|



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)
|
|