I am using two different electric air-fresheners to get rid of this stale smell in my apartment that is part thrift-store and part funeral home
I started my orientation yesterday and everyone seems great and they're only twelve of us (six in poetry, six in fiction) and because of this, it's a little too obvious that I'm the only Asian person. And the only one representing the west coast in this batch of first year students.
Our director told us in the first 15 minutes of the day that we are not to date our students. About half an hour later two deans of the graduate school (I think...maybe one chancellor and one dean -- but what does it matter? They're both "important" persons) reminded us that were are not to date our students. Then about four other mentors/instructors told us at various times throughout the day that we are not to date our students. What an odd thing to suggest. All this time I was thinking to myself: Yes! Fresh, virginal, barely legal hicks! That is exactly why I joined this program!
I was told that for many of my students, it would more than likely be their first time seeing a person of color and to not be surprised if they use the term "Chinaman."
I took my parents to the Catholic church (as oppose to the nearly 80 other churches in Bloomington) on Sunday. I couldn't help up count how many non-white people there were: Us, a South Asian family of four, and an woman with her boyfriend: 9:250-ish. Not bad.
Enough about ethnic observation crap. Now for the important stuff:
Only a block or two away from campus is the Subway that Jerod went to. THE Jerod. Turns out he use to live right above the shop and he went to IU, and so I'm no longer proud of going to the school with the Lilly Library or the Kinsey Institute or the #1 Music school... It's all about being part of the alma mater of the man who taught America that you can achieve your dreams by walking downstairs to a chain that calls their workers "Sandwhich Artists." I have reached the motherland.
I spoke to some of the fellow graduate students about places I want to visit while I'm here and they offered some more suggestions to add to the thematic list. It now reads as follows:
-Fairmount, Indiana: James Dean's hometown, and the destination for the annual festival
-Gary, Indiana: So I can drive past the Jackson family house and hopefully feel the ghost of child abuse. I wonder if that tree the boys had to pick their switches from is still in the front yard, or if that was just fictionalized for that made-for-TV movie.
-Martinsville: The town about 15-20 minutes away that's suppose to be "80% Klan affiliated." Though, I'm reevaluating this since someone told me a Black girl was shot on someone's frontporch there when she went door-to-door selling Encyclopedia Britannica. Now that's the most non-threatening thing you can sell door-to-door. Why would they shoot her? I can understand the annoyance of someone holding a box set of designer steak knives or the Bible up to their keyhole. But this girl was selling Encyclopedia Britannica -- her only crime was spreading knowledge. Albeit overpriced knowledge. (I'll want at least two white people with me if I go here.)
-Graceland and Dollywood: Everyone I said this to raved about Dollywood.
-Graceland, Too: I was told about a man whose house is the home of the largest collection of Elvis whoo-ha, and you knock on his door at anytime and he'll give you a tour and if you go three times you become a lifetime member with free admission priviledge. I wonder how he'd react if I ring his bell with a stack of encyclopedia in hand.
-Lexington, Kentucky: Where Sybil settled down after merging her 16 "multiple personalities"
-That Subway: I'll put up a pic when I finally get a chance to do my pilgrimage. I pass by it on the bus from school everyday.
The cicadas here chirp like crazy all through the days and nights. I was told this is nothing compared to two years ago when they swarmed and Bloomington was featured on CNN because they took over the town and a short and frightful reign. When he was here, my dad collected some cicada shells they molted out of. I wonder if they allowed those on the plane or if it was considered restricted material.
I have a few more days to get the list of already-existing-damages-to-the-apartment-to-my-slumlords.
I need to get the new Outkast album.
Our director told us in the first 15 minutes of the day that we are not to date our students. About half an hour later two deans of the graduate school (I think...maybe one chancellor and one dean -- but what does it matter? They're both "important" persons) reminded us that were are not to date our students. Then about four other mentors/instructors told us at various times throughout the day that we are not to date our students. What an odd thing to suggest. All this time I was thinking to myself: Yes! Fresh, virginal, barely legal hicks! That is exactly why I joined this program!
I was told that for many of my students, it would more than likely be their first time seeing a person of color and to not be surprised if they use the term "Chinaman."
I took my parents to the Catholic church (as oppose to the nearly 80 other churches in Bloomington) on Sunday. I couldn't help up count how many non-white people there were: Us, a South Asian family of four, and an woman with her boyfriend: 9:250-ish. Not bad.
Enough about ethnic observation crap. Now for the important stuff:
Only a block or two away from campus is the Subway that Jerod went to. THE Jerod. Turns out he use to live right above the shop and he went to IU, and so I'm no longer proud of going to the school with the Lilly Library or the Kinsey Institute or the #1 Music school... It's all about being part of the alma mater of the man who taught America that you can achieve your dreams by walking downstairs to a chain that calls their workers "Sandwhich Artists." I have reached the motherland.
I spoke to some of the fellow graduate students about places I want to visit while I'm here and they offered some more suggestions to add to the thematic list. It now reads as follows:
-Fairmount, Indiana: James Dean's hometown, and the destination for the annual festival
-Gary, Indiana: So I can drive past the Jackson family house and hopefully feel the ghost of child abuse. I wonder if that tree the boys had to pick their switches from is still in the front yard, or if that was just fictionalized for that made-for-TV movie.
-Martinsville: The town about 15-20 minutes away that's suppose to be "80% Klan affiliated." Though, I'm reevaluating this since someone told me a Black girl was shot on someone's frontporch there when she went door-to-door selling Encyclopedia Britannica. Now that's the most non-threatening thing you can sell door-to-door. Why would they shoot her? I can understand the annoyance of someone holding a box set of designer steak knives or the Bible up to their keyhole. But this girl was selling Encyclopedia Britannica -- her only crime was spreading knowledge. Albeit overpriced knowledge. (I'll want at least two white people with me if I go here.)
-Graceland and Dollywood: Everyone I said this to raved about Dollywood.
-Graceland, Too: I was told about a man whose house is the home of the largest collection of Elvis whoo-ha, and you knock on his door at anytime and he'll give you a tour and if you go three times you become a lifetime member with free admission priviledge. I wonder how he'd react if I ring his bell with a stack of encyclopedia in hand.
-Lexington, Kentucky: Where Sybil settled down after merging her 16 "multiple personalities"
-That Subway: I'll put up a pic when I finally get a chance to do my pilgrimage. I pass by it on the bus from school everyday.
The cicadas here chirp like crazy all through the days and nights. I was told this is nothing compared to two years ago when they swarmed and Bloomington was featured on CNN because they took over the town and a short and frightful reign. When he was here, my dad collected some cicada shells they molted out of. I wonder if they allowed those on the plane or if it was considered restricted material.
I have a few more days to get the list of already-existing-damages-to-the-apartment-to-my-slumlords.
I need to get the new Outkast album.
posted by Danny Thanh Nguyen at 11:35 PM
1 Comments:
Baby, you're so cute.
But you might wanna spellcheck/proofread your entries. Can I be your editor? hahaha
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