don’t know them but I feel them trying to grasp my arms. I am afraid to look behind me or to my sides. The trees in front of me are shrinking. One would think I would stay where I am instead of running forward towards the unfamiliarity, but I am unable to stay still because they are creeping behind me and that is scarier. I decide to sprint towards the shrinking trees. There is hot air blowing my hair. Overwhelmed with emotion, I fail to look around; even if given the choice I would not want to see where I am headed. With my eyes closed, I run until reaching the point of exhaustion. When I stop, I notice the air is no longer hot, but rather cool and crisp. With a sigh of relief, I open my eyes and see a beautiful garden with all my favorite colors. I look behind me and I see them; they were running too.
Carolina Aguayo (11)
bore me, bore me not
So many things can be born out of Boredom. To some, it is the catalyst for their artistic careers, the impulse they need to be able to create awe-inspiring works. It is what you learn to yearn for when you feel like you’re drowning in work. It is the precursor to great ideas. It might be in its midst that entrepreneurs finally set their ideas into motion. However, Boredom could also mean the calm before the storm. I have found that it’s the perfect potion for unwanted thoughts to creep in- for restlessness to arise and for your own self to begin nagging relentlessly for a change you didn’t even know you needed. It is because of this that I have learned to run from the feeling as soon as I feel it peeking out from beneath the rapidly decreasing mounds of tasks that litter my agenda this coming summer. There is one particular memory that jumps out when I consider Boredom. I remember talking to my mom one evening- I must have been really young, because we were on the topic of my first boyfriend. The conversation went something like this: “I think I’m gonna break up with him, I just wish he were more interesting.” (This was obviously then accompanied by a sigh, because what was of more consequence at the time than breaking up with my eighth-grade boyfriend?) To which my mom replied: “Wouldn’t you rather be bored and happy than entertained, but in pain?” I was naïve then (to be fair, I still am), and replied something along the lines of “we only live once.” I believed her overly cautious at the time and only prayed I would never give in to that mindset. As I have grown, I have realized that there is much truth to her words. I began to understand, in light of her marriage, why she would prefer Boredom over entertainment. After all, fire burns bright, but it’s also fickle and leaves behind scorched earth.
Serendipity
The gallery
"looking out at sea" - Anonymous B
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"alegría" - Rocío Alex.
Farewell Seniors 2022 It should come as no surprise that the award for most tears shed at the Seniors’ countdown goes to the Juniors. It was not only the realization that the next one will be ours, but also the knowledge that, for the first time since our very first day of school, there'll be no one to look up to. We will miss your hugs in the middle of the hallways, your much-needed MLA advice, the random conversations in empty classrooms after school, but most of all, seeing the spots you occupied in the bleachers at lunch overtaken by younger students. However, we are also excited to follow in your footsteps and to see where the newfound freedom in this new stage of your lives takes you. To our Senior Zeitgeist members: Ingrid and Rocío. Although, at least to me, you were very intimidating when I first met you (I could not fathom how you were so involved in everything and yet managed to have your lives together), I feel lucky to now be able to call you my friends and mentors. Ingrid- your writing, especially the short story Jagged that you wrote for last year’s first issue, has been my inspiration and a huge part of how my voice as a writer has taken form. I admire how your attention to detail and the thematic depth of your stories are always perfectly tied together. Rocío- our Graphic Designer and lifesaver every weekend before a deadline. My first insight to your creativity was a visual poem you created last year, and without your artistic input, I don’t know what direction the magazine would have taken. Your levelheadedness, dedication, and clear vision of what needs to be done are qualities that have guided us this year and will continue to do so the next, even in your absence. You really are someone I want to keep in my life long-term. All this to say, we will miss you next year more than you can imagine. We wish you luck and success in all that is to come and we thank you for the legacy you have left us <3
With love, Lucía Garrido
10 tips for surviving senior year Dearest Seniors 2023: Congrats! This will be perhaps the most enjoyable and most torturous year of your high school experience (yes, both). I can’t steal forty magazine pages for advice, so here are ten essential tips for senior year I think will be of much help to you.
TIP #1
Do NOT think twice about taking notes on everything in History of PR (and yes, it IS coming on the test, unless explicitly stated otherwise).
