My week in Photos

Another week in Boston and New York City was the best graduation trip that I could ever dream of. On top of sight seeing, trying new foods, hanging out with friends, I got lots of business done. I made many important decisions regarding to my future career this past week. I met up with a few friends who made me feel being loved, and who also influenced my  career decisions. I now believe that what I will do in Germany next year does not only help my future, but it is my future. I also encountered inner confusions about a romantic relationship with a handsome guy . There were lots of traveling. I spent loads of time with myself on bus, at train stations, and on the subway. I valued that time for myself because I could contemplate and meditate.

The following pictures capture my week experiences

Sunday night, I walked to a friend’s apartment in Boston to ask for a few advice. He offered me food and hot tea. The food was not fancy: only tofu, stir fried celery with pork, and buns. But all were cooked and prepared by a sweetest friend who I am lucky to meet in Vietnam a year ago.

My friend cooked dinner when I visited him in Boston.

Then I came down to New York City to visit a great friend from college, and also to take care of my Chinese visa (I am going to China in the next four weeks). There was lots of traveling involved: a 4-hour bus ride, and an hour being stuck in New York City traffic. The experience was not that great, but once I saw my friend, every frustration was gone.

Couch-surfing in the Bronx. Freshly admitted to the homeless exclusive club.

After spending one night in NYC, I was headed southward on Megabus. The bus stopped in Washington DC. I was at the Union Station for a couple of hours late at night, when foods were no longer served, Starbucks was closing down, and no-one walked around in the capital city. But the view of the Capitol at night was breathtaking.

Capitol Hills at night

Back to Atlanta, sleeping on my comfy bed, and riding Zippy ( my scooter), I could not have been more happy and appreciate what I have.

My scooter, Zippy. She has been with me for about 10 months. I will have to say goodbye to her in the next couple of weeks.

My week ended with the Decatur Arts Festival . I assisted an amazing country singer, Amy Andrews , who happens to also be a staff at Agnes Scott College, where I went for college. So it was such a treat for me the first day back to Atlanta. Here is a snapshot of her performance:

Amy Andrews, born and raised in Baltimore, is a country music singer, song-writer and also a staff member at Agnes Scott College.

That how my week went. Please tell me which event is your favorite, and also please tell me which picture is your favorite too. I am trying to improve my photography skills.

Amazing Cities that I have visited and will visit in 2013

The following list includes the places that I have visited this year, and will visit in the next coming months.

1. Dallas/Fortworth – January

2. Memphis – January

3. Boston, Cambridge ( revisited) – May

4. New York City ( revisited) – May

5. Nashville ( tentative) – June 5th, ( come for a flashmob)

6. Buffalo (tentative) – June 2oth – 23rd ( visit the Niagara Falls)

7. Orlando ( tentative) – June

8. Chattanooga ( tentative) – June

9. Beijing, China – June, July

10. Henan, China – July

11. Qufu, China ( the temple and grave yard of Confucius) – Early August

12. Frankfurt – August 11 & 12

13. Wichmar, Germany ( a small city near Jena and Weimar) – Mid August

14. Dresden, Germany – Late August

15. Berlin, Germany – September

So yes this list includes places I have visited, and have a plan to visit this year. I will be crisscross continents, and I am happy and willing to do that. This year is the year of exploration for me emotionally, physically and also romantically. Hope everything will go well. If you happen to be in those places during the time that I am there, please drop me a few lines, we can hang out and have  a coffee together.

Dialogues on-the-Go

Recently, I have lots of great conversations with my friends, my peers and my advisors. They can be bitterly discouraging, and also enlightening at the same time. A few below are the conversations that really made my day or frustrated me.

Conversation # 1: Lucy versus a future mathematician:

Math: Lucy, what are you doing lately?

Lucy: Traveling, taking pictures and thinking about what I want to do

Math: What are you doing in the immediate future?

Lucy: Traveling – to China, to the UK, to Germany, I want to see the world.

