30 May 2009
my dreams before I forget them
I am in North Korea. They are holding a celebration of some kind for their beloved leader, and to commemorate their nuclear weapons testing. The festival is huge and glamorous and they have exotic fruits like mangos and strawberries that I wonder about. How did they get there? The street vendor has an icy smile.
Somehow the colors are vibrant, like a Chinese New Year. People dress up in costume. Am I insane? I guess I've never been here before and I walk around writing things down in my mind while over the loudspeaker spoke Korean and an English Translation by Michel Norris talk about the history of this wonderful nation.
I see my aunt and uncle and grandmother. I run to them surprised but when I opened my mouth no Chinese came out. They barely recognize me. My cousin is there too. He starts a chant
"Kim Jong Il!" And everyone would reply:
"Kim Jong Il!"
"Kim Jong Il!"
"Kim Jong Il!"
And screaming and shouting and clapping and everywhere there is noise as thick as the hot summer air. How did I get there? I am about to tell my family I somehow got a free weekend pass when a tall, lanky Korean man comes to face my cousin. The man has long hair. His beige button-up doesn't look very proletariat, I think. Glasses and leather shoes, he could snap in half if he leans down any lower, staring at my cousin, nose to nose. My cousin's mischievous smile responds look for look. When the tall man turns to look at me, I am ashamed and I look at my feet. He laughs, walking away.
"Dont pretend, we know", he says.
I walk along a hallway with my cousin I hadn't seen for a year. I want to tell him everything, but on the loudspeaker, Michel Norris started to talk about recipes and food.
"So, tell me about this dish, what's in it?"
I look at my cousin, I try to ask,
"Are you understanding this?"
I wake up to the radio. It is about a lentils recipe, under $5, the interviewer was Michel Norris. Bryce was listening to npr while I was asleep.
"Did they talk about North Korea?"
"Yeah, but that was about three minutes ago."
Somehow the colors are vibrant, like a Chinese New Year. People dress up in costume. Am I insane? I guess I've never been here before and I walk around writing things down in my mind while over the loudspeaker spoke Korean and an English Translation by Michel Norris talk about the history of this wonderful nation.
I see my aunt and uncle and grandmother. I run to them surprised but when I opened my mouth no Chinese came out. They barely recognize me. My cousin is there too. He starts a chant
"Kim Jong Il!" And everyone would reply:
"Kim Jong Il!"
"Kim Jong Il!"
"Kim Jong Il!"
And screaming and shouting and clapping and everywhere there is noise as thick as the hot summer air. How did I get there? I am about to tell my family I somehow got a free weekend pass when a tall, lanky Korean man comes to face my cousin. The man has long hair. His beige button-up doesn't look very proletariat, I think. Glasses and leather shoes, he could snap in half if he leans down any lower, staring at my cousin, nose to nose. My cousin's mischievous smile responds look for look. When the tall man turns to look at me, I am ashamed and I look at my feet. He laughs, walking away.
"Dont pretend, we know", he says.
I walk along a hallway with my cousin I hadn't seen for a year. I want to tell him everything, but on the loudspeaker, Michel Norris started to talk about recipes and food.
"So, tell me about this dish, what's in it?"
I look at my cousin, I try to ask,
"Are you understanding this?"
I wake up to the radio. It is about a lentils recipe, under $5, the interviewer was Michel Norris. Bryce was listening to npr while I was asleep.
"Did they talk about North Korea?"
"Yeah, but that was about three minutes ago."
26 May 2009
Congratulations! lai is boring
Karen: I need sleeping pills
Lai: you need a boring movie
Karen: nn.
Lai: you sound like you're almost there, though.
Karen: I'm faking it. Oh I know. you should read me GRE words.
Lai: haha. Ok. How about denigrate?
Karen: What?
Lai: Denigrate? probably has to do with lowering the status of a person. Or something. Like that other word relegate.
Tina: Oh.
Lai: Hm. How about hegemony? Maybe that'll be on the GRE.
(20, 30 seconds later)
...and that would be an example of hegemony, or a hegemonic system.
Lai: Karen?
Karen: nn.
Tina: That did it.
Lai: you need a boring movie
Karen: nn.
Lai: you sound like you're almost there, though.
Karen: I'm faking it. Oh I know. you should read me GRE words.
Lai: haha. Ok. How about denigrate?
Karen: What?
Lai: Denigrate? probably has to do with lowering the status of a person. Or something. Like that other word relegate.
Tina: Oh.
Lai: Hm. How about hegemony? Maybe that'll be on the GRE.
(20, 30 seconds later)
...and that would be an example of hegemony, or a hegemonic system.
Lai: Karen?
Karen: nn.
Tina: That did it.
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