The festival life
Junior Diem Dang gains a professional opportunity be attending the Beyond Wonderland music festival.
When I found out I would be spending my final semester of undergrad in the big city, I immediately began to anticipate what I would see and do. Ultimately, I pledged to enjoy every moment and do as much as possible during these last four months.
One Tuesday night in November as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, I noticed a post from Chris Brown’s profile advertising a two-day yard sale. Although I have never been into the thrifting scene, I gasped and immediately went to Google Maps to search how far the address was from our apartment. Only 30 minutes. Perfect! (In L.A. terms, this is fairly close considering how unpredictable traffic can be.)
The next morning at my internship while doing a media brief — collecting news articles based on the company’s interest — I came across an article on TMZ about the yard sale. It reported the address was indeed to his home in Tarzana, California. At that moment, I knew: I have to go to this.
Before I knew it, I was standing in line outside of Chris Brown’s house for the yard sale. After waiting nearly four hours, it was finally my turn to go in.
Everything TMZ had reported the day before was true. There was free ice cream for everyone, tents full of clothing — which once belonged to Chris Brown — his tour bus parked in the cul-de-sac and his house in the distance.
After grabbing a few T-shirts, I noticed his mom, Joyce Hawkins, assisting at one of the checkout lines. I knew I had to ask for a picture or I would regret that moment forever. She agreed.
Anything worth doing in L.A. typically requires a long waiting time, especially if it is free or involves a celebrity. I spent eight hours at the yard sale. But from start to finish, it was worth the experience and I enjoyed every single minute.
From going to Chris Brown’s yard sale, meeting rapper Vince Staples at a clothing store, seeing Chance The Rapper while working at my internship and everything else in between, it is safe to say I have accomplished my pledge to enjoy every moment of Los Angeles.