You Are Here: Connecting Flights: List 4

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 “Jane: Questions and Answers” by Grace Lin, “Khoi: Lost in Translation” by Minh Lê, and “Soojin: You Are Here” by Ellen Oh.

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
40 words 18 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stupor
    a state of being half-awake
    I looked up when I heard the commotion. Everyone sitting at the airport gate did—the woman with the too-long bangs who had been glued to her phone, the guy who had been pouring a bag of chips into his mouth like it was a can of soda, and Gonggong, leaning against the wall, briefly awakened from his now-usual daydreaming stupor.
  2. bleat
    talk whiningly
    “But I want to know what happened!” Annie bleated, standing and craning her neck. “Why can’t we go see?”
  3. caricature
    a representation of a person exaggerated for comic effect
    The left side of his face was still swollen, especially the deep purple bruise that fanned around his eye in the shape of a plucked butterfly wing. It distorted his eye into a black slanted slit, like those cringy cartoon caricatures of Chinamen.
  4. admonish
    counsel in terms of someone's behavior
    “Jane, keep studying,” she admonished me. “We still have another hour before our flight. Don’t bother with all this”—she nodded her head in a slight sweeping motion—“junk.”
  5. revulsion
    intense aversion
    “Your parents make you learn everything before they teach it at school?” she had said with shocked revulsion.
  6. frail
    physically weak
    He looked small and frail. Uncle Jimmy was going to be upset when we got him home to Virginia. We were supposed to bring Gonggong home healthier than before, not worse.
  7. wryly
    in a humorously sarcastic or mocking manner
    “A. People are motivated by power.” Power? Was that true? Maybe if you had some, I thought wryly.
  8. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    Annie’s plaintive plea brought me back to the present.
  9. leisurely
    not hurried or forced
    He was leaning against the crosswalk signal light, gazing around leisurely.
  10. shabby
    showing signs of wear and tear
    Both his beige pants and jacket were wrinkled, making him look shabby.
  11. content
    satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
    But he looked fine—peaceful and content.
  12. falter
    speak haltingly
    “My grandfather...uh...,” I faltered.
  13. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    I shook myself from the memories—the slow, hobbling walk to the car while supporting Gonggong; Mom’s scream when she saw him, and then her closed, clamped mouth as she nodded at Gonggong’s order just to go home; Annie’s wet, scared eyes; and Dad stitching Gonggong’s cut in the kitchen—all the past images flashing as I turned to Annie.
  14. enthralled
    filled with wonder and delight
    “He’s probably not Taiwan—” I began, but then I looked at Annie’s face, enthralled at her discovery.
  15. giddy
    exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
    It made me feel weirdly powerful. I grinned, almost giddy.
  16. roiling
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    I can feel everyone’s temperature rising. The airport is like a pot of phớ just starting to boil. Except a roiling pot of phớ is cause for excitement—the only things bubbling over here are disappointment and anger.
  17. pessimistic
    expecting the worst possible outcome
    It’s possible I’m being a little pessimistic about this trip. I flip through the phrase book and decide to add some more helpful sentences.
  18. clammy
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    Not only am I stressed out by this trip, I get the bonus nightmare of having to stand in front of the whole class and talk about it. My hands are getting clammy just at the thought of it.
  19. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    The guard glowers at me as I riffle through my bag, but I can’t find my phrase book or notepad in all the mess.
  20. customs
    the place at an airport or port where officials screen incoming travelers and goods
    I sit down with the clipboard, which says Customs in large, bold letters across the top. My parents warned me about customs before the trip. We just have to declare any unusual items we might have packed away.
  21. disgruntled
    in a state of sulky dissatisfaction
    I’m still at Gate B15. The airport crowd still feels disgruntled.
  22. scour
    examine minutely
    They’d just gotten off a plane from New York to transfer to their fourteen-hour flight to Seoul, and her mother scoured the map as she muttered, “Gate B17.”
  23. conciliation
    the act of placating and overcoming distrust and animosity
    Soojin could see the conciliation offered in her mother’s eyes, but Soojin was not ready to forgive her.
  24. scrawl
    write carelessly
    The robbers had stolen everything they could take and destroyed all that was left. To make matters worse, they’d scrawled racist graffiti inside and outside the store.
  25. undue
    not appropriate or proper in the circumstances
    “Soojin,” her mother admonished. Unspoken was the demand: Don’t make a scene. Don’t bring undue attention. Don’t cause trouble.
  26. vehemently
    in a forceful manner
    But when one of the security guards tried to pick up the girl, she shook her head vehemently, slapping the boy in the face with her pigtails and hugging him even tighter.
  27. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    “I hate this airport,” Soojin seethed.
  28. rave
    praise enthusiastically
    Raving about how wonderful it was, Lori began asking questions about how to make it, and soon the two moms were sharing recipes.
  29. contemptuously
    without respect; in a disdainful manner
    “What do you expect from foreigners?” Chad sniffed as he frowned contemptuously at Soojin and her mother. “No manners.”
  30. retort
    a quick reply to a question or remark
    She swallowed her angry retort and kept her tone light. “Okay, sure, we can speak English if you want,” Soojin responded. “We also speak Korean, and my mother is fluent in Mandarin and Japanese as well. How many languages do you speak?”
  31. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    The woman’s smug expression faded while Chad looked thunderous.
  32. immersion
    complete attention; intense mental effort
    “I’m fluent in French, and my children are enrolled in a French immersion program at school. Why would anyone think that English is the only important language?”
  33. deliberately
    with intention; in an intentional manner
    At their mother’s words, Josh and Meg loudly showed off their French in such a deliberately obnoxious manner that Soojin had to smile.
  34. exuberant
    joyously unrestrained
    She turned her attention back to her exuberant toddler, who was now throwing french fries to the ground.
  35. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    “It tastes like America,” Soojin responded wistfully.
  36. intercede
    act between parties with a view to reconciling differences
    The black-capped boy stepped in front of his grandmother as if to protect her, while the parents interceded.
  37. compel
    force somebody to do something
    Those memories compelled her to go forward, her thoughts focused on how the little girl must be feeling. She wanted to help.
  38. spur
    incite or stimulate
    “I’m a reporter for the New York Times. Would you like to tell me what spurred this attack?”
  39. jeer
    a mocking or contemptuous remark
    Grabbing her son’s arm, the woman stomped off to the sound of jeers and cheers.
  40. subside
    wear off or die down
    The pain in her chest subsided; still, Soojin frowned.
Created on Fri Jul 19 16:40:47 EDT 2024 (updated Sat Jul 20 15:43:59 EDT 2024)

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