Kayaking on the Potomac River
It was the first un-humid, un-sweltering day in weeks when P. and I decided to knock an adventure off our “Top 10 Things To Do This Summer” list: kayaking on the Potomac River. Oh, the gorgeous views we saw! Georgetown, the Lincoln Memorial and Roosevelt Island, a rainbow, ducks – I saw them all in a way I’d never seen them before. Still, I was disappointed to find trash floating all over the river. At first, it was just a bottle here and there. I actually picked up an empty Pepsi bottle, vowing to myself I would pick up any more trash we found. But then it became clear this task would be overwhelming. Ugh.
Find a penny, pick it up…..
Whenever I guest lecture about multimedia storytelling, I stress the importance of having a personal project. This is a story or an essay that you do for yourself, not for an editor or a professor or a publication. You do it because you’re passionate about the topic, the person, the issue, the situation, because not creating this story would leave you always wondering, “Why didn’t I do that? Why didn’t I make time for that?” A personal project allows you to be more creative, inventive and risky than you might be with an assignment. It can be a fun story or heavy story. Either way, you do a personal project because you must, because you love it. That’s all.
This has been my personal project for the last year-and-a-half: The Penny Project, the story of Leslie Stein, a woman who picks up all the change she finds on the street. In three years she’s collected hundreds of dollars and started a change-collecting movement among her friends and family. Last year she started donating the change to an organization striving to make positive changes in the lives of young women in DC.
I love this story. More to come.
(Mind you, this is just a first rough cut of the story introduction. I’m pretty set on opening with the sound of change, but beyond that I’m still thinking. Feel free to leave me thoughts and suggestions in the comments section.)
Happy birthday to Mom, August and Eun!
I threw my mom’s surprise birthday party at the beginning of May. Organizing this from afar was quite a task.
First, I had to lie to my Mom and tell her I couldn’t escape from DC for the weekend to celebrate a banner year birthday with her. In truth, I woke up early on a Saturday morning, drove down to Newport News and spent the morning of her party day picking up food from KFC, Domino’s and Mona Restaurant, a Korean restaurant that agreed to cater the bash even though they normally don’t serve such small parties. My sister and brother-in-law brought the cake and drinks.
Then, my Dad and I worked together to invite people to the party. Dad focused on church friends and I focused on Korean friends, many of whom don’t speak English. Ah, finally putting my hard-earned language skills to use for the first time in a while! I ended up leaving funny voicemails for almost everyone because no one picked up their phones. Luckily, enough people got the message and showed up.
Finally, I had to decide where to have the party. I haven’t lived in my hometown in a while and I’ve definitely never thrown a party there. I settled on the Virginia Living Museum, my niece’s favorite place to see her fishy friends Nemo and Dori (as well as furry and flying friend such as owls). Jennifer Turlington, the museum’s events coordinator, was wonderful in helping secure a party space and even coming up with the ruse for bringing my mom to the museum: why not have my Dad tell my Mom he was taking her to a flower show there? Not to knock my Dad too hard here, but I was suspicious my Mom would fall for this lie since flower shows aren’t exactly my Dad’s thing. Nevertheless, it worked. Jennifer posted a volunteer at the museum entrance. My Dad went up to the volunteer and said, “We’re here for the flower show,” which were the magic words for the volunteer to lead my parents through a side entrance, then down a path, then into a building, then down a hall into a classroom filled with all of us. Surprise!
The look on my Mom’s face was fantastic! She later said she wondered why she was being led to a “flower show” in a classroom in a building. She also said this was the best birthday she ever had.
August’s 8th birthday party in the beginning of June was a maelstrom of laughing, screaming, sugared-up kids exacerbated by a thunderstorm that led to much indoor horseplay and rowdiness. At the end, when everyone was gone and Eun and Marty were sweeping up and wiping down after their son’s celebration, they said, “See? No one ever tells you about THIS part of being a parent!” Haha! Those two crack me up.
Eun started out as my Asian American Journalists Association journalism mentor over 12 years ago. Over time we’ve become good friends to the point that I feel I’m a part of the Van Der Kim family: Eun, Marty, August and Reid (my godson). So I was thrilled to be at her 40th birthday party in mid July. The best part of the night? When Eun’s sisters-in-law appeared at the front door – they flew in from Arizona to surprise her!
Assisi, Italy
(My mom patiently waited 20 minutes while I waited for the moment above to happen so I could photograph it. Oh, what is it like to have a child so intensely interested in something you don’t care about as much? Thanks, Mom!)
Assisi was by far my favorite stop on the Catholic Extravaganza Tour with my mom. The city is a landscape photographer’s dream: untouched by modern architecture, filled with winding medieval walkways and perched on a hilltop overlooking a vast, green valley. The city’s main draw is St. Francis Basilica, the 13th-century UNESCO World Heritage site that’s the final resting place for St. Francis, who founded the Franciscans. Walking around this old town I could imagine Francis and his followers (including St. Clare, or Santa Chiara, as she’s called in Italian) spreading the Gospel, much to the consternation of some family and friends.
