A Person without Home - Homeless person

I recently read a Thai essay about a person without home by Roundfinger (นิ้วกลม) facebook page and it made me realize how similar the idea was with my own idea even though I have not ever properly written it out. So, I want to use this opportunity to write about my value of home, places to sleep and traveling.

During the summer or winter break that I spent in the states, people often ask me like why I did not go home or how long I have been away from home. In the course of three and a half years I live in US (as of 1/2014), I went home twice. My first time was after graduating from high school in North Carolina and my second time was about three weeks after my second year of college.

So, why didn't I go home?

Mansueto Library of the University of Chicago (not my home, but I did spend a lot of time in there)

Ryerson Astronomical Society (RAS) in 1950s

As a science major student, I always learned about history of science, specifically physics and astrophysics. For example, Galileo created the first telescope, or Newton invented Newton's three laws of motion, then Einstein found Relativity that contradicted with almost everything Newton said. "Why do we have to learn Newton's three laws then?" I often asked myself why they have to teach about the history of science since it will never help me solve Schrödinger equation equations or any physics equations.

It is not until I learned that these discoveries did not happen far away from where my classes are that I realized how amazing it felt to be a part of the big community of science. Milikan's oil drop experiment occurred in the basement of where I took my first-year Calculus, or Enrico Fermi engineered the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction happened at the library where I often cramped my final exam studies until the last minute. 

Prof. Vandervoort gave a talk on the history of RAS on 1/27/2014

On Top of Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

Downtown from the top of Rockefeller Memorial Chapel 

     Rockefeller Memorial Chapel is one of the most interesting building on campus at the University of Chicago with a single tall tower. I always wish that I have a chance to climb up to the top of the tower.
     Finally, that chance did come to me during the summer. I went to the top of the tower and was amazed by the scene of Downtown Chicago from this far away. The Willis tower is the main focus of this view unlike the scene near the lake that Willis tower is often at the left side of the photo, emphasizing how spectacular this building is.
    The photo also captures a sculpture of Thomas à Kempis, a canon regular of the late medieval period, located at the West side of the tower.

Mansueto Library

Mansueto Library at the end of winter

     This photo is one of my favorite photos that I have taken. Outsider might think that this is a spacecraft or some sort of alien aircrafts while students might just enjoy studying here during final exams. But it is something more than a reading space for students or a spaceship for others. Underneath this building is a solution of how we keep all books until UChicago’s libraries become one of the libraries with the most books in the country. The solution is "Robotic Cranes”

     Thousands of books lies underneath this building and robotic cranes help carrying those books up to the surface for people who want them. The software has to be very precise otherwise we will not be able to find them among other thousands books underground. That is how crazy this crazy-looking building is.

Mansueto Library in white

Joe and Rika Mansueto Library with snow during winter at Chicago

     The weather that day was pretty bad. Snow storm came to Chicago, but some people were excited about this because they all think that this should be time for snow and winter to come to Chicago eventually. January without the whiteness of snow isn't something familiar here at all. However, less than a week after this, all snow was melt and everything become green again as if the winter will never come this year. Everyone still wait for winter, so that they will enjoy spring much more.

Chicago, IL

Gerald Ratner Athletics

Gerald Ratner Athletics Center, University of Chicago

I was going to the bus stop in order to catch a bus to go to Carl Segan Day in downtown. Before getting to the bus stop, I looked at this moment and had to stop and capture this photo. It was an amazing moment.