To everybody that has been looking into my posts,
I’m sorry I haven’t been writing lately! I’ve recently moved back into my dorm- I have tons of stories to write now. Please be patient and anticipate my next posts! They should be uploaded soon.
Zai jian!
Kris
This is me- the girl sprawled against a blue rug in a bland, chaotically disorganized, 8 by 15 sq. ft. room. I’ve got fingers tangled in my own hair, legs propped against a random assortment of school supplies, and toes tapping my bed post in time to a man’s crooning filing from my speakers. Not that I can understand him- I don’t speak Thai well enough. But the lazy love tunes are satisfying enough, haha.
Isn’t this the life?
University Commons, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
After a summer apart, we were finally reunited! She spent a good afternoon of procrastinating her chores by helping me finish mine and moving me into the dorms. She’s so amazing!
Tina, my not-really-twin, helped me carry stuff around and made fun of my dish washing skills. Then when we got to her room, she presented me with random keychains and an elephant notebook from Thailand! Afterwards, we spent the afternoon sharing stories, eating dinner, and watching Thai movies. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
University Commons, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
First it was sunny, then water was crashing down around me. Surprise! Summer flash storm.
It wasn’t there, and then it happened- in a heartbeat. In that same heartbeat, I was drenched and looking like a drowned deer. My goodness, it was such a dramatic downpour!
Yet, it was calming.
It was cool in spite of the sun’s heat. The steady pounding of the drops held quick to a steady beat; my heart mimed the melody. It was a nice accompaniment to the former silence- nice enough to dance in.
Riverdale, GA
Hello friend, I understand that you’re hundreds of miles away, but that does mean that you can tell me that you can’t live without me. We already promised to see each other again!
Hey friend, you are in Taiwan, your HOME, again. You shouldn’t be saying your life had become boring without me. Shouldn’t you be having fun with old friends?
Dear friend, you can’t call me cuter than Bambi! I may be Xiao Lu, but you calling me cute is giving the people the wrong idea. We aren’t lovers!
Dearest friend, when did you learn to be so smooth?! You only ever showed me your adorkable side. When did you learn to be this slick? When you tell me you are about to sleep, you are not supposed to reply to my “sweet dreams” with “maybe if we meet in my dreams.” How am I supposed to reply to that?!
DEAREST GEGE. WHY? YOU CAN NEVER END WITH A WO AI NI, XIAO LU. I love you, too, you greasy cheese puff, but this is too much! Gege, why are you so mean to me? Xiao Lu is not amused.
Beloved Yang Gege, please stop. I’m so done with you.
Sincerely,
Xiao Lu
Atlanta, GA / Taipei, Taiwan
There’s this toddler, a tiny, brunet thing in stripey sleeves and overalls, zooming across the room in a whirl of rapid fire Spanish gibberish. My god, he’s adorable! He whirls around the room in a swirl of uncoordinated limbs and colors. Now, he’s rolling about the floor. So cute!
An Unnamed Bank, Mount Zion, GA
On Tuesday morning, I was crowned Queen.
On Tuesday morning, the rain stopped. On Tuesday morning, the skies tasted pure on my tongue. On Tuesday morning, wisps of grey curled at the third story. On Tuesday morning, water stained every surface of the pavement. On Tuesday morning, the air weighed heavy on my shoulders, stifling me with heat. On Tuesday morning, the concrete jungle still slumbered on.
So that morning, the sidewalk was mine.
Below the skies, above the cracked lines of the pavement. Between the slabs of brick, before the street lights looming overhead. In the midst of the thinning fog, alongside dormant dreams. I wore a crown of clouds atop my head. And I became Queen of a slumbering city.
That is, until the light burst from the shifting clouds. Then, the Queen of the Sleeping became the Queen of the Conscious World and the Land became Wild.
Flashes of light streamed through the sparse canopy. The smell of the street side vendors spiral and clash, suffocating you with the scent of culinary wares of the world (I can hardly tell whether its the slicing Indian spices or the fresh blend of Italian).
I’m smitten; there’s a mix of bitter and sweet blending on my tongue given to me from the Arabic prince of cocoa. Tangy and sugar from the marketplace. Meat and spice from the bistro. And cream and chocolate from the corner store cafe. I’m quite satisfied.
From one side, a saxophone cries some mellow blues. On another, ethnic, tribal instrumentals! Before my very eyes, a trumpet toots a jaunty tunes; my ears are being assaulted.
But through it all, people of all colors weave through the sidewalk. What was once grey became a splattering of tones and shades. Busy world, busy life, busy street.
And in the middle of it all, the queen was happy. The sidewalk may not have been her’s anymore.
But she didn’t care.
Just passed Centennial Park. This street’s actually really quiet right now. I’ll explore the rest of it eventually.
There’s this place called Kwan’s Deli; its a Korean deli. They serve typical deli foods and Korean cuisine, like bulgogi, galbi, and bbibimbap. I had a Roast Beef sandwich; it was really good! Healthy.
The owners are these really nice Korean people. The father seems to work the main counter and check out, while his wife runs the kitchen. The grandfather likes to sit in the corner and people watch; he comes out and cleans with grandmother when they feel its necessary.
Kwan’s Deli, Atlanta, GA
Here’s their wordpress page: Kwan’s Deli and Korean Kitchen
On Peachtree Street, by the Aderhold building, there’s a little hole in the wall- a new, cute, little cafe-general store- souvenir shop! Its really cozy, has a Southern charm to it. My god, those deserts look so tasty! They have a really good cafe menu and I’m dying to try all of their smoothies.
The owner is a man named Hugh from Alpharetta! He’s really nice and gave me a student discount for the cookies and cream ice cream. Shared a bunch of stories over the counter. Turns out, the little shop isn’t his dream; it actually is his wife’s, Christine, who has always wanted to own something like it. Haha, its so cute!
The Letterbox, Atlanta, GA
Here’s their facebook page: The Letterbox
As always, busy hour on Broad Street! On one end, you have a saxophone player playing a rather mellow blues tune. At the other end, am I hearing Hindu? Its some sort of native Indian music, sounding really religious. One man is singing, one man has the drums, and one man looks to be playing something like a bagpipe-accordion thing. It sounds amazing, though! One street away by Woodruff Park, somebody’s playing a jazzy trumpet. Fun!
Man, its lunchtime and I’m getting hungry. Behind me, Naan Stop’s Indian is smelling all kinds of tempting. There’s pizza and sandwich stops everywhere! Tin Drum keeps trying to drag me in (my god, I need to cut down on their noodles) with their hipster atmosphere. My god, everything smells too good (Dua and their pho’s looking really good today, too…)!
I can sit here all day. Busy world, nobody’s paying me any mind. Great sounds, amazing smells…… Alright Kris, move. Find food. But man, oh man! This street is always so exciting!
Broad Street, Atlanta, GA
migratory midstep 