It all happened during a weekend outing in Lawton, Oklahoma, a city southwest of Norman. Dan, then a freshman at the University of Oklahoma (OU), was invited by a friend, Pete, to stay for the weekend at his home in Lawton. Pete told Dan that his dad is a hunter, and that his family’s property has "some" land. When Dan arrived at Pete’s place, he got a tad envious seeing acres worth of fresh soil in Pete’s backyard.
Dan knew something life changing was about to happen after a brief tour of Pete’s house. It was filled with interesting artifacts such as mounted animals — imagine the sight of a bear mounted in its entirety over the ceiling — and dried pellets of animal excrement in intricately designed bowls. "What do you think of that for your room?" Pete said while pointing to a stop sign that hung gloriously on his white walls. It looked a lot larger than any stop signs that Dan has ever seen. Dan stared at him, unable to wipe off the glow from his face that screamed: "YES!" Within minutes, they were cruising in Pete’s Mitsubishi Lancer looking for a deserted road lined with traffic signs. When they finally found a suitable location, Pete swerved his car to the side of the road and put it in park. They opted for an inconspicuous look and threw on black sweaters. Then, they walked up to a stop sign with tool box in hand. Dan pried open the box, took out a screwdriver, and took a deep breath filled with determination. Pete laughed at him. He whipped out a cordless drill from the box and stuck a left-hand bit on it. With the push of the button, Pete unscrewed the plate with ease. Dan wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and looked for any sign of headlights in the distance. "Is this going to cause someone else to get into a wreck?" Dan asked while holding on to the stop sign. He tried to repress the guilt. "Those folks have lived here since before I was born," Pete said and pointed to the house that was connected to the interstate highway by the driveway. "They know they have to stop before turning onto the street. I don't think they even know a stop sign exists!" Dan was relieved upon hearing his words of reassurance. They drove back to his house that night and celebrated by eating way too many nachos. Daniel Ling is a professional writing senior at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. He left the comforts of his Singaporean home at Upper Thomson Road to study at the University of Oklahoma (OU) in 2005. His major, professional writing, encompasses education in both journalistic and commercial fiction writing. In contrast to an English degree, professional writing focuses on writing that is marketed to a broader audience. Someday, he hopes to write something that falls between the realms of literary and commercial fiction. Of all his time spent in Oklahoma, Dan appreciates the experiences he has shared with his friends the most. He remembers OU for the unique encounters he has had with individuals, learning about what is important to them and engaging in many cross-cultural activities—most of which are legal. Dan is also a food lover and an avid photographer. He hopes to document mouth-watering Singaporean food through his lenses someday. To this very day, he misses the duck rice at Long House at Upper Thomson.  Daniel Ling |
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Life in the Midwest: An Anecdote |