The Yelleti Times

  My family was built on arranged marriages - I have never seen a couple I'm related to have romantic affection for each other. My parents grew to love each other, but only as friends. On their wedding anniversary, the most they do is hold hands, and my brother and I feel shocked by just that. In my family, getting married is a duty and responsibility. If you don’t marry someone when your family tells you to, it is as if you are disrespecting and disappointing them. This concept is not limited to my family - many cultures/families around the world view marriage as a job. Many people get banished or disowned from their families if they do not agree to an arranged marriage. This blog post will be a brain dump of my opinion on arranged marriages, which is part of what I thought about after reading “Marrying Absurd.” The concept that marriage means everlasting stability and happiness might be why arranged marriages are so popular in many cultures, especially for families that are s...

    Hi, nice to meet you! My name is Amritha. Yeah for sure, I can repeat that. Amritha. One more time? No problem. Amritha. Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t have any nicknames. Ah not quite “Ah-ma-reed-ah”. Amritha. Haha no, not “Ah-meer-thah”. You’re getting closer though! Try “Um-rih-thah” instead. What was that? You would like to call me “Amy” instead? Okay Alexandrina, no problem. ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ As I stared into his dreamy blue eyes, I realized that 5th grade might not be so bad after all. He came closer and asked, “What’s your name?” I responded with my full name (Amritha Yelleti) in an attempt to get his. “Haha, I can’t tell what your last name is because it’s so long, but it sounds like ‘Yo-Lady’. I’m gonna call you ‘Yo-Lady’ from now on. Hey, yo-lady!” “Ew, no! Hahaha, that’s so embarrassing.” In my head I was thinking, Yeah…I’ll be ‘yo-lady’ *wink wink*.  Just to be clear, I want to punch my younger self right now. “Fine, I’ll call you Yeti instead (insert so-called yet...