Writing to Find Home with Kee Olandesca
Stories editor Nicole Wu ’20 interviews Kee Olandesca ’21, an author, passionate poet, serial hobbyist, and international OHSer.
On Writing
How did you get into writing? Was there a specific project or time that you realized how much you loved it?
I’ve always loved words. My mom taught me how to read, write, and talk at a relatively early age, and I loved being able to connect with all kinds of people through the stories I told. As I grew up, I enjoyed writing stories for school (we were required to write a short story every week in grade school!) and poems for all occasions (weddings, birthdays, funerals—you name it). Local literary competitions helped hone my passion, too. Every day, I spent several hours training for prepared/impromptu speaking and timed writing contests, which allowed me to appreciate more fully the art and technique behind literary works. But I think what really sealed the deal for me was when writing taught me how to relate to myself. Empty pages listened to me during a time I thought no one else would. If it weren’t for writing, I don’t know where I would be now.
How much time do you spend on your writing and do you follow any specific schedule or pattern?
I try to set aside at least two hours on weekdays and seven hours on weekends for the entire writing process, which includes seeking out inspiration, brainstorming, actually writing, revising, titling, and practicing spoken word performances. However, I don’t follow a pattern for the process itself. I usually work on different stages of multiple pieces at the same time.
What has been the biggest challenge in balancing writing on your own and managing school?
Since I attend both OHS and a brick & mortar school full-time, it’s challenging to clear out time for creative writing. It can be really tempting to use my writing time for readings or essays instead. Exam or event seasons are especially frustrating because I lose time to write, and although I want to binge write during the breaks right afterward, my biggest priority at that point is catching up on sleep! Yet what concerns me most is when I get so engrossed in academics that I lose inspiration—or it takes more effort—to write creatively and emotionally.
What do you love most about writing?
It’s incredibly fulfilling to read through or perform a finished piece and recall everything behind the work: countless memories, thoughts, pages, revisions… it surprises me how all of that gets condensed into a single page or performance. Another gratifying aspect is seeing readers’ or audiences’ first reactions and listening to their initial interpretations, especially with poetry. Seeing so many different people feel the same emotions at the same time makes my heart melt. It reminds me that, in the end, we have way more in common than we believe.
How has writing impacted your life beyond just the writing itself ? Has it changed how you see the world?
Writing opened my eyes to the interconnectedness of everyone and everything. People, despite their differences, feel the same emotions, and writing enabled me to see that and create that experience for others. It also dazzles me how metaphors can breathe life into anything, extending a subject’s meaning beyond what its surface says. For instance, a chair doesn’t have to be just a chair. It can be a symbol of strength and fortitude no matter the impending weight of the outside world, an undying testament to trees that fell and laborers that toiled to create it. Or it can be a warning against staying still and idle lest people rest their weight on you till you wear out.
Okay, I know this sounds like the “the curtains were blue!” meme, but adopting this way of thinking changed the way I view the world and act in it. It made me more appreciative of the value in the things and people around me, as well as the not-so-valuable things that I strive to stand against. It compels me to find and create meaning in the friendships I make and the things I do, and I’m so grateful to have found such an emotionally healthy and uplifting way to live in this world.
Performing at a local open mic
On Homesick
Tell us a bit about your book Homesick. What was the process like to see it through to completion?
It took a long time for me to complete it, maybe four years. Most of the poems in Homesick were completed by the time I finished eighth grade. All of the pieces were mind-numbingly depressing, and I believed they were too immature—in terms of content and technique—to be made into an actual book. And at some point, I fell out of love with writing and lost the time for it, so I set the book aside for months.
Later, when I revisited it and added more optimistic poems, I realized that my story could be similar to what other people may be going through. I thought that if my poems could show others that they were not alone, that at least one person also felt the same way, it could help them feel at least a bit better. I wanted to share the book. But I didn’t know how.
Thankfully, in May of this year, I was offered an opportunity to launch my book along with other self-published authors. The catch: I had less than three weeks to independently produce at least a hundred paperback copies of my book! Within that time span, I learned how to speed-edit and proofread poems, format a book manuscript, design a cover, make deals with a printing press, and publish an electronic version on Amazon. All this happened towards the end of the spring semester, so it was an absolute hurricane… but with the most beautiful rainbow at the end. Though I think the process never ends, really. Right now, I’m figuring out the paperwork for an ISBN and learning the ropes of self-marketing while working on my second book.
What inspired you to write Homesick?
In middle school, I was trying to understand the concept of home, convinced that it was not a place, but a feeling. What is home? Why do we want so badly to feel at home, to feel like we belong? Why can’t we always stay with who or what feels like home? What do we do when it’s taken away from us? I often asked these kinds of questions then, when many dear friends, teachers, and family left me or left this world. All my frustrations found an outlet in the poetry I wrote. When things started to lighten up for me, I continued writing, this time celebrating the happiness I found. Having the weight lifted off my shoulders, I also found the space to answer the questions I had raised before. The journey from frustrations and loneliness to finally feeling at home is what Homesick is all about.
What has been your favorite opportunity that you have had because of Homesick?
Getting to teach poetry to others! I’ve conducted workshops for both spoken word poetry and poetry in general for elementary-age kids, high school students, and even school administrators. (Next month, I’ll also be teaching the importance of poetry at a Global Authors’ Summit here in the Philippines, which I’m very excited about!) It alarms me that not too many people in the audience come in with an interest in poetry, but it amazes me that everyone, no matter their age, engages so well with the poems we discuss. Next thing I know, they’re creating heartwarming works of their own, too.
Spending time with students post-workshop at a local brick & mortar school
And a couple more just for fun!
What is your favorite class you’ve taken at the OHS?
This is a difficult one! I can’t choose from these three: Critical Theory and the Historical Imagination (Hist Imag), History and Philosophy of Science (HSC), and Democracy, Freedom, and the Rule of Law (DFRL).
The first two were very challenging for me, but they impacted my worldview in ways that I think no other experience could (also, Hist Imag has awesome movie assignments and HSC, fascinating optional readings!). I’m currently taking DFRL and all the ideas grapple with issues I think about often like society, culture, governance, and human nature, so I always look forward to class discussions and assignments.
What is it like being an international OHSer?
As a Filipino OHSer, I am always in awe of the different cultures, backgrounds, passions, and beliefs of my schoolmates, and getting to know them always changes something in me for the better. I’ve learned how to embrace and celebrate other people’s ideas and talents while also being proud to share my own. (I’ve also learned that “comfortable” is pronounced as “komfderbl” and that Peppa Pig can be enjoyed by children and teenagers alike.) The biggest drawback, however, is living oceans and time zones away from where all the fun happens! On Fridays, I have to sleep early, get up at 11PM for Student Government, stay up until 2AM for the Literature Club, and sometimes stay later if there are cool events happening afterwards. I love to talk to all my friends, but getting to see them IRL even once a year is (quite literally) a long shot. And please don’t get me started on Daylight Savings…
What do you like to do for fun, outside of school and writing?
I love to spend hours consuming and critiquing food, books, anime, movies, and music. I also love binge-watching Friends! I’m a huge couch potato… I only ever get up to hang out with close friends and family, exercise for P.E. credit, travel to different places in and outside the country, and attend to my wonderful cat Tony Stark.
What is one fun fact most people don’t know about you?
I’m a serial hobbyist! I like to try out new things, get obsessed with them for a while, and then quit at some point. I’ve gotten into fan art, filmmaking, piano, guitar, music remixing, gymnastics, hip-hop, and competitive chess (peaking at 5th nationally in my division). Once in a while, I enjoy some of these activities, but the only thing that really sticks with me is writing.
At the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore