Article I (June 11, 1998)
Hello!
I am Chi-Kun Tong and so glad that you are browsing my homepage.
Right now, I am a graduate student in New York City, one of the most fantastic city in the world. You know what! When I first arrived in this city, I felt sick about everything.
Three year ago, upon arriving JFK airport, my father, my wife and I hailed a cab to midtown Manhattan. The driver charged us US$100 (it usually costs US$35 - US$40). After arriving in a very small hotel, Howard Johnson, located on Park Avenue, we got a very small room. Right after that, we found there was just a dead cockroach on the ground of the bathroom. We were so upset. Looking down the dark street, my wife and I felt so unhappy that me made such a terrible choice.
My sister called me next morning and asked me about the feeling toward USA since that was the first time for me to come to this country, I told her "This is such a terrible place and I don't like it at all." Then she comforted me "New York doesn't represent America, come to California and you will know what America is."
Everything was not all right for the first week, but things were changing. When I first saw Metropolitan Museum, I was fascinated by the splendors in the museum. My school invited every new graduate students seeing Broadway show "Les Miserable". I was so excited that an opera can be performed by this way. Until attending a concert of Peer Gynt suit played by New York Philharmonic in Lincoln Center with only US$5, I felt that I had been fallen in love with this city, so had my wife.
I have been spending four years searching treasures in this city, but haven't finished it because the whole city is like a dream and a big museum, you cannot catch everything. During the past four years, I experienced a lot of things which are impossible to be experienced in other place, saw a lot of performances which are difficult to see elsewhere. However, the most important thing I would like to say is that "Thanks God because you brought me here.""
Article II  May 25, 1999
        I went to Italy and Rome in May.  It was a fantastic tour and I would like to share my personal experience with you guys.   I also wanted to compare three famous cities: New York, Paris and Rome.  It might be helpful for those who are interested in traveling.
        I don't want to talk too much about the buildings, museums, relics or scenery in Paris and Rome because you can find all the information and pictures from  books.  I would rather to spend more time to tell you how I feel about these places.
        When you walk on the European streets, you will feel it is very different from the United States, except New York.  In United States, small shops are getting more and more difficult to survive because chain stores are dominating most of the markets.  Even in New York, small stores are getting more and more difficult. (Did you see the movie: You've got mail?).  In most of the cities in United States, you have to go to shopping malls to buy the things you need.  It's quite convenient, but very boring because every mall looks very similar and sells the same things.  In the malls, you always find the same chain stores like McDonalds, Blockbuster, JC Penny, Barns & Noble.  You really don't have too many options.  However, this situation doesn't happen in Europe.  Most of the shops have their styles and people love to go shopping there.  Those shops can survive without difficulty, unlike similar shops in the United States. USA is getting more and more boring.
        After comparing the subway system among New York, Paris and Rome, you will find the Paris subway system is the best.  It's cleaner and more networking than the New York subway system.    In Rome, there are only two subway lines underground because they always found some relics or old buildings when they tried to build subway lines.  In addition, the transportation between airport and the downtown are both good in Rome and Paris, but not in New York.  There are trains running between airports and downtown in Paris and Rome.  In New York, you have to take buses or taxis to go to the airports.
        In the subways of New York, Paris and Rome, it's very easy to find people playing music instruments either on the train or platforms.  I think the Italian ones are the most skillful among the three.  I have even met a guy playing Paganini on a train and asked for money.  It was really an amazing performance.
        In Italy, I saw enormous number of Japanese tourists, much more than in Paris.  Taiwanese tourists are common, but not so often as Japanese tourists. Almost all of the tourists from Asia I saw in France and Italy joined organized tours.  People from western countries either toured themselves or joined organized tours.  Most of the tourists from United States travel on their own.  I think Asian tourists are more dependent on the travel agencies than people from western countries.
        The living quality in Rome is only a little bit better than in Taipei.  The streets are narrow and the motorcycles are everywhere.  The cars and motorcycles drive crazily and don't allow walkers to go through the streets if there is no traffic light.  The streets in Paris are wider than in Rome, and some of them are wider than in New York.  In Rome and Paris, it is very easy to get lost because the arrangement of the streets is very irregular.  In New York, you cannot get lost.
        Italian and French food are definitely fantastic.  However, you can enjoy similar food in New York too.  If you really want to enjoy cheaper and authentic French food, New Orleans is a better place than New York or Paris because the food there is authentic and much cheaper than in New York and Paris.  Having Italian food in Rome is more expensive than in New York. Since I am very familiar with French and Italian restaurant in New York and don't know too much about the famous restaurants in Paris and Rome, it may be unfair to compare them.  Regarding desserts, you can have very good Italian desserts in New York as in Rome, but cannot have very good French desserts in New York  (The best one on 3rd Ave., 75th St. just finished its business half a year ago).  You have to go to New Orleans to have this kind of desserts.  The advantage of having desserts in Rome and Paris is that you can easily find good Italian and French deserts there, but not in New York.
        Before coming to France, several friends told me that French people don't like to speak English even they know how to do. They speak French with you even they know you don't understand French.  In my personal experience, it was not the case.   They like to choose proper language to talk to you.  I met another tourist from Taiwan who also got the same feeling.  I asked an old Chinese French about this situation and he said that French people are changing recently and more and more people in France are willing to learn English than before.  They know the importance of becoming internationalized.
        Ladies in Paris are the most beautiful among the three cities, Rome is ranked second.   However, Italian girls dressed up so well that Paris and New York girls cannot compare with.  The difference is so obvious that even my father, who doesn't care too much about woman's dressing, noticed that.
        I was unable to visit museums in Paris because of the museum strikes.  Several museums in Paris were on strike and I couldn't see the exhibition of most of the museums.  People told me it was common in France. Since I didn't join an organized tour and were with my father, I changed my schedule and spent my last morning in the Museum of Louvre even my flight would depart at 1:00PM on that day.  Thanks for the convenient trail transportation, I was in Louvre 11:30AM and arrived at the airport before 12:40PM.
        The above paragraphs are just my personal opinion.  Different people may have different observation.  Welcome to share your experience with us.
Letter to my friends, Sep 13, 2001
Dear Friends:


