three days.

one.

After a four hour drive, with a stop in Indianapolis, we arrive at Indiana University. My friend's apartment, similarly laid out like my own in Chicago is a spacious, comfy place. The campus itself is the epitome of a college campus, something I have never experienced being in an urban campus. So many attractive international Asian girls. Oi doi oi! I meet Roger, Kenny's roommate.

The three of us head to Sopon, a fastfood Korean joint. We all order Bulgogi, devouring every piece. Then we drive around, soaking in the crisp cool summer night air, then head back. Lounging around the air conditioned apartment, relaxing is what we do. Roger and I then watch hours of Korean and Japanese dance clips on no other than YouTube.

I sleep at 5 AM.

two.

With only five hours of sleep, I am fatigued as Kenny awakes me from my short slumber. What lies ahead is Cincinnati, Columbus, and Athens. All of which are located in Ohio. So the day begins. An hour and a half later, we arrive in Cincinnati. Realizing we crave Vietnamese yet again, we actively search for a joint. The food is quite mediocre. Nothing to boast about.

Cincinnati's downtown is only a mere fraction of Chicago's. Unimpressed, we head towards Columbus. Two and a half hours later, we arrive in C-Bus, Ohio's largest city. Kara and Chirag meet us. We tour Ohio State University. It seems like a very nice campus. Walking into Larry's Bar, we sipped on some slushy margaritas. Seeing familiar faces from Viet Nam is always an enjoyment. I have an appointment with Gerard, from EAP, in Athens and thus we part ways and Kenny and I are again on the road.

An hour and a half later, we enter a secluded area, appearing to be Athens. Tree-lined brick roads, the city reminds us of an old colonial town. We meet Gerard and Arata at a nice little bar, where they sell Tiger. How fitting. Memories of Viet Nam flood in. After a few drinks, and a couple of hours, we bid farewell. Kenny and I grab some coffee, two espresso shots. A five-hour ride from Athens to Bloomington feels more like two.

Sleep? No. Roger, Kenny, and I go to their friends' house. Sitting on the roof, we converse, enjoying the warm summer night. All hungry, we decide to go to Waffle House. Belgian waffles and hash browns hits that spot. Drive back and sleep.

three.

The alarm, Kenny's voice, buzzes at two p.m. It is much too early to be up. I snooze on for another thirty. Despite the Waffle House breakfast, we're still hungry. We head to Siam House for Thai. Pad Thai, decent, but not as flavorful and tasty as Noodles in the Pot. Supplies needed for their apartment, I drive them to Target. Like every other Target in America, this one is filled with attractive females. They buy tons of shit.

Six p.m. is soon approaching and what lies ahead is even more driving, this time by myself. Passing the redneck towns of Indiana, the downtown of Indianapolis, the cornfields between the two states, I arrive in Chicago somewhere around nine p.m. I much want to hang out in the city, but instead I speed home. Drained, I head upstairs, but first make myself a banh mi gio, with all the condiments.

As the day has come to an end, I now realize that despite how uneventful I feel my life is, the introductions with new folks, and the interactions with old ones brings forth a sense of enjoyment and excitement, even though they are short lived. Communication and discoveries, however minute they may seem, bring some new aspect to one's life, as they have within the past three days of mine.

end.

tran, quy hac.