You Are Here: Connecting Flights: List 2

by Ellen Oh
This collection of twelve stories by different authors is set in the Chicago Gateway International Airport, where tween characters are experiencing delays and encounters colored by their Asian American heritage.

This list covers “Lee: Jam Session” by Mike Chen, “Ari: Guidelines” by Susan Tan, and “AJ: A Kind of Noble” by Randy Ribay.

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
40 words 38 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. policy
    a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group
    This was the first time he was allowed to fly alone, and getting them to agree to Southwest’s twelve-and-above policy had been hard enough.
  2. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    The lid refused to budge under his fingertips, and he said, “Hold on,” complete with an exasperated sigh, before he unstuck it.
  3. necessarily
    in an essential manner
    The lid finally opened to reveal a guitar. Not necessarily the best or most expensive guitar, but the most important guitar in the world.
  4. raw
    hurting
    Sometimes he’d sit for an hour, trying that same thirty-second section over and over, until his palm was sweaty and his fingers raw.
  5. spontaneous
    said or done without having been planned in advance
    Other times, he’d pick up his guitar, give it one spontaneous try, then stop.
  6. bustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    But after a minute, the man simply moved on, and the other security officers disappeared into the bustling airport.
  7. burly
    muscular and heavily built
    The burly men stood, both with the reddish tint that white people got from too much sun, and they talked quietly to each other.
  8. casual
    without or seeming to be without plan or method; offhand
    He grabbed a few curly fries and then pulled out his phone again, loading up Tetris and trying to look as casual as possible.
  9. etch
    carve or cut a design or letters into
    The bald man on the left—KOWLER etched on his name tag—pointed at the instrument case.
  10. defiant
    boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    “No, no,” Lee said, but then he caught himself. Was he being defiant? Or rude?
  11. reform
    a change for the better as a result of correcting abuses
    “You’re allowed to bring on musical instruments. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 says so, as long as there’s room. And I upgraded my boarding slot to make sure there would be plenty of space so—”
  12. bootleg
    distributed or sold illicitly
    “See what you mean. But that T-shirt. That’s a legit band.”
    “Right. But they sell bootleg shirts in Chinatown.”
  13. exemption
    immunity from an obligation or duty
    “He’s the one who told me how to get through TSA. He said musical instruments have special exemptions.”
  14. sheer
    complete and without restriction
    Even if they were joking around, how could they miss that the sheer difficulty of what he’d played touched upon the realm of guitar gods?
  15. realm
    a domain in which something is dominant
    Even if they were joking around, how could they miss that the sheer difficulty of what he’d played touched upon the realm of guitar gods?
  16. endure
    undergo or be subjected to
    But then Lee saw the most unexpected headline in the related posts on the side of the article: Eddie Van Halen and family endured “horrifying racism” growing up.
  17. designate
    give an assignment to someone
    Follow the flight attendant’s instructions about waiting for a designated airline employee to escort you around the airport.
  18. proactive
    causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond
    Hence the record you’re keeping of your babysitting decisions, plus tips and tricks for any other older siblings who need them. You’re proactive that way.
  19. staple
    a necessary commodity for which demand is constant
    This calls for ALL the hand sanitizer—luckily a staple of the Designated Sibling Preparedness Pack
  20. imply
    express or state indirectly
    “WHAT?! YOU’RE JEWISH? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!” (Said in a tone that implies that you are a unicorn, or other mythical creature.)
  21. opt
    select as an alternative over another
    Opt for number three, say: “Yes. My mom is Jewish, and my dad is Chinese.”
  22. neutral
    lacking distinguishing quality or characteristics
    Keep your face neutral as Joan says: “Wow. How unusual.”
  23. bat mitzvah
    a traditional coming-of-age ritual for Jewish girls
    Reasons you don’t think you want a Bat Mitzvah:
    1. Because the Chinese side of your family won’t know what’s going on.
    2. Because public speaking, period.
    3. And not to mention the principle of the thing. Rabbi Chaya says that a Bat Mitzvah is when you stand up as a member of your world—when you take part in your larger community.
  24. patently
    unmistakably
    They were SO patently bad for each other and fought all the time.
  25. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    Assess the situation calmly, and ask: “WHY DID YOU PUT YOUR FINGER IN THERE, EZZIE?!!!!!!”
  26. maintenance
    activity involved in keeping something in good working order
    “We may have to cut it out of the chair,” she says. “I’ll call maintenance and see if they have any bolt cutters.”
  27. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “Ah. Is there anything better than tea?” she muses, changing the subject.
  28. remote
    very unlikely
    You also realize that your chances of going to Quiz Bowl nationals are now so remote, they might as well be in outer space.
  29. declaim
    recite in a skilled and formal way
    Declaim in your loudest, crispest, most factually informed Quiz Bowl voice: “Did you know that tea originated in China, probably more than six thousand years ago? So, every time you drink tea, just remember: it was brought to you by ‘cultural differences.’ You’re welcome.”
  30. decent
    sufficient for the purpose
    He had put up decent numbers. Hit a couple three-pointers.
  31. blare
    make a loud noise
    But from the moment the final buzzer blared, and his team’s first loss of the season went into the books, his mind’s eye showed only his mistakes over and over and over again.
  32. acknowledge
    express recognition of the presence or existence of
    Neither Erik nor Derek noticed that AJ was behind them—not that they would have acknowledged him if they had.
  33. solidarity
    a union of interests or purposes among members of a group
    They’re talking about Chinese people.
    You should say something! #StopAAPIHate #Asian Solidarity
  34. concession
    refreshments purchased at a small stand in a larger business
    Even though AJ had no desire to play anywhere other than in his driveway, Saul persuaded him to join a team with promises that the concession stands would sell lumpia, siopao, and bibingka in addition to hot dogs, nachos, and pizza.
  35. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    “Hold up, bro,” Erik said, brow furrowing. “If dude’s family is mad broke, then how’d they even get to the States? They stow away on a ship or something?”
  36. noble
    having high or elevated character
    Stepping out of line also meant he was sacrificing pizza—no small thing, especially given the time he’d already spent waiting.
    So, from that perspective, hadn’t walking away been kind of...noble?
  37. execution
    putting a condemned person to death
    Not full-on noble. Not like Gabriela Silang leading the Ilocano resistance against the Spanish. Or like José Rizal, whose writing and execution inspired Filipinos to continue fighting for independence.
  38. resonate
    evoke or suggest a strong meaning or belief
    Basically, not the full-on noble that resonated through history.
    But a kind-of noble. Like giving-up-your-seat-on-the-bus-to-an-old-person noble.
  39. ignorant
    uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
    Instead, he had to say something to get them to realize how mean and ignorant and hurtful they were being. Maybe it wouldn’t change anything right away, but maybe it would get them to think twice about making fun of someone for not having enough money or for whatever reason.
  40. sprawl
    go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way
    When he reached the pizza place in the food court, Erik and Derek were stuffing pizza into their faces at a table meant for six, their bags and selves sprawled across the space.
Created on Fri Jul 19 16:40:28 EDT 2024 (updated Sat Jul 20 13:32:45 EDT 2024)

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