Travel Illusions: How important are famous landmarks on our travels?
You’re in New York. After waiting in a security line for a half an hour at Battery Park, you’re finally sitting on the ferry sans explosives. You had to fight for a hard metal seat on the top deck, beating a middle-aged woman wearing a floral visor, casting a shadow over her rosy cheeks.You just...
Remembering life as an art student in Brooklyn, NY
“Okay everyone, repeat: When did you go to New York?” “When did you go to New York?” my class of 30 Korean students chimed, looking at the title of chapter 13. I then clicked on an animation where a blond character named Jenny skypes with her friend Jimin, and tells her about visiting the Statue...
the strangest pick-up lines I’ve gotten around the globe
1. The Dorkiest: (setting: Hiking in Peru.) Me: OMG a kitten! I run to pet it. Peruvian tour guide: Do you like cats? Me: Yeah. Peruvian tour guide: I am a cat! 2. The Creepiest: (setting: Summer, daytime, sitting on a bench in Hongdae park in Seoul, South Korea.) Me: Reading my book, minding my own business, waiting...
Do Ho Suh: a Korean artist encourages viewers to analyze the concept of home
I recently viewed the Korean artist Do Ho Suh’s (서도호) solo exhibition, Home Within Home, at the Leeum/Samsung Museum in Seoul. I can honestly say this is one of the greatest contemporary art exhibitions I’ve ever seen. (I even walked through the entire exhibition twice.) His work is innovative, concrete, and elegant. Also, the viewer can...
Music and Memories
I don’t have a specific travel playlist, but certain songs remind of places and people around the world. I studied Spanish in Cusco, Peru for 2 months after high school. Many songs remind me of dancing salsa in dingy bars into the wee hours of dawn and bumping along dusty roads in white vans filled with indigenous women...
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