Week 11 in the US — A Birthday in America
Week 11. Wait, did I have an exam this week?
Going back through my past entries, I was surprised all over again.
Separately, I really think starting this record was one of the best things I’ve done.
Because I’m sure that, looking back, these will be precious times I’m grateful for.
Day 1 — Oct 12 (Mon) · Genes Exam 1
This was the week my first rotation finally came to an end. Because of that, a Rotation Wrap-up talk was scheduled for Friday, the last day of the rotation, and I was pretty on edge preparing for it.
On top of that, Genes had its first exam just two weeks after the course started.
…
Honestly, the exam was really easy. If you’d gone over the past exam questions, you could get through it without trouble.
Feeling a lot lighter, I left the exam room and headed to the lab. For most students, this was probably the time to say a final goodbye before moving on to the next lab after their first rotation.
Not for me. I wanted to do research in this lab no matter what, so I chose to do both my first and second rotations in this same lab, under different PIs. Whether it turns out to help or hurt, I don’t know, but it did seem to work for making my determination clear to the lab.
After lunch, I grabbed a quick takeout coffee to celebrate finishing the exam. And I finally tried to pay for the Claude Max plan I’d been putting off! Although, after paying, I kept getting a message saying it couldn’t be processed because of sensitive information, got fed up, and refunded it right away.
Maybe it’s still too early. It led me to think I could upgrade later, once I get more value out of AI and actually feel like I’m running out of tokens.
… Or will I end up putting it off again?
Day 2 — Oct 13 (Tue) · Fall Is Shopping Season
Fall means shopping, doesn’t it? Texas was finally leaving summer weather behind and actually starting to feel like crisp fall,
and the shopping urge hit me immediately.
I’d wanted a Barbour coat for a long time and had been browsing Marketplace, found a coat that looked to be in good shape and reached out, and the same seller was also selling an RRL western flannel shirt I’d really wanted, so I said I’d take both!
Of course, all this happened after class, after research in the lab, after I’d left for the day.
…
Anyway, to buy the clothes, I drove 40–50 minutes to a town called Richardson.
The seller had a great beard, and we were chatting away in English when he suddenly asked, “Are you Korean?” (in Korean), which surprised me.
I’d sort of guessed from his name, but his English was so fluent that I hadn’t expected Korean at all.
Anyway, we happily switched to chatting in Korean, and I bought the clothes along with his promise to contact me first the next time he sells RRL. And they were in such amazing condition — I think I really scored.
Then I went to my favorite burger place nearby, Chick-fil-A, and it was so crispy and delicious — no, not every Chick-fil-A is the same Chick-fil-A. (It varies wildly location by location.)
There was a great-looking park right in front of the restaurant, so I took a walk around it to settle my stomach.
It looked like a really nice neighborhood to live in. There were lots of families inside the Chick-fil-A, and the park was so well laid out that I wanted to come back for a run next time.
Where you live really does shape a huge part of your life.
Day 3 — Oct 14 (Wed) · Red Wing
American fashion starts from three questions:
- Where did it come from? College, the workplace, the military, the West, sports, the street, etc.
- What are its design features? Material, silhouette, color, details, etc.
- How is it interpreted today? Classic, Amekaji, heritage, street, etc.
What I’m into is a mix of American heritage and contemporary streetwear — put simply, clothes that are comfortable and functional, with history and authenticity behind them.
For example, an RRL flannel shirt carries the heritage of a historic brand like Polo while holding its own on function and comfort as a traditional button-up, and a Barbour Bedale coat carries British heritage while having been developed as riding wear, so function and heritage coexist.
At the same time, I also like brands like Stüssy, which can’t be classified as heritage. Heritage doesn’t just mean a brand is old — it’s used in the sense of carrying on traditional designs or ways of making things from the past.
Of course, Stüssy sometimes puts out workwear or vintage-style pieces that lean into some heritage. The world of fashion is complicated.
…
Anyway, looking at the state of my closet, I felt I needed a pair of shoes to wear with it all. I’d been thinking about getting a pair of Red Wing boots for a while, so I visited the store.
But the 8111 I was looking for wasn’t in stock. (Looking at the outfits AI put together for me, the 8111 was a perfect match!)
Still, the staff told me that if it wasn’t urgent, I should wait until Black Friday or Thanksgiving, saying there’d be big sales.
I turned around disappointed and headed to H-mart with a Japanese friend for the rest of the plan: grocery shopping. We shopped hard, then had a great time over dinner at a delicious seolleongtang place.
The pa-kimchi and pickled onions were a work of art.
Day 4 - Oct 15 (Thu) · Texas State Fair for My Birthday!
To be precise, we didn’t go to celebrate my birthday. Here’s what happened.
Originally, the whole lab was going to the Texas State Fair together last Thursday, October 8. But another event was scheduled that day, so we had no choice but to push it back a week — which happened to be my birthday!
That’s right. The real reason I’d bought clothes in such a hurry was to get ready for this day. I’d bought a western flannel shirt to match the vibe of the Texas State Fair, and while I sadly didn’t manage to get leather boots, I joined the fair in an outfit I was pretty happy with.
Right at the entrance, a giant figure that seemed to symbolize Texas greeted us. It was a weekday afternoon, so it was fairly quiet, and we all properly enjoyed the Texas State Fair together!