Most everything in Assisi closed by 7 PM, so Mom and I had plenty of time to relax. For me, that meant attending vespers, taking pictures and wandering around. For mom, that meant attending vespers or evening services at one of the half-dozen churches. Mom and I wondered how such a small city – the population is about 3,000 – could support so many churches. Do they not have the priest shortage problem we have in the US? Or is the fact that Assisi is such a global tourist destination enough for the diocese there to keep all the Assisi churches well-manned?
One of the most pleasing and surprising parts of our Assisi visit was our stay at St. Anthony’s Guest House, which is run by Franciscans (of course). I booked a room only a couple days before we arrived, expecting something a step above a hostel. Indeed, the place was sparsely furnished but oh-so comfortable, friendly and pleasant. Every morning they woke up the guests for breakfast by pumping soft classical music over the speaker system. When I visit Assisi again I’ll definitely be sleeping at St. Anthony’s.
St. Francis Basilica
The start of my obsession with Santa Chiara plaza.
Santa Chiara Church, which I consider to be the most gorgeous of the many churches in Assisi.
Flags hanging from a building near Santa Chiara plaza
Assisi as seen from Rocca Maggiore, the hilltop fortress.
Playing with light in Santa Chiara plaza.
Even the grass near a parking lot was beautiful!
This was the start of my obsession with beautiful door knockers
Tourists sitting on a wall outside St. Francis Basilica
Mom standing in a perfect ring of light in Assisi.
Assisi is the home of St. Francis, founder of the Franciscans, known for wearing sandals
Red flowers like these hang everywhere in Assisi.
Sunset at Santa Chiara plaza
St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
I didn’t expect the avenue leading to St. Peter’s Basilica to be lined with palm trees.
Outdoor climbing in Carderock, Maryland
After one year of intermittent indoor climbing, Angie and I climbed outdoors for the first time last month, in Carderock, Maryland (she’s wearing the grey shirt, I’m wearing the orange shirt). Oh, the vertical maze of tiny, rough and random footholds in real rocks vs climbing walls! I learned that I have to trust myself and my body. This is harder than you might imagine when you’re 15 feet up, clinging to the side of a rock, balancing on three toes on a small, jutting pebble and desperately scanning the seemingly-flat rock surface for another small, jutting pebble that spells salvation because it just might make a fabulous next step. “I don’t know where to go next. Can you help me?” was my oft-repeated request to folks on the ground. I slipped and slid many times. And I learned I’m not as brave as I thought I was, thus the yelling whenever I slipped and slid, and then the giving up a couple times before I made it to the top. Still, I enjoyed the challenge – and the fresh air – and look forward to climbing outdoors again.
Mom, the world traveler, in Paris
Doesn’t my Mom look so cute in this picture? This is as close* as she and I got to famous Paris monuments during what I’ve dubbed our “Catholic Extravaganza Tour,” a 2+ week adventure through pilgrimage sites in France, Italy and Germany. At this point in the journey – the beginning, that is – my Mom was still oh-so willing to let me photograph her. By the end, she was tired of her personal paparazzi. But hey! She now has some of the most awesome and candid vacation shots ever. I’ll be sharing more of them over the next couple weeks.
*We had planned to use our five-hour layover in Paris to venture into the city for lunch. But Air France didn’t cooperate with us. Our flight left DC late and we had just enough time in Paris to transfer from one airport to another, where we caught our next flight.
Go, Go, Gadget!
What could be more fun than an all-afternoon trivia romp and scavenger hunt around DC’s famous and obscure sights? That’s exactly what I said to myself when I saw the ad for DC Challenge a couple months ago. So with help from friends and friends of friends, we cobbled a team together – Team Go, Go, Gadget! – and off we ran through downtown DC (with about 2,000 other trivia fiends) this past Saturday. The only rules were we had to use only our feet or public transportation and we had to take a photograph of the WHOLE team at each trivia location.
We searched for answers to clues such as: People say that the word “lobbying: comes from favor-seekers hanging out in this hotel’s lobby. It shares a name with a longtime NBC Today Show personality. Take a picture inside (if they don’t get sick of Challengers running through) or just outside.
Know the answer to that one? We didn’t. Tony and Ben researched the answer on their phones while the rest of us guessed aloud. The Couric Hotel? The Lauer Lounge? Ann Curry Motel? Thank god for iPhones and Blackberries, which gave us the answer: the Willard Hotel. And so we all ran over to the Willard Hotel, where a bemused employee to take a picture of us in the lobby. And you know what we found out? The scavenger hunt organizers didn’t tell the hotel – or anyone else/place on our clue list – that oh, 2,000 sweaty people might be dropping by on Saturday afternoon to snap a photograph.
Eleven clues, a few miles and almost three hours after we started, we crossed the finish line. It was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon!
Cooking Korean food
Last weekend my Mom came to visit and taught me how to cook 멸치 볶음 (myulchi bokkeum), which is anchovies lightly friend in sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and a small bit of maple syrup. I’m getting more into cooking and hope my mom will teach me how to create more Korean dishes.
