cristina.bulina@yahoo.com

1: How I reached a mountain's peak alone

 

I had wished for a long time to climb a mountain alone. My friends told me it’s not advisable, something might happen, a minor thing could make me stop and freeze until someone finds me.

A lot of my wishes came true in Korea, this one as well. I was looking into Seoul Magazine and found... THE MOUNTAINS!!! Ok..., then searched for the highest and decided: „I will go on the highest peak in Seoul, Buckansan Mountain (Must be Buckhan, because „san” means „mountain”), Begundae Peak (I wonder if „dae” means „peak”).” It’s not very high but it’s difficult to climb because it’s a rocky mountain, slippery and abrupt. So I took the Subway for Suyu station, then the green bus number 1 (하나  초록 색 버스) I was sorry I had to skip one of my meals at Rice&Rice but I stocked up with cookies, peanuts, biscuits and chocolate to make the loss easier to bear. I didn’t know exactly how much time will take for reaching the peak but I was decided to feel the trip, to listen to the birds, feel the wind, watch the trees and feel the energies. I didn’t want sport-climbing, I was singing, thinking, smiling, dreaming and didn’t feel embarrassed when old people got ahead of me :) I chose an easy course and didn’t feel tired at all when I reached Daedongmun (대동문). After some time things got worse. The course got more difficult but this was not the main problem. I didn’t have appropriate gloves to hold on to the metal cable. The gloves I had were very slippery (polyester) and I decided to try without. Well, that cable was SO COLD it hurt. My palms were violet-red and my fingers were numb with cold. I stopped to warm them for a few minutes when a man descending saw me. He gave me his gloves saying he has another pair although he doesn’t need them for the hiking course he had left. Of course I was polite at first and didn’t accept, but he must have been impressed with my violet hands and insisted until I took them. I put them on and watched my hands. I was so impressed by his gesture! When I saw they had anti-slippery rubber dots in the palms, I couldn’t stop myself crying. I didn’t rush although I had the gloves. I thanked God he gave me opportunities to be happy and remembered about the wish („Happiness!”) I had for the Holy Grail at Spamalot Musical. This would have been the first time I cried because of happiness. It seemed a long way to the top and I’m 100% sure I wouldn’t have made it without the gloves. I reached the top and enjoyed the feeling for a few minutes. I was tired and I knew it will be more difficult descending on those slippery rocks... I imagined a penguin-like descent, on the belly: „Yeeeeei”. As I was already in the top of the mountain and the goal had been reached, the descent part seemed kind of pointless. What could I have done on that mountain? Self preservation instinct should have been driving me home!

When the most difficult part ended I sat down and ate something. People were passing me by and one of them, a woman, had no gloves. I didn’t realize I have 2 pair of gloves but a few moments later, when she had already got far. I should have said something, shouted: „Mrs. Excuse me!!” but I know why I didn’t. She was with a young boy (25-30 years old), her son probably. We watched each other as they were climbing. I like to watch people although sometimes they think wrong about my watching. Well, I felt he might have thought about the gloves as an excuse to approach him. They were already far and they got further while I thought of that. So I didn’t want to look like a European easy girl and the cost was that woman’s freezing hands. Of course I did wrong and I’m so sorry. SO SORRY... You can throw rocks at me, I deserve it. I hope I won’t be that stupid again.

The way back seemed longer because I was tired but I finally made it to Daedongmun (대동문). I gave my honey roasted peanuts and biscuits to the ravens and ate the chocolate myself. One of them came close to me to get the biscuits, I was wondering if it will come closer when some people came and although they were sitting far away from me, the ravens didn’t come to me anymore. I left them all the peanuts, anyway.

I was happy ‘cause I knew the most difficult part was gone and didn’t pay attention to the marks. I took a wrong turn somewhere and found myself on a wrong course. It was so difficult I had to sit on some rocks for getting down by jumping and I was so tired. It was the same course type I’d just finished, with metal cable to hold on to. I thought: „God, I hope this is the punishment for not giving that woman a pair of gloves, ‘cause I don’t want to have it on my conscience as a burden, only as a lesson.” I was imagining God saying: „You didn’t give the gloves away, take a course where you will need them.” And so I did, „by mistake”... It was getting dark. I was hoping this hiking course won’t be the longest one. It was SO DIFFICULT and there was a dog barking somewhere close so I was scared also. I wasn’t singing anymore, I couldn’t enjoy the things around me with the gloves thing on my mind. I was SO TIRED, to the limit, to tears! My legs were shaking, I was walking like an automaton, and then The Little Mermaid story by Andersen came to my mind. She wanted to have legs although she felt sharp pain when walking. I thought she must have felt less pain than me at those moments.

I finally made it to an entrance/exit and saw the most wanted thing at that time: The nr.1 green bus. This was its final station. I was the only passenger for about 10 stations and I had time to think about that woman and pray to God she would make it, in despite of my ignorance and stupidity.

Well, as a conclusion... I had reached the highest peak in Seoul but I was too stupid to „see and play the game”.     (16-dec-2010)

2: Joking (more or less)...

