Went to Minnesota to celebrate Thanksgiving with a host family that is at least 6 generations away from me. Aftermaths are interesting to reflect.

Mississipi river Mississipi river

The memories

  • Found out about packing rules of Sun Country and Spirit. Struggled a bit to pack all belongings in a school backpack. Eventually it worked.
  • (Appreciated deodorant.)
  • Spent a whole day at the Mall of America with a really nice host.
    • The host was so nice that I later gave my Fulbright hoodie to them.
    • Introduced to the world of perfume: strong smell, light smell, cinnamon, spice, etc. The smell on paper is different from on skin.
    • Introduced to guilt-free shopping and ended up buying nice clothes for the winter in America. My perception towards money was then a bit warped?
    • Tried amusement rides for the first time and got freaked out entirely.
    • Tried Greek food at “Opa!”. It was ok but dry.
  • College tour:
    • Macalester and Carleton: famous liberal arts schools that actually look pretty simple and squared.
    • St. Thomas: a Catholic school that look like beautiful churches.
    • U. of Minnesota: like an entire downtown area itself – big and pretty modern.
  • Ate good food at an El Azteca outlet.
  • Wrote in my journal “spending ones of the best days in the US so far”.

Downtown St. Paul Downtown St. Paul

  • Explored downtown St. Paul
    • Went to Science Museum of Minnesota. Actually my first time to a science museum, so pretty happy to see STEM experiments on display.
    • Ate Minnesota Wild Rice, which is a soup of chicken and some veggies that can be served in a “cup”. Embarrassedly asked my host for payment help because the restaurant did not accept ApplePay.
    • Learned about skyway (but didn’t see it), which sounds like a mall residing on the higher floors of buildings, connected by sky bridges. Basically like a market but for urban people.
    • Saw Minnehaha Falls (funny name huh?) at sunset. Surprised to see such a nice natural sight remained as a public place for trails instead of being privately owned.
  • Thanksgiving
    • The host family threw a cozy party with a ton of excellent Vietnamese food. There was also a chocolate fountain.
    • Learned to enjoy watching football.
    • I grilled chicken, “nem”, and shrimp outdoors while drinking hot coffee and talking about life. I could see my breath turned to smoke.
  • Black Friday
    • Talked with people in the host family.
    • Watched The Menu but did not heard the audio clearly.
    • Walked in a 1-mile trail at 25 degree Fahrenheit.
    • Learned to scored >100 points in a Bowling round. Played with the host family. Much fun.

Minnehaha Falls Minnehaha Falls

Some thoughts about lifestyle-building

  • I should define my own rich life, carefully.
  • Social status quo was debunked a bit. Middle-class people can be friendly and humble so that lower-class people can start feeling proud about themselves. I am rightful to be confident, friendly, and helpful.