TIP #2
Give yourself at least a day in advance to study for tests. Sometimes, a few hours the night before just isn’t enough (I know it’s not always possible, but limit the all-nighters to a few per semester, your very real senioritis will thank you later).
TIP #3 For my early action/decision applicants: WRITE OUT YOUR COLLEGE STUFF BEFORE NOVEMBER 1ST. If you’re like me, you wait for inspiration to strike before you start writing. Newsflash, it’s a terrible tactic for college applications (learned it the hard way). Write something at least a month before the deadline, ANYTHING. Refine it after a few drafts. Look for second and third opinions. Worst comes to worst, you’ll have an overdramatic essay of how you lost your dog when you were 10 years old (try not to be TOO tragic; colleges can see right through your writing).
TIP #4 Don’t let things stack up until the weight is unbearable. Just because you’re also in school, the universe won't magically grant you additional hours in the day to write your college essays or fill out your applications. Do not expect mercy during college application season (there will be close to none, school goes on as usual).
TIP #5
Check your colleges and their scholarship applications in the Common App in advance. You may need teacher recommendations for certain scholarships and will regret it if the submission deadline is during winter break (because let’s be real, who would write a good recommendation when they’re eating lechón at their tía’s house on Christmas).
TIP #6 Have fun (really). Don’t wait until second semester to hang out with your friends (the year goes in a flash). Yes, grades are important, but you also need to let go, occasionally. Find a good balance.
TIP #7
Complain… and get over it quickly. So many things are going to go wrong this year (almost too many), and you have a right to complain about them. However, don’t overdo it. Often, we spend more time complaining about a problem than we spend actively trying to overcome it. Take advantage of the time you have.
TIP #8 Try new things. It’s your last year, do whatever! No one is going to care that you “can’t draw” in Drawing Club. Truly go for it. This being said…
TIP #9
Remember you are human. Try not to overexert yourself. On the first week of class, reflect: “Can I handle the workload?” BUT, even more than that “Am I willing to work this much for these classes?”. Prioritize yourself. If you can’t, you can’t (and that’s totally ok!).
TIP #10
TAKE A FREE PERIOD. DO IT!!!!!! This was perhaps the best decision I took in my whole senior career. Need extra study time? Check. Working on a club? Check. Want to get ahead on homework? Check. Time to chill and talk with friends? Check. Seriously, free periods are incredible.
With that, I bid farewell. Best of luck to all of you this coming year! It’s been a pleasure getting to know all of you throughout the years.
Love, Rocío Colón
summer bucket list by: Catalina Echegoyen 1. road trips around the island 2. beach days 3. travel 4. take risks! 5. have picnics 6. read a new book 7. create your own summer playlist (or listen to ours truly) 8. bake a new treat 9. develop a movie watchlist 10. go thrifting 11. write daily entries/affirmations 12. do some yoga 13. find a peaceful setting 14. watch as many sunsets as possible 15. document life (get a camcorder film camera!)
Sagittarius
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Libra
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Cancer
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung
Scorpio
Directed by Krysztof Kieslowski
Zodiac Movie Recs Taurus
Aquarius
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Directed by Gene Kelly
Capricorn
Pisces
Directed by Ryan Johnson
Directed by Jérémy Clapin
Zodiac Movie Recs Aries
Directed by Darius Marder
Virgo
Directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano
Leo
Gemini
Directed by Joe Talbot
Directed by Jason Reitman
let's welcome our new executive board!
Editors in Chief: Lucía Garrido & Catalina Echegoyen Assistant Editor: Amelie Lepretre Graphic Designers: Isabella Burckhart and Julia Cabezas Art Director: Rocío Solá Secretary: Estefania Berio
playlist Julianna Feliciano I Ever Asked by Rachel Chinouriri Be sweet by Japanese Breakfast Wisdom Tooth by Wallice JUNO by BLACKSTARKIDS Electric Girl by Connie Constance Yeah! by Oscar Lang Cheer Up Baby by Inhaler If You Want To by beabadoobee Televised by HUNNY Seventeen by Peach Pit Celestia by Durante and HANA Run The World!!!! by Dayglow I Dare You by The Regrettes supermarket by carwash Sagittarius Superstar by COIN and Faye Webster Cherry by Rina Sawayama
scan to listen! <33