We started with a simple Piggy Race. Cute little piglets race each other, and each section is assigned 1/2/3/4 so you cheer for the pig with your number. In the final race, our pig #4 came in first and we cheered like crazy!
And of course, there had to be drinks. I think I had three beers that day alone.
We snacked on delicious corn dogs and Fried Oreos (they’re pretty famous in the US), and then — we came all this way, we have to ride something! — we all got on a ride called the Kraken.
It looks really low in the photos, but in reality it swings up past 90 degrees — an insane level of difficulty. I thought the corn dog was going to come back up after that..
Then, right before everyone headed home, I confessed to the gang (my labmates): today was actually my birthday!
They asked why I was only telling them now, and all wished me a happy birthday together. Thanks to them, I think I had the very best birthday.
When I got home, there was a letter I hadn’t seen before. It was from my girlfriend, sent from Korea.
Always cheering me on from far away, buying me gifts, and even sending a letter — she’s truly precious to me. I’m always living with gratitude.
Day 5 - Oct 16 (Fri) · Birthday Dinner!
Naturally, a birthday isn’t something you only get to enjoy for one day.
My Rotation talk was scheduled for today, so I couldn’t fully relax and have fun, but once I finally got through the talk, I felt so, so at ease.
I got lots of questions, interest, and encouragement, and even though two months was a short time, I definitely felt it was worth it. After an experience like that, you naturally want to throw yourself into research even more.
To be honest, I could have skipped the talk if I’d wanted to, but I felt I wouldn’t gain anything by just avoiding it, so I chose to face it head-on, and while I regretted it for a few days, the moment I finished I thought it was a really good choice.
Going forward, whenever I’m torn about whether to do something, I want to lean toward doing it. As long as circumstances allow, that is.
…
Anyway, having finished the talk successfully (?), I went out for a delicious dinner with my Korean friends.
Crispy onion rings, ceviche, a gorgeous steak, and wine — the best dinner. They insisted you have to have cake on your birthday, so a slice of cake for dessert made it perfect.
And then I got gifts I never saw coming. I’ve been getting really into fragrance lately, and somehow my friends knew — they’d prepared a Jo Malone room spray and a Yankee Candle for me.
Thanks to them, I can now live surrounded by cozy, lovely scents at home too, and I was so grateful. On top of the gifts, they insisted on covering dinner among themselves.
I hope I can pay it back with an even better memory for the next birthday in this group.
Day 6 - Oct 17 (Sat) · Fall Comes to Texas Too
It was the best weather since I arrived in Texas. A cool breeze — perfect for being outdoors. It was fall.
I was busy from the morning, heading straight out for the outdoor run I’d been putting off. Why did I only find out about the Katy Trail now.. From now on I should go run whenever the weather’s nice.
“Happiness is not a destination but a way of traveling”, Caroline Rose Hunt I remember there was a sculpture with this quote beside the trail as I ran.
Since coming to the US, I feel like I’m slowly learning what rest and breathing room are, and what kind of energy comes out of them.
After a car wash, I headed to Carrollton for a haircut. I was really happy with my last cut at Wish Hair, so I went back, and it was a success again.
No matter what service you get, they always offer you a drink, and the coffee was pretty good. Unless something comes up, I’ll keep going here.
Then, going out! Actually, this cohort (my classmates) has a whopping seven Koreans.
Excluding the second-generation one, that’s six, and one of them is in a completely different program so we rarely cross paths, which leaves five — and four of us go out together pretty much every week or every other week.
Today, all five of us, including the remaining one, decided to get K-BBQ for dinner. Before dinner, the four of us who always hang out went to a lake nearby.
A lake in Texas? Sure enough, it was man-made, but the view was incredible. It seemed like a popular spot where families come to grill meat.
After checking out the lake, there was a big fishing supply store nearby, so we all browsed around.
I’ve only been fishing once, when I was very young, so I didn’t know much, but two of my friends are into fishing, so I thought it’d be fun to all go fishing together sometime. Anything new is welcome!
Then, delicious K-BBQ. Honestly, it was good by the standard of eating in Texas; by Korean standards, I don’t think it was all that great.
For dessert we had simple taiyaki-shaped ice cream at Somisomi, and then everyone headed home.
Day 7 - Oct 18 (Sun) · Back to the Constant
The rotation ended, and I got birthday wishes from so many friends. I really couldn’t have asked for a happier time.
But a new rotation starts next week. And birthdays only come once a year. Time to get back to being me!
I diligently caught up on laundry and cleaning, then left the cool weather behind and headed to the gym. (Meanwhile, the student center was decorated beautifully, as always.)
And that’s how I wrapped up this week.
Week 11 in the US, my first birthday in a foreign land.
It was such a happy birthday that all my worrying seems silly now. The Rotation talk I’d been dreading went well too,
and every worry turned out to be for nothing.
I used to worry a lot, get anxious easily, and overthink the future, but now that I’m absorbed in the PhD itself, I don’t really mind much else.
Right now my only goal is to finish my PhD safely and well! If I keep filling it with weeks of stories made up of day after day, I’ll find myself at the end before I know it.
I need to make that time count — enjoying and learning as much as I can.