farewells

So I leave Monday for Budapest. It is so soon, and I'm getting the pre-departure jitters. But I know once I'm there, those feelings will eventually dissolve.

Today was a good day. I met up some friends--Nik and Peggy, and their friends--for the critical mass bike ride. For those of you who are unaware of what it is, its essentially where bikers "raid" the streets of Chicago in an attempt to raise awareness for better modes of transport. Despite this effort, it seems like the distaste for bikers is magnified after such a ride like this. Those in cars are essentially stopped dead in their tracks, as hundreds of bikers pass on by.

I parted ways with the titanic group half way through and headed to my apartment as I had dinner plans. Jackie, Don, Paul and I had a little goodbye dinner for me at Cho Sun Ok, this Korean joint on 4200 Lincoln. Two big orders of Bulgogi and three big Korean beers later and I was unbuckling my buttons. We drove around a little bit, stopped by my apartment to pick up a CD for Jackie and headed back to the burbies.

There are a few more goodbyes before I head off for yet another adventure. Until then.

tran.quy.hac.

yet another chicago summer day.

On Saturday 21 July, 2007, again Kenny and I indulged in a photography adventure. Before this, I attended a friend's barbecue alongside the sea-blue Lake Michigan. Such a weather perfect day that day, Foster Beach was somewhat overcrowded. Families of many different backgrounds spent some quality time with one another; grilling, talking, laughing, sporting. In such an event, those who are not quite as lucky as these individuals enjoying their relaxing Saturday afternoon, were also out, selling goods desired by those who were. Mostly of Latino descent, from mere observation, many of these individuals were on their ice-cream carts, rolling down the beach path, ringing their bell in an attempt to acquire a hungry customer. Others appear to walk in a beleaguered manner carrying two dozen or more air-filled beach balls in various shapes, sizes, and colours. Surprisingly, these individuals did in fact sell most of their items. Those here on a less strenuous visit have the luxury to purchase them from the vendors.

Following such a privileged visit to Foster Beach, I bid farewell to my work buddies from the Jumpstart days and headed over to Devon, where Kenny currently resides. He mentioned of this grandeur temple near Evanston, IL which is a must see spot. After glimpsing at a few images of the temple, there was no doubt I had to see it. As we approached the towering structure, I was again reminded that things in reality are far better than images or photographs. The vivid details and architecture signified somewhat of an Islamic influence. Though such the case, the temple is of Bahai religion, which derived from what is now current day Iran.

According to the visitor pamphlet, the Bahai religion is one which recognizes all world religions, believing that there is one God, and those important figures in other religions are simply messengers of God; pointing to somewhat of a solution to religious conflict which is so evident in the world today. Bahai religion, like many others promotes peace and unity amongst all people, and emphasizes this on the basis of one human race. Very interesting. Though the temple is open to all peoples, the majority of the visitors were those of Middle Eastern and India Subcontinent descent. This is perhaps the case because of the religion's roots in the Silk Road region.


hac.

beautiful chicago.

This whole summer, i have yet to really indulge in photography, abandoning my new fujifilm camera much too often. yesterday, i decided to utilize my fuji and capture what Chicago has to offer. unfortunately, i did not take many pictures at all. During this photography venture I engaged in, alongside my buddy Kenny, we unconsciously recorded, through the digital camera, the more well known, touristy hubs of Chicago. Initially, I preferred to wander into the more ethnic neighborhoods, such as Pilsen [Mexican area], Devon [Indian/Pakistan area], and Uptown [African/southeast Asian area], but alas, that plan fell through.

On this day, I myself felt like a tourist in the city which I consider home. Walking down Michigan Ave., it was quite difficult to not notice the affluence in economics between the dwellers of this city. Gucci, Prada, Armani were filled with the high class 'Hearst' type of people. I once decided to enter an Armani clothing store and was flabbergasted by the ridiculously inflated prices. "Made in Bangladesh" printed on the tag. How much to make, how much profit Armani gains? I feel that to many outside of this city, Chicago is this. Chicago is the Michigan Ave., the Millennium Park, the Sears Tower, the upward mobile landmarks, the high class life. Individuals parking their beautiful BMWs alongside their tree-lined brownstone homes several blocks away from the richness of downtown. Other than this societal observation, the physicality of the landmarks hold a different story.




tran.quy.hac

bia ba ba.

Mr. Lego

This summer is perhaps one of my most uneventful summers of all. I am working full-time at a Lego camp. There are of course ups to working--making good money, gaining experience, and interacting with funny, not so funny youth. Growing up, I was fascinated with Lego's, or so I thought until meeting and interacting with a few of these kids. Some of the kids are adorable and say some outrageous things. One Lego camper yelped out something along these lines, "I think I'm in heaven right now; look at all these Lego's!" The camper is a red-headed seven year old the size of a four year old, making the comment even more humorous. Kids are very honest and joking around with them is often enjoyable.

Working in this camp, I have witnessed some amazing constructions. One of the sessions, we decided to focus on the Seven Wonders of the World. One of the children built the Taj Mahal; I swear it was a miniature replica. In another one of my camps, which had a "Monsters of the Midway" theme to it, we focused on building sports related things with the Lego blocks. As a group, we attempted to build a semi-life size Michael Jordan. Above one can see the head--we used yellow bricks because there were no brown. Each day I go to work, I feel as if I am regressing to my own youth. I did in fact choose a Lego pirate ship over Sega Genesis ten or so years ago for my birthday.




tran quy hac.

charles drive.

nhà tôi ở, đường nhà tôi ở.
where i live, street where i live on.

venturing around chicago on thursday and saturday with kenny to capture the ethnic enclaves. hopefully something great will be documented. this is what i look forward to.

i finished reading murakami's after dark recently. i recommend this book to those who enjoy reading simply about situations and interactions between individuals. the novel captures the events which take place in Tokyo between midnight and dawn and magnifies the inter-connectedness of the lives of the "night" folks. its a story essentially about nothing, on the surface, but in deep thought, it reflects how we as people are so distinct, yet are drawn together in various circumstances. for a long time, i've been searching for such a plot and the realities this novel emphasizes. found it, read it, loved it.

hac.

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