Tiny Stories – Places And Spaces To Be In

Missing the SRT

A tiny story about missing the train.

Let me tell you a tiny story about this woman next to me on this photo. But before we get to that, let me share with you a little background about myself and that day.

As many of you who have been following me for a while now, you’re already aware that I lived in South Korea for over a year. While living in there, I’ve made efforts to learning the language, but haven’t succeeded past survival Korean…

Anyways, let me paint that day.

My friend Jose and I just finished our trip in Busan and that morning, we have to catch our 9:15am train to Seoul. The previous day, I asked the concierge of our hotel to have a taxi prepared for us at 8:30AM so that we’d at least have 25 minutes of free time before our train leaves. Our things were packed and ready – three suitcases, a ukelele, and our own backpacks – we went down to the lobby to find out that the taxi wasn’t going to arrive for another 10 minutes. We’re on a tight schedule. But I wasn’t too worried because I know the ahjusshi’s can drive pretty darn fast.

However, not this time.

We finally arrived at the train station – 9:15am. A sign says that our 9:15am train will be leaving at 9:17am. Rushing to find the platform that we were supposed to be at, this lady notices us in our urgency and quickly comes to our aid.

“Where are you going?” she asks me in perfect English. After stating where we’re heading, she quickly grabs onto one of my suitcases and begins to run – leading us to where we’re supposed to head.

However, once we got to the right platform, we missed the train.

Rather than leaving me and Jose to figure out what to do, she reassures me that we can still make it to another train. She then leads me to the ticket desk, translates for me for refunding and purchasing new tickets, then leads us to the appropriate platform before she herself had to hop on her own train.

I can say, she was an angel to me and Jose. I didn’t expect to find someone to see our need and to make things a bit easier. I can’t promise that the rest of our trip went smoothly. But small moments like her coming to our aid has made my experience with South Korea memorable.

When the People Speak

Last weekend, on our way to Seoul, my friend Melissa and I met a young man who was heading to Seoul for the very first time. It was hard to believe that it was his first time heading to the capital. After having some small talk, we both asked him again, “Is this really your first time? Did you really never have the chance to visit Seoul before?” Which he then confirmed that this trip really was his first time.

After talking about basic English grammar and some conversational cues and it’s meanings (we shared with him that we were English teachers), he then reveals to us his purpose for heading to Seoul. He, along with many others, are on their way to the capital to participate in the protest against the current president (story here). He hopes that the people gathered together would speak to the current president’s heart and move her to resign from her position. He then invited us to go to the protest.

Out of curiosity and with my friend, Matt, in tow – I went.

Being in the midst of the protest was very powerful. There was a moment where I had to quell the emotions I had deep inside of me. Just think, a few days ago the results of America’s presidential elections were announced and it was very disheartening to see that hours after it’s announcement, people struck to the streets and were sharing on Social Media the aftermath of it’s results!

Although the purpose of this protest isn’t related to the American elections, it showed the power of the people gathering together. And that alone was amazing in itself.

Sometimes, I questioned whether or not I was actually in a protest. There were bands performing live and people dancing. And there were many volunteers helping with the clean-up. But as I shifted towards another part of the protest, I found myself in the midst of the “real chaos.” Loud chanting and banners flying high about the people’s sentiment against the president. Policemen atop of police busses to ensure that the crowd didn’t push through to get to the Blue Palace (where the president lives).

As you browse through the photos I’ve taken, please note that I hold no political stance in this issue. Out of curiosity and through that young man’s invitation, I have decided to attend the protest. I wanted to witness what Korea’s democracy looks like. Please also note that there is strong language in the photos.

– A

Reflecting on #happyarvedays

Reflecting on my #happyarvedays

If you don’t follow me on Instagram, I began and finished my #happyarvedays (the 100 Happy Days Challenge).

And that was about over a month ago.

Day 84: Happiness is a day filled with tiny successes.

It was pretty funny how it ended. It didn’t end in a bang as I thought it would. I thought I was going to be enlightened like Buddha or become closer to God (although it made me appreciate the power of prayer even more). Rather, it was just a normal day with a normal reason to smile. What got people noticing that it was finished wasn’t because they saw “Day 100”, but because of the fact that I wasn’t posting a photo on a daily basis anymore. It even resulted in my mom calling me several times in one night because she didn’t see me post anything online for the past couple days. My poor mama thought I was hurt. Sorry Mama for scaring you…

So, it’s done. What now?

Day 98: Ever since @kitsu has introduced me to Korean music in junior high, it has been my dream to go to a Korean concert. Well, today, that dream has been fulfilled. Happiness is when you’re patient enough to wait for something – even if it takes years!

Well, something I didn’t expect was motivating others to also do their own Happy Days Challenge. The kids from my church back at home are now several day’s into their own challenges. Even my own dad has stated that he’s going to begin doing the challenge when the new year begins. It’s pretty amazing to know that you’ve sparked a little inspiration for others to do something like this.

Otherwise, when it comes to it, the lessons I’ve learned are the following:

Happiness comes in different sizes. Don’t always look for the big things.
Don’t expect yourself to be happy all the time. It’s “OK” if you have a downer day. Just make sure that you’ve got something to smile about.
I’m very fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful people – family, friends, and students alike. Without them, I wouldn’t have had a reason to smile.
Lastly, as I stated on Day 100: “…do not rely on just happiness to make you happy. There are other factors that come into play, such as love towards others and self-love. If you don’t have that balance, then it’s pointless to seek happiness.”

Day 100: These 100 days of seeking those moments that made me happy were such a challenge, especially on difficult days. So today’s happiness is: do not rely on just happiness to make you happy. There are other factors that come into play, such as love towards others and self-love. If you don’t have that balance, then it’s pointless to seek happiness.

So there you have it. I’m glad that I finished it and learned more things about myself. So what’s the next challenge for me? Nothing plan so far. I’ll keep you guys posted.

With love from the land of the kimchi,

– A

Stickers

A student walked into the institute today with his arms covered in stickers. Turns out that his children put those stickers on him. It was so adorable that he didn’t bother to remove them when he came to attend his class. It’s as if he’s proud of the fact that his children just decorated him.

After a brief chat, he then went ahead, took one sticker off his arm, and placed it on my arm.