Math: Do you still want to be a scientist?

Lucy: Yes, of course. I see why not

Math: Why dont you do any research? You only travel, and waste your time on accumulating skills that a successful scientist does not need.

Lucy: Puzzled & shut up.

I cannot answer this last question because he asks the right one. Why am I not feeling pressured to pursue what I think to be my career: to become a scientist, to do research, to teach? Why am I so content with this world? Why do I feel in love with this world so much? I only want to see more of it, and embrace it in its totality? I only want to be out there, with people. What is wrong with it? Everybody keeps telling me that I cannot become a good scientist if I spend too much time on the road, too much time on meeting interesting individuals coming from different backgrounds. What is wrong with this picture? I suppose this lifestyle does not bring me money and success immediately. I am not angry with inequality; I am not anxious about poverty. I just love my life, and everything life has given me. I am too content with it, I not ambitious enough. I do not know what I want to do. I dont know where I will live and who I will become. I am trapped in an existential crisis. This question got me thinking about my future and my life.

 

Conversation #2: Lucy vs. a central banker (the banker is about to receive his master degree from a very prestigious university in the US) 

Banker: You know, I got three master degrees in both law and economics, and I cannot find a job in the US.

Lucy: (pondering…, he must want a very well-paid job) oh yeah, America is not good enough for you.

Banker: That is why I am going back to my home country, doing my previous job. Now I become a senior economist.

Lucy: That sounds amazing.

Banker: It means I do exactly the same thing as I did before. (laugh…)

Lucy: haha… So another degree buys you a new title.

Banker: So what is the plan after Germany ( Lucy will be working in Germany until August, 2014)

Lucy: I have no idea.

Banker: I want to retire. I have worked too hard, got multiple degrees. After getting my current master, I want to retire and travel the world.

Lucy: I aspire that plan, but hey you’re going back to work in the next two weeks. So save that plan for a couple of decades.

Banker: Do you want to explore the policy and law schools? I will show you around this campus.

Lucy: I would be delighted to see them.

 

This person is the most enlightening individual that I have ever met. He has child-like curiosity; his humor always brightens up my day. His insights made me to ask: what does international development really mean? How can a very brilliant individual is not doing what are the most helpful and most fulfilling tasks out there in the field? Why is he kept in a cubicle to write report and read newspapers? Will I be trapped in a cubicle doing what I hate for a decade of my life?

We walked and talked in this beautiful weather in Cambridge, MA. There is nothing can be more perfect than great weather, a good meal and a soulmate to converse with

Conversation #3: Lucy vs. a highschool mate

 

Lucy: So what is your advice for students from our high school about studying abroad in the United States?

Mate: Dont go… if you do not have the urge to find out what this country is all about. It is full of good things, but also the ugliest things.

Lucy: What do you mean by “dont go”? Why do you discourage people to see the world?

Mate: I do not discourage the ones who want to see the world. Many of my friends and family members, they are happy where they are. They want to stay close to their families, to the things that they know and where they grow up. It is their choice.

Lucy: They dont want to see the world because no one has encouraged them to do that. Do you appreciate the hardships and opportunities that the US has brought to you?

Mate: Yes

Lucy: What is the most memorable moment?

Mate: The time that I had no money, and I had to survive on my last $150 for a month. It was pitiful. I did not want to call my parents, to beg for money. I did not want to bother them. I wanted to prove that I am independent and strong.

Lucy: It must have been terrible, but you did manage to survive. That is what matters.

Mate: Hm… but still you can only come here if you decide that you’re very strong and independent.

 

I disagreed 1000% with my friend. I hated every single word that he said. I was interviewing him for a project. I meant to film him, and to make a documentary of a happy Vietnamese student who is getting his education in the US. He did not fulfill my request. He showed neither his eagerness nor his good intention to preaching the doctrine that “studying abroad,” and “seeing more of the world” make you a better human being. I got to understand that sometimes even if we have similar starting points, and similar backgrounds, we differ astronomically in what we want to do. I want to use my energy, time and effort to connect people, to make information available. He wants to keep it for himself, and feels embarrassed if things do not work out. I want to be honest; he wants to be secretive. I love my friends, and appreciate them a lot. But oftentimes I found myself disappointed by their inappropriate or un-mindful comments, or that my peers do not share my vision. What shall I do if I cannot communicate my vision with my friends, and other people? What does it take to be an effective communicator?

