Queens College senior and world traveler Daniel Kong, (l.), navigates the Oman desert astride a camel during his semester abroad in the college\u2019s new Arabic language program in Muscat.<\/strong><\/p>\nDaniel Kong\u2019s passport is stamped with adventure. Of Korean heritage, the Queens College senior, raised in Buenos Aires, came north to New York six years ago. A psychology major now in his senior year, Kong stepped out of college to spend 2008 in Korea to further his language skills. Long intrigued by a fourth language, in January he flew to Muscat for QC\u2019s new Arabic language program in the Sultanate of Oman.<\/p>\n
This Arabian peninsula country is \u201ca hidden paradise with amazing and unforgettable people, all so nice, so ridiculously nice,\u201d Kong discovered. \u201cOman is still the countryside of the world. They don\u2019t have all the neuroticism we have in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Oman\u2019s capital, Kong and three other QC students resided at an apartment hotel, where they pooled talents to cook some meals. \u201cYou just improvise, and something good comes out of it,\u201d notes this fan of Argentinean cuisine. The hotel owner\u2019s son offered them cars to use, accompanied them to the souks and supermarkets, and often picked up the check, Kong recalls in admiration. After a day\u2019s classes, the students relaxed at a nearby beach. For their first weekend, they planned an excursion in a traditional boat.<\/p>\n
Kong\u2019s CV rivals his passport. He has been a Spanish interpreter for a United Nations committee and an assistant photographer for a Miss Korea competition. For three years at an uncle\u2019s funeral home, he helped with everything from computers to setting up chairs to dressing the bodies. His IT acumen just landed him another part-time job, in a cell phone store.<\/p>\n
With so many interests, Kong is experiencing an early-onset midlife crisis. He eyes working for an airline for the travel perks. Maybe an NGO would be more fulfilling. What about dropping out to pursue \u201cbig ideas,\u201d like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates? As he floats possibilities, he evokes the spirit of MacGyver, a Jack-of-all-trades hero from a 1980s TV show. \u201cI tried to learn how to fix everything as a kid,\u201d he notes of his \u201cobsessive curiosity.\u201d He sighs, \u201cI wish I had been born 200 years ago, so I could jump in a ship and explore new territory. The only parallel today would be to fly to Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacking a space shuttle, Kong chooses other vehicles to reach the outer limits. Among his destinations are \u201ctrying to find out the real core of evil in our society,\u201d why utopias don\u2019t succeed, how urban design can affect crime, and why \u201cpeople behave selfishly.\u201d The latter led to his interest in the human-primate interface, and all of them circle back to his fascination with the soul.<\/p>\n
\u201cOman opened up my mind,\u201d Kong sums up. \u201cThe trip itself was a huge epiphany. I thought I already understood how the world worked, but it was like, wow, there\u2019s so much more to learn, to explore! It was almost magical\u2014that\u2019s the best description.\u201d<\/p>\n
Favorite music:<\/strong> It\u2019s keyed to his mood: electronic or heavy metal \u201cwhen I\u2019m excited,\u201d Chopin \u201cwhen I want to reflect or meditate.\u201d<\/p>\nBooks he\u2019s reading:<\/strong> Benjamin Graham\u2019s The Intelligent Investor <\/i>(\u201che was the one who taught everything to Warren Buffet\u201d); Jon Erickson\u2019s Hacking: The Art of Exploitation<\/i> (\u201cI\u2019m interested in computer security\u201d), Leo J. Trese\u2019s The Faith Explained<\/i> (on Catholic theology\u2014\u201camazing reading\u201d), Beyond Freedom and Dignity<\/i> by B.F. Skinner and Festschrift for B.F Skinner<\/i> by P. B. Dews, and The Urban Mosaic<\/i> by D.W.G Timms.<\/p>\n
Hidden talent:<\/strong> Having schooled himself in Paul Ekman\u2019s methods of codifying subtle facial expressions, Kong relishes analyzing \u201cpoliticians when they\u2019re lying.\u201d<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Name: Daniel KongMajor: Psychology Year: 2012From: ArgentinaWhy QC: One of only a few colleges with a neuropsychology program. “Oman is still the countryside of the world. They don\u2019t have all the neuroticism we have in the city.”- Daniel Kong Student Profiles Alumni Profiles Faculty Profiles Staff ProfilesQueens College senior and world traveler Daniel Kong, (l.), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"page_category":[],"wf_page_folders":[137],"class_list":["post-741","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=741"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1982,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/741\/revisions\/1982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"page_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/page_category?post=741"},{"taxonomy":"wf_page_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_page_folders?post=741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}