Boston – Yoojin Cho

24 Hours Later… and a Sincere Thank You

Finally I have some time to sit down and think about what happened at 2:50 p.m. on April 15th, 2013. The day I put in my phone’s countdown app as “MARATHON MONDAY!” The day now I will forever remember as that horrific Marathon Monday.

More than anything the last couple of days made me realize that nothing – no classes, professors or books – could have prepared me for my job, having to tell the story while everyone I love is in absolute misery in a city I love. And this is where my sincere thank you comes in. All those tweets, texts and messages kept me going, and knowing that so many people cared about not only my safety, but everyone else’s near me, I’m not sure how to express that in words.

As a Boston University alum, I still don’t understanding why this happened, and I hate that this happened. But at least now I know there are more good people out there than bad people, and that Boston doesn’t go down easy.

As soon as I heard about the twin explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street, I dropped everything and ran. No second thoughts, I just started running. Of course about .75 mile into my run, I had to admit I was in no shape to run another .5 mile, so I hopped in a cab.

But regardless of how I got there, I got there. And saw chaos.

Confused runners. Police trying to get people out of the area. Volunteers directing people away from the finish line. Families looking for their loved ones. And amidst all the fear, the chaos, the frustration, emotional reunions.

It’s hard to explain why I love Marathon Monday so much.

It’s one day that brings hundreds of thousands of people together, and the entire state shuts down, so people can go watch the race and celebrate together.

I always loved how you could stand next to a complete stranger along the marathon route and as if you’ve known each other for decades, you could cheer and laugh together. I loved how you could just scream on top of your lungs whatever sports team jersey or a state shirt the runner was wearing. Or you could even cheer for a runner who had his or her name written on their shirt in a sharpie.

And I think that’s going to be even more special next year. In fact, I’m already looking forward to Marathon Monday 2014.

This horrible tragedy killed three innocent people and injured more than 150. But it certainly didn’t break Boston’s spirits. It showed everyone around the world that Massachusetts is resilient. People love one another here. People care. People are proud of their state, and people are strong.

So here’s to this resilient city that I fell in love with six years ago.

See you at the 118th Boston Marathon.

Love That Dirty Water

How can you resist this view? Even though I now live in western Massachusetts, I frequent Boston. You know, just pretending like I still live there. There’s something about that city that makes you fall in love with every good and bad thing.

For example, the T. Now it costs $2 for a ride? Ouch. Six years ago all outbound rides were free. However when I got on that squeaky trolley, I did breathe a sigh of relief and said “Ahhh public transportation.”

Funny to think five years ago I moved to Boston thinking it’ll be my temporary home while I’m in college. Now I can’t even imagine leaving New England!

Destination: Los Angeles

Sunshine, Warmth, Food (and lots of it, too), Drinks, Friends.

All these do a perfect job describing my week in California and Nevada. For spring break, Jack and I visited our friends in Los Angeles and spent a few days in Las Vegas. Needless to say, it was incredible.

Usually after a week of vacation anywhere, I am ready to come home. This time, however, I was actually sad to hop on the red eye back to Boston.

Los Angeles rose high above my expectations. Sure it was smoggy, but the atmosphere and the weather totally won me over.

The trip involved a lot of exercise. I left dreary Boston thinking I will be laying out on a sandy beach, doing nothing and eating nonstop. The actually itinerary, however, took me hiking, biking and a lot of walking.

First day we hiked up to the Hollywood sign and spotted two celebrities – A.J. from the Office and Ravi from the League, although I was too distracted by A.J.’s adorable golden retriever to actually notice his face. But totally understandable? Right?

After the hike, we sat down for a lovely dinner at In-N-Out. After three visits in a week, I think I can proudly say I have mastered its secret menu. Let me help you out here – especially if you have never experienced the joy of biting into In-N-Out’s delicious cheeseburger.

Double-Double: Yes, for the first time in my life, I ordered a double-cheeseburger. Double patties and double cheese.
Well-Done Fries: Meaning, extremely crispy!
Animal Style: On your burger OR on your fries. I actually suggest both. Carmelized onions + cheese + secret sauce.
Neopolitan Shake: Strawberry + Vanilla + Chocolate milkshake.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it. In general though, the food in California was absolutely incredible. I consider myself a foodie – I love food; I enjoy eating; I love trying new food.

Baja-style Mexican food matched my high expectations of Mexican cuisine in general since I grew up in TX after all. English pub we tried in Santa Monica offered one of the best fish & chips I tried in the US. Even a tiny little food shack along the beach near Manhattan Beach – owned by a nice Georgia man with his homemade chicken salad recipe – was amazing.

We also biked from Santa Monica to Manhattan Beach… Long long long bike ride, but totally worth it! Sure it took all day and sure I ended up with some funny tanlines thanks to my decision to wear a blazer, but the view and simply the idea of biking right along the beach and taking in the scenery… Just, WOW.

Though LA is not a walking city, we chose the simplest mode of transportation – our legs – to see Sunset Blvd, and that wrapper up our stay in Los Angeles.

I would loooove to go back – possibly live there in the future?

(View from the Hollywood sign. Yes, it was a long hike, but totally worth it! Especially when there is a trip to in-n-out involved afterward.)

(While biking down from Santa Monica to Manhattan Beach. one day… I will be a proud owner of one of those modern, chic, fancy houses.)

(Near LAX… Alvin and the Chipmunks. Downstairs there were Sully & Mike from Monsters Inc.)

Post on VEGAS to come soon!

Quit Playing Games…

No, but seriously, quit playing games with my heart.

Dear scammers who send “job scam” e-mails to Boston University students, DON’T. A couple of days ago, I received this e-mail from College of Communication Career Center.

Subject: Beware of email employment scams

Body: Please be aware that there are a number of recent email scams that are targeting BU students. We are aware of most of these scams and have alerted the BU Police Department. If you receive a suspicious email stating that a company received your resume from “university/college career services”, and is asking for personal or financial information, do not respond! The BU Police Department has asked that all suspicious messages be forwarded to them.

Really? I personally have not received any e-mail offering me a job in exchange for my personal financial information, but simply thinking about the fact that someone out there has the guts to send out scam e-mails disguised under prospect of a job…

Imagine, you go to your inbox – usually my first stop in the morning – and you see an e-mail saying something about a job. Obviously you get excited. You open up the e-mail with extremely high hopes, only to be crushed 5 seconds later when the e-mail actually asks you for strange information, clearly indicating it is NOT a potential employer.

Devastating.

Especially as a senior with only a couple of months left in college, “job search” is an extremely sensitive topic. In this economy, trying to stay positive about post-grad life is hard. With so much uncertainty ahead of us, we do not need yet another scammer trying to take advantage. Definitely not.

All seniors out there, don’t fall for scams and keep your hopes up. We will ALL be hired soon enough… Soon enough…