This beautiful light house is where the conversation took place. A beautiful place, perfect weather and even good foods do not always guarantee a good conversation 

  

Traveling, meeting new people and visiting old friends are always enlightening. That is the reason why artists and intellectuals in the 16th century embarked on the Grand Tour across Europe to see the real paintings, to meet other artists, to expand their knowledge. I hope in the next three months from late June to late September, I will meet the most exciting people on this planet earth. I hope to make a movie out of them. I hope to connect to more people, and make my life well spent and worth living. Let’s pack, and go.

12 Favorite Pictures of 2012

One of my colleagues at the Fulbright School in Ho Chi Minh City, where I interned in the summer of 2012, told me that the age of 22 is the golden year of one’s life. I happily agreed with that statement because I had just celebrated my 22 birthday that week. Now reflecting back, I think that every year is a golden year since a year never repeated itself twice. The year of 2012 is worth celebrating like any other year. So this blog entry is to celebrate this year of 2012, the year that is very important for me personally. I have traveled a lot more this year, which created great opportunities to meet great people. I stumbled upon lots of breathtaking scenery; I heard fascinating stories from immigrants to farmers to policy makers. My experience broadened, and I have become appreciative of the present than ever. In January, I walked the beautiful sand beaches of the Mexico Gulf in Pensacola, Florida on the first day of 2012. In March, I went north to New York City, and Boston; I felt in love with the rhythm of New York City, its dynamics and its complexity. Then I embarked on my first trip to Europe in May. I adored German landscape, the architectures and great many museums and parks that I visited. Europe inspired me to walk more to travel more. However, the happiest time of the year for me was the summer when I came back to Vietnam, my beloved home country. I had a little time with my family in Hanoi, and then I went southward to Ho Chi Minh City for an internship. There is no doubt that I felt in love with the old and the new Saigon, aka. Ho Chi Minh City. The foods are among the best that I have ever had. People are extremely friendly and progressive. The city is featured with constant movements of automobiles, motorcycles, and of people. It is a city that never rests. I traveled to a few more great cities in the second half of the year, but I will save them for the future blog posts. For now, I will present my 12 favorite pictures of the year. Hope that you, the readers, will enjoy them.

New York City is a very musical city. One encounters music everywhere. One might not be able to discern what type of music they play, but one sees and hears the sounds of music everywhere

The Manhattan Island is full of character. If you take a look close enough, you will see constant construction. Everyone can find some familiar images and symbols in this picture. That demonstrates how popular and how dear New York is.

A banner of an Occupied Wall Street group in New Haven, CT

A piece of modern art work at the Boston Museum of Arts

Enjoying my Easter break in Athens, Georgia

The beautiful garden outside of the Sanssouci Palace in Postdam, Germany

It is a powerful symbol of the Catholic Church in Koeln, Germany.

I could not reconcile myself to see this beautiful palace amidst the poverty-stricken Cambodia. Simultaneously, I cannot refuse the desire to become a modern city of Phnom Penh, while maintaining its tradition.

The image of a motorcycle is the most powerful image that speaks for Vietnamese drive for economic success to me. The vehicle stands for physical mobility and social mobility. I am captivated by as well as afraid of this mode of transportation. However, I grew up with it, so did many people. The image of a motorcycle is still very dear to my heart.

2012 is the fourth and also the last year that I participated in the International Fashion Show at Agnes Scott College as an undergraduate student. I love the show for it showcases the dynamics and diversity at this small community.

They are my current housemates, who I hung out the most with over this past semester. They are very supportive and delightful to be around.

