Get caught between the East and the West

The trip to Chicago was quite disappointed. Everything is good in Chicago city except the never-ending cold wind and the traffic control due to the gun fight and car chasing. The problems were from me and my colleagues. I had no opinion about the schedule, and one of the colleagues had too many opinions. It was supposed to have an easy trip when someone else made the schedules. However, it was not easy if the schedules totally centered on the maker. For example, in an outlet I would get phone calls to ask me back as I was in a different store. I didn’t know visiting what stores were written in the schedules. This trip reconfirmed my viewpoint, to know a person travelling with him/her is a shortcut. This is also a good way to filter a potential partner. Now they know I am like a lonely wolf in the wild, and I know I won’t share a trip with someone in this group again. Before the trip ended, I had been imagining the trip to Raleigh this summer. No matter I am alone or accompanying with someone, the latter one must be much interesting.

Field Museum

Museum of Art

Museum of Science and Industry

Shedd Aquarium 

Hot or Cold, Red or White, Hell is Hell

Rinaldo had gone, in the Valentine’s Day. I was shocked. He texted me that his stomach hurt and felt depressed via Skype on Thursday afternoon. On Saturday we were informed that he passed away on Friday morning. There are too many that I’d like to know. However it is impossible to find the answers. What I can do now are to help his family close the loose ends here and think of those moments we share.

The so-called coffee shop between two banks outside the south gate was the first place he had dinner in this country.  Later it became the place where both of us have our late dinner. Its food sucks. We went there because it was the only restaurant open after 8:00 pm around old campus. I noticed he ate slowly and always skipped soup when having a fried rice combo. Most of the time, I had already had my dinner. I accompanied him because I understood how difficult was for a foreigner to live here. It might make him more comfortable for being together with another one like him.

I never thought I could go to a KTV for the first time in my life because of him. He himself wanted to see how the KTV looked like in this country, but he told Joyce that I wanted to see it. So she found one and I could not refuse the invitation.  Actually I was a little angry at him. To revenge, I called American students out for dinner in his name later. That night, together with Rhi and Emily, we had a wonderful moment. He sang very well; and I was like a dumb. That was really a joyful night.

His office was empty. Maybe it was because he was always absent and had not decorated it with small appliances and books. When he was present, he stayed long in it for a day. At night, his office was quite faint. There was only a desk light turning on. The heartbreaking letter I received said he was covered by loneliness and the fear a couple of days before he was taken. I can imagine his mental condition fell into a dark and void space that his office was not comparable.

The very last moment we shared is in the tailor’s shop. He had been looking for a tailor for a custom-made suit. Since a student found a tailor’s shop for him, we had visited it several times. I was the translator who interpreted his tons of requests to the tailor. He was very demanding. He bought a few yards of fair fabric from Kyrgyzstan, but wanted it to become a designer suit by less than $50 dollars of labor cost. He checked each detail to make sure it was as close as the one in the referenced photo. Until the last time I saw him, the suit had not been completed.

I reminded him don’t forget to claim his suit the night prior to my short trip to Hangzhou. By the West Lake, I wished him had a nice winter vacation and Christmas in his home country on the phone. This was the last time we talked.

I was envious that he was always popular with girls because of his handsome face and gentlemanly behavior. How could I foresee he pass away in front of his girlfriend on Feb 14^th? Now I have one more reason to dislike the Valentine’s Day.

Getting out of Jail

Jan. 15th - Jan 20th, 2014

I looked at my passport, trying to remember the story behind each stamp. The four-hour flight was boring. People on the airplane were noisy so that I stopped.  Why do they travel in groups? They don’t know how fun it is to travel by oneself? The airplane arrived Aomori at 5 pm, 1 hour late due to the heavy snowing. During this period of time when snow covered the whole county, no one but Taiwanese tourists was interested in this so called “north country”. For me, this was a place close and easy to go breathing fresh air, feeling serenity and eating delicious food.  

 a hot spring hotel

Two Collapsing, One Shaking

I wrote this article to conclude my performance in 2013. If everything is smooth, I would be too happy to remember writing this article. The existence of this article shows that 2013 is not a satisfactory year. The first half 2013 was a good period of time so no need to emphasize it or I would fall into my daydreaming. The second half was a mess. It looks like a warning from the heaven that my life during the first half period was too fantastic.

Irreversible Fate?

Last time when I came here, the weather was a rainy day. It was not raining when I arrived. At the beginning, it was cloudy, similar to my feeling. My paper was just been rejected by a journal. This showed I have a long way to go. This strike would ruin this trip if I dealt with it wrong. Luckily, it is not hard to hide my sorrow because my unique personality makes me look sentimental.

I met her again. She is as cute as she was. The most fantastic change is that she seems more mature and prettier. She also shared some costs for meal, transportation, and entrance fee. Not easy for a pretty girl. It was my honor to have her accompany in this short trip. This was the first time I knew she likes to sleep away on the weekend. In the Buddhist temple, I knew she is a devout Buddhist. The next day, I guess I made a mistake by choosing a cold tourist spot. She hasn’t recovered from the cold caught a few days ago. No many tourists visiting there in such a cold rainy day. We left soon and went to have a dinner in downtown. Happy days always pass by soon.

West Lake

One of the largest Buddhist Temple I have ever seen.

Xixi Wetland

Silent Hill in China

I left  without reporting the absence, but people in this research group all knew where I came. They asked why I went to meet this girl and don’t try to pursue her. Indeed, I went to Hangzhou not just for its scenery. There are only three cities, i.e. Boston, Kyoto and New York where I’d like to visit for the second time. If it was not for this special girl, it is very likely I don’t bother to move any finger.

“The distance is a big problem” I said, “Prof. Dong said Hangzhou is a shitty city, but the city which we are working at is hell.” I am like a leave gone with the wind. Today I am in hell, and I don’t know where I will be tomorrow. This fate had been determined right after I decided to get a PhD in the US. Sad but irreversible?

Food is much tasty than food in hell.

Cheese Rice Cake

Rice Soup

Memoirs of My Life in North Carolina and NC State – Dining

2007 Fall  – 2008 Spring

 

In the first semester, I didn’t know what I can eat. There was a Food Lion within the walking distance from the apartment. I always buy frozen food and lettuce for dinner, and bread and milk for breakfast. In the university I grasped a cheese burger and fries in the Atrium food court. When I stayed in the library at night, I liked to join some Korean students to have dinner in Fountain Dining Hall, Waba or Charles’ Grilled Sub. Then I learnt there is a convenient dining option called meal plan. Across the Hillsborogh Street, there was a Chinese fast food restaurant. I didn’t understand why it was always packed with Chinese students in the lunch hour until I work in China. I lost several pounds in the first year.

 

 

 Continental breakfast warmed my heart

Low Present Value

Wednesday, Sept. 25^th, 2013

This was a frustrating afternoon. An idea which I had been thinking about for months back to the days when living in Mission Apartment didn’t work! I tried several DSGE setups and there were always problems. Then I found the main reason is either there is no clearing for a market or the issue I want to ask becomes trivial if I assign a new exogenous condition. I wrote an email to tell older Joe, my colleague and coworker in Japan, that I got stuck in the bottleneck.