Digging out from the snowstorm
Washington DC is finally starting to dig out from back-to-back snowstorms – and I’m finally getting out and about again. Last night around 6:30 pm, after almost three full days cooped up inside, I just had to get out. I bundled up, called my friend Allison and told her I was walking over to her house. The first thing I saw when I walked outside was a man shoveling snow off his car by standing on his car (picture above).
Today I worked out of my office for the first time all week. I actually ran to work because 1) I figured it would be faster than the Metro, which is running trains few and far between and 2) I wanted to see what the city looks like. Washington DC looks beautiful! Like a white maze. In the afternoon I trekked to our roof to take a picture of the intersection of 16th St. and K St. (picture below). You can see the White House and the Washington Monument in the distance.
Women Photojournalists of Washington
My dear friend Abby at the Women Photojournalists of Washington exhibit opening at Honfleur Gallery in early November (I know – this post is way overdue!)
Miss Allison, photographer extraordinaire and super running buddy!
After the gallery opening, Jenna, Amanda and I took off to photograph as part of FOTOweek DC’s late-night photo contest. A few dozen Native Americans from across the United States set up teepees on the Mall to bring attention to their request for a Native American veterans day.
Crawling through the grass for a shot.
Amanda in “The Blair Witch Photo Project,” as Jenna said.
Warming up with jazz at Columbia Station in Adams Morgan.
Jenna’s happy with her late-night Jumbo Slice (which later fueled dancing at Madam’s Organ.)
Family history: Dad
Last month my parents cleaned out my grandpa’s house in Missouri and found a few sets of my Dad’s childhood clothing in perfect condition. What a dapper kid!
I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll still not be able to blow your (solar) house down
BeauSoleil, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette’s entry into the Solar Decathlon competition in Washington DC
Imagine a completely self-sufficient house strong enough to withstand another Hurricane Katrina. Students at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette did imagine it — and then built it with locally-available materials and solar technology. This year their house — named BeauSoleil, “sunshine” in Cajun French — is part of the Solar Decathlon competition in Washington DC, where it is on display with 19 other 100% solar-run homes built by university students from around the world.
According to a recent survey commissioned by the Solar Energy Industries Association, 92% of Americans think it’s important for the United States to develop solar technologies. About half are currently thinking of adding solar options to their homes or businesses. This means homes like the BeauSoleil potentially have a market in the U.S.
Gretchen Lacombe-Vanicor, the BeauSoleil team project manager, told a crowd waiting to tour the home that every student who helped design BeauSoleil felt a strong, personal attachment to the project: they’re all Louisiana natives and many experienced Katrina. Building a home that would still be standing after a Category 5 hurricane was of tantamount importance to them, she said. Also important? Using locally-available materials, such as cypress wood, running the home on solar power (39 solar panels, to be exact) and creating a home design that reflected Cajun culture’s emphasis on family, friends and food (gumbo, to be exact.)
I visited the BeauSoleil with a friend on Saturday, and while the building and design are beautiful, I wonder how feasible the house is as a mass-produced home. The BeauSoleil website says this home would cost between $120,00o to $150,000. That’s not bad but the house is small at under 800 square feet (per Solar Decathlon rules) and felt even smaller due to inefficient use of space. Despite several windows that faced south, the BeauSoleil was not bright. Even if a potential consumer were incredibly motivated to buy a 100% solar-powered home, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette team would likely have to make a few changes to the house for it to be marketable.
The BeauSoleil and other Solar Decathlon homes will be open for free tours again from Oct. 15-18.
Inside the BeauSoleil
People touring the BeauSoleil look up at the ceiling. My friend Bobbie DiPasquale is in the center of the picture.
Cajun welcome mat
Small flower and herb garden built into the BeauSoleil’s siding
The BeauSoleil reflected in a pool of plants indigenous to Louisiana
Note: A slightly different version of this post also appears on the Planet Forward-George Washington University blog page.
Dancing somewhere between Jingpohu and Yanji, China
Everyone jostled their way out of the bus and spread out in an empty dirt parking lot in the waning twilight. The bus driver cranked up a CD of dance music. I suddenly realized all the Yaemi Hanbok employees were going to dance. And this after a four-hour bus ride to Jingpohu (a national park in Heilongjiang province) that started at 4am and 10 hours spent walking and hiking and wandering and eating and playing. Even Yaemi Hanbok founder Ryu Sung-ok in her pink company t-shirt joined the dance. I thought this was some spontaneous exertion but Johanna found out the factory workers start their work day with 30 minutes of dancing whenever possible, led by the girl above wearing white. Although I’m sure something like this wouldn’t fly in the US, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Certainly, it was an interesting way to end a company picnic.
Vivi and Giovanni in National Airport
There I was, about to eat a fig bar before catching my flight to Boston at Reagan National Airport in DC, when a couple asked me to photograph them with their iPhone. Giovanni was heading to Miami. Maybe Vivi was going with him? I don’t remember. I do remember their lovely meeting story (I collect them, after all) but I won’t share it here because I don’t have permission. Vivi and Giovanni exuded happiness and playfulness and love and optimism. They were just so fun to photograph! I’m glad we crossed paths for a few minutes on Friday. Bonus realization from this impromptu shoot: National Airport is a fantastic location for engagement and wedding pictures.