Here I am, the first weekend in Dallas Texas for the winter break. I tried to demonstrate the concept of Texan size by comparing my compact body size with a Texan wheel .

Happy Holidays! There will be a few more blog posts coming up to introduce the places that I have visited in 2012.

Performing Arts

I have promised myself to read more books many times, but lately since the end of the academic year, I have not read any significant book. The latest book that I read is Ngược Chiều Vun Vút written by Joe Russelle, a Canadian. His Vietnamese is flawless, and the book is such a delightful treat at the end of the day. Joe discusses cultural phenomena in Vietnam that surprise, puzzle and scare foreigners who temporarily reside in Vietnam. One chapter in the book is dedicated to defend the 9X generation, who are believed to be spoiled and following the wrong path. The public is collectively convinced that the 9X neither have any intrinsic motivations, nor possess any desire to be successful. Joe argues that they are more open-minded, and they are integrating to the globalizing world faster. They are more independent, more stylish, and most of all they are not afraid to be politically incorrect. They totally break away from the dynamic, driven and successful 8X.

I find it to be a logical argument: the 9X are more artsy, more creative but less motivated than the 8X. I am myself a 9X but grew up with the 8X cohort. I am inspired by the 8X’s vibrant energy and their ambition to be accepted and to establish their trademarks, to be/become everything that their parents could not be. They are indeed the pioneers who started the process of globalizing and connecting Vietnam with the world. I am a product of their deeds and their initiatives. I never defined myself to be an 8X even though I studied with the 1989s cohort since I started the first grade. (On a side note, I was found to be a trouble maker as a kindergartener; hence, my parents send me to primary school one year earlier hoping that I would get into less trouble. To their surprise, troubles always found me ). I could also never imagine that I would identify myself with a Korean-celebrities-zealous 9X either. My cultural identity is being questioned whenever I have a conversation with my friends who are 8X or 9X in any Vietnamese circle.

Joe makes an excellent point that the 9X of Vietnamese appear to be more creative, and they are not afraid to show off their creative rebellion. If the 8X focus a lot on getting rich and being successful in a business sense, the 9X focus more on finding themselves, establish their individuality, and break standards set by the 8X. They become more creative with language, arts, and hopefully and most importantly technological innovations. One example that Joe mentions is the amazing speed of vocabulary that created by the 9X. This will add diversity and depth to the Vietnamese language in a long run. I found myself inspired by the 9X and 0X kids that I met a few weeks ago on a Saturday morning hunting pictures in District 1, Sai Gon. They are my Saigonese board skating friends.

Let’s the Game start

Rhythm

A Pause

Flying Take 1

Flying Take 2

Passion

I felt rhythm, energy vibration, dedication, involvement and fun in each of the moment. I was inspired; I was happy to see the future of Vietnam afraid not to show their individuality on street. They showed me their enthusiasm. They did not tell me that they love skating on streets, but their actions show me. It is a sport that most parents like mine would not approve; hence, I love to see them even more. They are candidates for Vietnamese future generations to appear on shows like America Best Dance Crew, So You Think You Can Dance. They are blessed and talented performers. I consider street-board skating a performing art. It brings joy to both performers and audience. Look at them I see joy. Look at me they see curiosity and maybe a bit of a weirdo.

I hope that 9X and 0X will hone their talents to become great generations of Vietnamese performers, artists, innovators, doctors, lawyers. I want them to enjoy what they do in the future. I want them not to give up their talent for monetary success. I want them to be able to love what they do and that they genuinely do it for themselves, not because of their parents, because of social pressure or because of popular trend. It is their individuality that will make them great.

