một đêm hà nội

gần tám tháng sau,
tôi vẫn nhớ hà nội

một đêm mát mẻ,
đi ngắm cảnh hồ gươm
lái xe máy vòng quanh phố cổ
hình ảnh này chỉ còn là ký ức

trên thực tế tôi rời môi sinh này lâu rồi
tôi mong một ngày trở lại quê hương!


trần.qúy.hạc

minnesooota.

congrats to my uncle huy; he's the new director of Save the Children Vietnam. his family will be moving to ha noi mid-july. the thought of them moving to viet nam excites me profoundly. just last year, i had the opportunity to live and study in viet nam's capitol for close to five months. i experienced wonders, and i know they will too. what is even more exciting is that my cousins will be speaking vietnamese next time i see them.

aboard a nwa airplane, my grandmother, aunt, and i sat in the coach class for about fifty-seven minutes, from chicago o'hare to minneapolis. chu huy, aunt jolee, and the two kids came to pick us up in their grey-blue honda minivan.

chinese brunch as usual; dimsum. the two days after the first were quite monotonous with ani and elliot going to summer camp all day, chu huy working, and us sitting around a very disorganized home; due to the packing and what not. though, after five p.m. on these days it became much more lively as ani and elliot came back, and everyone was around. i haven't seen my little cousins in a year--last time was when they were down in Illinois right before Hao and I left for viet nam. I won't see them for another year, i wonder how much they change in June 2008; probably a lot.

minneapolis' light rail metro is one of the nicest metros i've ridden within the continental U.S. yellow, black, fast, quiet, clean, boldly designed, it is comparable to those in thailand and singapore. as some of you know, one of my newest interests is the metro system. i hope to ride as many as possible, so riding minneapolis' was quite a treat.

we took the light rail metro to mall of america, and to the opposite end to downtown. mall of america is actually really boring. there is not much there besides shops i never buy products from. the rides are for younger children, so this time around it did not appeal to me as it did in '98. downtown on the other hand was delightful. there was a farmers market with tons of vendors outside. kinda reminded me of vietnam streets.

overall, the trip was worthwhile. being able to see family again is always a joy. seeing my cousins grow up in front of my eyes is somewhat odd, yet interesting at the same time. this trip marks perhaps my last visit to minesooota for a prolonged period of time. chúc chú huy và gia đình may mắn!


tran.quy.hac.

just north.

Milwaukee, the city my mother called home after arriving to the States fleeing communist Viet Nam in 1975. I frequented this location thousand times throughout my existence, but within recent years, I have been absent. Aboard the Megabus--$8.50 ticket mind you--I sat listening to Vietnamese tunes, trying to reacquaint myself with my culture. Soft lyrics and soothing beats, I entered a deep slumber. Two hours later, awaken by the sudden stop, I stumbled off. My cousin Viet, in a VW Pasat, sit comfortably across the street. "Shotgun, no blitz" unnecessary to be mentioned for it were only us two.

Lunch at an eclectic cafe followed where cigarettes are permitted, and ice cold beers appear on the menu. Thuy, already seated, yelps, "Cousin Hac!" I order the artichoke dip, for I am in a struggling battle with myself to burn the fat. Talks of life, self, Viet Nam, jokes of the past dominate the conversation. To where my other cousin, Khanh, works; Whole Foods. Hoegarden, a German beer, we purchase, to return to the abode of my kin where Viet and I engage in a lopsided battle of a great mind game, chess. Six to two, advantage Viet; I ought to practice--I used to be a tough, feared opponent. Our other cousin Andrew arrives. He, a high schooler recently discovering the joys of higher education and social life. Enduring a drive which felt like hours, we arrived to Co Chau and Chu Steve's suburban home. Being Asian, we decided to order some not so bad Chinese. Feeling swell from the hoegarden amongst other beverages, I divulge the greasy, hardy meal--perhaps filled with ingredients not beneficial to my personal struggle of burning fat. Nonetheless, delicious. What ensues are irrelevant interactions and a lot of sitting on our bosom, eyes fixed on UFC fighting; pure violence.

Andrew drops us off. A local bar Viet and I head to where a very personal conversation surfaces. I miss these conversations; always triggering true feelings and thoughts. Turn right, walk straight, turn left, straight some more, we arrive to what my cousins call home. Sitting in the dark, we enjoy the nice cool, crisp Midwestern summer night. Complete silence, peace beside our monotone voices. This night forever will be imprinted in time; our existence infinite then? Just another experience up north.

Tran, Quy Hac

nostalgia.

saturday evening, i lay on my back atop sea green patches encompassing a city park, soaking in the magnificent sounds of gospel, gazing into oblivion; i feel nostalgic.

on this midsummer day, dwellers of big city number three congregated, connecting in a realm advocating individuality, self. community finally visible, interaction.

blue grey skies linger above, humid warmth tightly hugs my body, flames blistering fibrous meats street side. motorbikes missing, otherwise equivalent.

such sights and sounds flood in memories of recent past. old quarter, swarmed of unhesitating burgesses, autumn airs remain musky, pho hue, ba trieu; doner kebaps, pho cuon dominate.

a friend who shared with me Viet Nam, sits beside. does he recognize these parallels? my curiosity authors en-puzzlement, wonder. shared elements, yet distinctiveness between the two.

twenty one north, one o five east, Ha Noi. here, me. unabbreviated, sheer nostalgia.

on the mind.

as of late, weather in chicago has been quite pleasant. scattered showers here and there, but overall, rays of sun hitting my crisp yellow skin. kevin from california is here. we've engaged in a long list of activities within the past few days--wicker park, michigan ave., millenium park, chicago hotdog, yawps!'s untranslatable event, and peeping through a metal fence hugging Jordan's old house, the United Center.

a dilemma i was in earlier today. three short pages to write for my political science final. a simple three pages. haven't read one page for class, missing one book. topic: compare two books. fuck! luckily, i did one good thing all quarter: take notes, and another great talent of mine, find quotes. finally complete, at ease, relaxed.

tomorrow signifies freedom, in a sense. no more classes, just two finals the week after. that is what the weekend is for. four dollar martinis and a hopeful lively discussion on travels to southeast asia follows my long day of education.

money. i have 177$ in my bank account, with a 110$ credit card bill soon due. as one can see, i am in dire need of, what do we call it, green. maybe o'hare. my friend works there. 2-11 PM shift: duty free shop. no social life, or money? hello craigslist jobs section.

milwuakee, then minneapolis. family in both spots are heading to viet nam this summer. one for three weeks, the other five years. megabus, only 8.50$ total. northwest airlines, free. rarely do i see my extended family. ought to be delightful.

use of my legs. not walking, pedaling. i need a bike, now. i miss it so much. two years prior, my inexpensive mountain bike, stripped away from my legs, never to return. now, pedal-less. working bikes on western has decent bikes i'm told. limited cash equates no gas for da car. despite that, biking over hitting the accelerator without a doubt. in due time.

needs. as they say--water, shelter, food. is that all for me? companionship? seeing the world? happiness? all three i think. soon i'll meet one point five out of the three--glimpsing the world makes me smile. hello eastern europe. hello berlin. hello paris.

goodnight.