SERRANO

Childhood is something special to some. Where you are free to be immature and learn to grow. Before you fall down from the childhood sky and into the adult world. You will encounter many childhood memories along the way.

As for sophomore Niharika Kothapalli, her most profound memory was seeing snow for the rst time.

From an early age, she has always wished to see and touch snow. She longed to enjoy the cold of the beautiful winters, but she could only see it through cartoons. When she was in 2nd grade, her family decided to move to the United States from India.

“It was an early winter day in New Jersey, my mom woke me up to see it,” she said. ose days in her childhood are like an old movie, blurry and fuzzy, the joy is clear, but the image is blurry. Only the memories of her family playing in the snow are clear.

“When I rst came to America, I felt like my dream had come true for an eight-year-old girl,” she said.

Kothapalli and her brother were playing around in the snow and sledding down a small hill near their house with his friends. ey tried to make a snowman, but it just kept falling apart. It was one of her best experiences and she felt so happy. She spent the entire day playing in the snow to the point when she had to soak her hands and legs in warm water because they were numb. She kept wanting to play even though she was getting super cold and sick. at was one of the best memories from her childhood.

“I have been spending my rst moment in America with my family and I felt at home and comfortable again,” Kothapalli said.

Now she’s grown up. But when she comes back to that place, she does not know why she can’t laugh like she used to. Maybe because it was the rst experience. at’s what makes childhood memories so precious

Because it’s something that can only be recalled but cannot be experienced again. She will always experience nostalgia, but also for the future ahead. A bright future with reunions and happiness.