Once Upon a Time

Recently, I saw Vietnam through eyes of Americans and Canadians more than through Vietnamese perspectives. One of the reasons is that I read more in English than Vietnamese lately because it is my work language. Another reason is that I have been working in an English speaking environment for the past three years; English has become a language that I think in, so it is very natural to use it. This might be an excuse to not use Vietnamese, but I rather think that it is not my fault of abusing English as a language that I read in. My very last reason is that it is hard to find a cheerful Vietnamese writing about Vietnam. Sometimes, it is too much about praising Vietnamese without criticizing the bad aspects of it. Being critical about a culture, a people and a history or corrupt politics of a nation is actually the best way to express one’s love and one deep connection with a country. It shows that somebody cares about his/her own country, so she has to express her frustration of what has been going wrong in society. It is often mistaken that if one openly criticizes something, he/she is against the place that has nurtured him/her. However, I have to admit that Vietnamese newspaper disappointed me severely because of the lack of individuality. It is the little extra something that really makes the news memorable and gives the piece of writing a soul. Everything tha is being loved enough will have a soul including a piece of writing. In the end, I come back to English writing about a place that I live; yes, one could criticize that I am the “sinh ngoai” [ie. foreign-oriented] one.

My first inspiration to go to Sai Gon is the Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli, in which the main character is an American female photographer who works for LIFE Magazine in Sai Gon in the last three years of the Vietnam War. The fiction nudged my decision to be a lone traveler in Sai Gon, to explore the “Deep” South and the Mekong Delta. What I find are multiple layers of surprises of tastes, smells, looks, sounds, and senses which go deep into my soul that the book could never fully describe.

The novel does not convey the sweet, smooth and rhythmic southern accent. I also found this same southern sweetness in the Deep South of  Dixie the US. Is every southerner sweeter across the globe? The novel does not tell me that chicken porridge with mushroom cooked by Mekong Delta mothers is the best. Soli  does not give any room to describe the pride that farmers in Long An happily shows his guests the pigs that he raises. The novel does not give any single hint about” Tra Da” (Iced Tea) and Café Sua da ( Iced Coffee). Oh la la, I found another similarity between southerners in the US and Vietnam: the love for Iced Tea.  Anyway, the fiction is set in war time, so I should not have expected the colors, flavors and senses of dynamic Saigon now to be present in turbulent Saigon then.

The Lotus Eaters portrays Vietnamese as foreigners because the main character does not totally understand the culture, or she does not want to understand it either;  she is an outsider. She is charmed by the culture, but she denies to be absorbed totally by it. She lives with Vietnamese, eats Vietnamese foods, and relies on Vietnamese for every daily activity, but she does not totally trust them. Deep down in her heart she thinks that there are a few good Vietnamese, very very few reliable ones, everybody else only wants to take advantage of her (i.e. a white American).

My experience is totally different because of my skin color, my philosophy and that I have not been in Vietnam for almost two years. The absence of a direct contact between Vietnam and me reinforces my desire to be re-absorbed into it. I want every moment to count; I treasure any little interaction with any soul. Deep down in my heart I believe what Bill Clinton says in his memoir My Life that generally most people are good; the bad ones comprise only a small fraction of the world population. Hence, if we trust and give people with whom we interact gratitude and appreciation for whatever they do, they will be gentle to us. You will receive whatever you have given away; a causal relationship. To me, a positive attitude is the first one to give away.

I have found myself in many awkward situations, but I genuinely love those because I see sincerity of the helpers. The second day in Saigon marked my first time in the past three years I used a motorbike to get around. It was liberating when I found out that I could totally use it like I did three years ago. My skill was not lost. My body and brain remember how a bike functions. After a first few happy seconds, I realized I needed to fill the gas tank. However, it has been a struggle between me and that gas tank for the entire time that I use the bike, a cranky old one, which is called Dream Honda. On a side note, everybody here calls a motorbike a Honda. What you can expect from an old “dream”….? She does not want me to open her seat so I can fill her stomach. She wants to embarrass me at any gas station anytime that I want to feed her. I cannot use force with her; she is way too stubborn. I pity myself several times especially when the gas station is packed. That is the moment that “the gas filler” would come and rescue my redden face by lifting up the seat, opening the gas tank and feeding my cranky old Honda.  That moment is true happiness that I could not find anywhere else but in Vietnam and specifically in Sai Gon.