 Thank you so much for your concern.  I just stayed at home for these days and the internet was disconnected at home until today.   That's why I cannot send E-mail to you at the first time.  Yes,  I am fine although still can't calm down.  My days after this carnage will be changed forever.

 Sep. 10, 2001, 8:20PM I took the PATH train from Manhattan to Newport, a riverside station and the first stop in New Jersey from New York downtown.  When walking out of the station, I looked at the twin towers as I always did and found such beautiful buildings were brighter than any other nights.   I planned to bring some moon cakes and coffees to the river bank park to enjoy them with my wife in the moon cake festival.  We will be watching the night skyline of New York as what we did last year.  I could never imagine it was the last time in my life to see the intact twin towers.

 On Sep. 11, 2001, 9:10AM, while watching television, I knew the World Trade Center had been hit by two airplanes.  I didn't sense a bigger disaster was going to happen.  How innocent I was? Walking out of my apartment, I saw the twin towers burning just across the Hudson River.  What came to my mind was the firefighters might put off the fire and the buildings need time to be recovered.  After taking PATH train from Newport to 9th Street station (Greenwish Village), all the MTA subway system had been shut down and the PATH train stopped all service.  The PATH train I took was probably the last one going to Manhattan that morning.    While walking on 6th Avenue around 10th Street and was wondering how to get home,  I suddenly heard people screaming, shouting and crying on the street.   As I turned my head toward the World Trade Center north tower, it collapsed in front of my eyes, just about one mile away.  I didn't realize it was crashing until about 20 seconds later because I was too shocked to think.  I couldn't believe what I saw and thought it was a dream.  After a lady standing next to me told me she was in that building one hour ago and started crying, I realized the collapsing was real.  There were thousands of people, including rescue teams working in these two buildings.  I couldn’t imagine how they could escape when the buildings came down.  I started crying.

 I had nowhere to go, just sat on the street listening to the radio as many people did.  I tried to  donate my blood, but the line was too long and they need O type blood.  Upon coming home in the evening, it was reported that about 300 firefighter and 90 policemen were missing.  I am afraid they are permanently missing.

 From Taiwan news, I know there is a new computer game coming out, called "Blast 911" because of this event.  On the subway back to home from Manhattan that evening, I saw four Taiwanese students talking about the hitting of the twin towers, on the country to the mood of other passengers on the train, they seem to be irrelevant to this event.  One of them said his friend told her he must be important because the first day he came to New York, New York and DC got hit, they all laughed at once.  I don’t know how these people can have attitude like this.  Imagine there is a game called "earthquake "921", how do we feel?

 The World Trade Center, the place I used to switch subway, buy newspapers and books, is gone forever.  My life will also be changed forever, at least spiritually.

911 and me