 

("When we were supposed to eat, I looked around ... and there was no table... I sat down, but didn’t quite know what to do with my feet. She started laughing. I kept them stretched out in front, like a child. .. ")

Frankly, I didn’t pay attention to the way they keep their feet. I keep them the way that seems comfortable at that time. I think they keep them on one side...
("But it's awkward, you eat with the intestines twisted. Eating at the table, on a chair, you sit up straight, the food goes in differently... I nicely asked if I could sit on the ball. I ended up being at a higher level than the others, that was funny ...")

Another interesting thing: all of them eat from all the plates on the table ...
("Yes I was told that I could eat from any plate, that they share. The only exception is the bowl of rice. I wonder what that woman would have thought if I would have eaten from her rice bowl ").
I was trying (without any chance of success) to get into a Korean’s mind, to see what he would have said. Imagining this, I visualized the sticks. I can’t understand how it was possible for the first Asian to think about eating with two sticks. I mean ... after people had passed the Eating With The Hand Era ... they could have used a more practical tool. A spoon makes sense, as well as a fork. (Using a fork you can poke and lift on at the same time.) These sticks... I don’t know ...
Yes ... and I also noticed they get bald. I don’t know if it’s the water (I hope NOOOOT!!!) or if it’s genetic... They lose their eyebrows as well. Older women get their eyebrows tattooed. Older women also cut their hair short and make it curly, the same as in Romania, except... Romanian old ladies dye it red.
90% of Koreans are bandy legged. I think it gets worse with age ... It doesn’t matter for men, but the girls ... I could say "pour girls" but ... since most of them are like that, and the majority defines normality...
Also... men don’t have that specific politeness for women, that European men have. No man would offer his seat to a younger woman. They wouldn’t open the door to invite a woman to pass ahead, and would not help someone with the luggage, the way we do. In Romania they don’t even ask. It’s enough for them to see me and my luggage (that’s half my weight) and they lift it in the luggage store compartment without saying anything. The last time I traveled by train, a woman helped me. Both small, we were dangling with the luggage in the air, when another (taller) woman came and saved the day. I was carrying the luggage up on the stairs and no one helped me. And I didn’t have only the big white luggage, I also had a big red bag where I was carrying Maronică and the portrait, and I also had my backpack....
However, their flaws are tolerable ... I mean... I could love a bandy legged Korean, without eyebrows, that’s eating on the floor, with two sticks, that would go sit on the vacant seat in the subway instead of offering it to me, that would let me carry the luggage :))
I think about my list of „70 things that I appreciate in a man” and then... some words come to my mind:
"Open Minded" and "Love Me Just Like That" ... And I think ... And I think ...                                      (13-apr-2011)

                                        

 

 

3: „10 stairs”


For understanding "10 stairs" two stories must be read before: FIRST:"How I reached a mountain's peak alone" and SECOND:"Joking (more or less...)”

I was carrying my luggage back. I found the escalator at Hyehwa, but Dongdaemun History and Culture Park doesn’t have an escalator for descending to line nr.5. I didn’t have expectations anymore. The white luggage was heavy as usual. I was going down step by step, carrying it with my both hands. I was stopping after each set of stairs, to rest. Nor did I expect anyone to help me, nor did I hope ... when ... suddenly, a young man grabbed me by the arm: "Please, let me help you!"
I had no more than 10 stairs to go.
I said: "Nooo ... it's heavy ..." but he didn’t want to hear. He simply took my white luggage and carried it down for the remaining stairs.
That is the part of the story that’s visible with the naked eye. Next I will reveal the invisible part of the story, the part that unfolded very fast in my mind (10 stairs time) and made me thank him from the heart. The power in my „thank you” words made him literally run away. No kidding. He just ran.
I'm sure nobody from the „audience” realized the important things that were really happening there ...
The boy saw me from behind as I was struggling with the luggage. They do not have the „Helping With The Luggage Habit”, but he really wanted to help. He realized I’m a tourist, and I'm sure this made him more uncomfortable. And, on the top of all these, I was a girl, a young lady ... that's not polite to approach. He probably saw me earlier. I imagine a struggle was taking place in him, between the desire to help a person and the unwritten rules set by the society. He probably realized that if he is thinking too much about it, without taking any action, he will eventually let me carry the luggage down by myself.  

There were only 10 stairs to go.
He chose to help me.
10 stairs ...
All these thoughts came to my mind in "10 stairs time". How I generalized ... Even if he was the only Korean that would have helped, only because of him I shouldn’t have said that "they don’t help with the luggage."
One Korean, 10 stairs, that is enough!
And I failed "THE TEST WITH THE GLOVES", because I didn’t want to be seen like an „easy European girl”...
I am really glad that this boy passed "THE LUGGAGE TEST”.
I could think all this for „10 stairs time”.
We finally had eye contact (he... as a winner, me... at least I was understanding ...) and I thanked him. In my eyes he saw that I knew about his „TEST WITH THE LUGGAGE”, that I understood, that I really appreciated, that I was thanking him from my heart. He ran away.

(10-may-2011)