So the story goes… Once upon a time, a 22-year-old Scottie explores big old Sai Gon with a cranky, old Honda.

<to be continued>

Color of Germany Series

I got lost at the stunning colorful murals at the East Side Gallery – a must see for everyone to visit Berlin

Berlin for History Geeks

May 16, 2012 is the day for history geeks in the ASC in Germany program to ramble and to be tested in and about history. We dealt with different historical periods of the German State. In the morning, we visited the Deutsches Historisches Museum, which is neatly located in a vibrant part of East Berlin. Every Scottie agreed that the tour guide spoke excellent English, had a good sense of humor, and was very spontaneous. On top of everything he was a great art historian who could tell a story from a painting; he could connect history with what is happening to the museum collections. We can never find any anecdote about the descendants of Jewish victims who are now re-claiming their rights to their parents’ art collections in any history books. It reminds me of the movie The History Boys (2006), in which the teacher says that the current history is the forgotten history, or people only want to remember the distant past, not what has just happened.

Since the establishment of the German State in 1871, Germany has gone through many turbulence, and turning points in such a short amount of time. I realize that German history somehow synchronized with film history, which started in 1895. If somebody in Germany could create a German history museum through the lens of movies, it would be awesome. There exist a film museum and a history museum in Berlin, but why don’t we make a history through films museum?

The 90-minute museum tour really brought back to me what I learned during this school year at Agnes Scott. The Nuremburg Law defined by a biological chart. This graphical demonstration helped me make sense the definition of Jewishness that Claudia Koonz tries to clarify in the Nazi Conscience. I saw the beetle, the beautiful car model that I am in love with, which was the Volkswagen car that Hitler promised every Volk to be able to own one in the 30s , but it never came true until the end of WW II.

The Stasi prison was a very emotional and depressing place for me. I refused to take any picture of the place because it was very depressing. However, I acknowledged that I learned more about myself, my background, and my interpretation of an authoritarian regime than the actual place itself. It is traveling and interacting with the place, and people that really provokes my inner thought about my identity. Everything looked so familiar as if I had been into a place like the interrogation room there before. The furniture looked familiar, the torture tactics sounded familiar. On top of all, I realized the patterns of wall paper, of the floor. They look like what my father used for his tiny apartment in Hanoi 5 years ago. That realization and connection horrified me, and I was not able to take it.

In the evening, I had a wonderful chance to explore the Hackescher Market with a Vietnamese whom I interviewed for an oral history project. She was willing to share with me her childhood experience, her schooling, and her love to travel, to be alive for herself, not for her parents, her version of Berlin, and her version of Vietnam. It was not the first time that I have come to a conclusion that traveling with a local always fascinated me more than with a group of enthusiasts who come for tourist attractions. During this trip, I love the balance that I am able to manage: to both meet and converse with local Berliners and to explore the tourist parts with other world travellers.

Tomorrow, the group will travel to Dessau and visit the Bauhaus School of Architecture. It is actually the subject that Alex and I presented in class almost two months ago, but I do not remember much. The trip will refresh our knowledge, and helps us acquire some more information and will inspire us for some future projects. Then I will attend a gathering with the Vietnamese Community of Berlin and Brandenburg for the Ascension Holiday in the evening. Hopefully, there will be more thought-provoking discussions for me. It is my responsibility to unearth the truth, to record multiple side stories of Vietnamese immigrants, and to connect Vietnamese people around the globe. Hence, I take this project pretty seriously. I also realized that I love history, and I really want to get better and more in depth with it.

Serendipity

I stumbled upon this gentleman while browsing on Wikipedia about Vietnamese people in Germany.

Vice Chancellor of Germany

I cannot stop admiring Vietnamese descendants, who can not only integrate but also become successful and being respected by their host countries. I really want to meet him next summer in Germany. I will keep praying and hope that miracle happen.

Germany, I want to come.

Deep Nov 03