A couple of days ago, I went out to Bukchon Hanok Village in downtown Seoul for an appointment with one of my acquaintances there. It had been a while since I went there. As far as I remember, I have been to Bukchon and its vicinity a couple of times before. But there were not many times that I could really enjoy being there and appreciate its own traditional beauty. Probably I must have had no room in my mind to enjoy the fine days and calm beauty of those places before.
On the contrary, last Tuesday I had much fun and a good time visiting there, having a cup of green tea latte and a light snack with my friend. We entered a newly built cafe in a big three-story house. There were various kinds of tea and goods related to tea in the first floor. The general atmosphere inside the cafe was calm and bright with lots of large windows. When we got there before noon, there were not many people yet. We could chat with each other, look out the windows at houses and buildings and find little items lying around such as tea pots, tea cups, grass and flowers. They were so cute and pretty that I took pictures of them. Outside the windows I could see green trees and grass with plenty of sunlight. I really enjoyed sitting there and talking with my friend.
In hindsight, although I could have gone to a beautiful or famous cafes and restaurant, I would feel uncomfortable and awkward with people around me. Maybe I was not used to getting along with various different kinds of people. I may have felt burdened about breaking the ice with strangers. Thus, I used to draw a conclusion that I am an extreme introvert with little social skill. This might have been true.
However, not anymore. I do not assert that I will continue to live like that for the rest of my life. I know I can change, and that I have already changed little by little. Although I might feel awkward and clumsy a bit when I meet strangers and work with new people, I am learning how to overcome that. It seems to be so simple, which means that I need to endure that awkward moment for a short time.
Sometimes, when I don't know what to talk about with new people, how to break the ice with them, how to express my feelings and thoughts, I feel uncomfortable. I have found some people feel the very same way as I do in such moments. Even once in an entertainment program, I saw a certain man write down lists of conversation topics with a new person on TV so that he would avoid that uneasy, tense situation. Watching the man, I felt that I am not the only clumsy person in this world. There must exist some people who are worse than me in this sense.
Anyway, I feel that I can get over one of my shortcomings. Surely this may be possible because I am getting older and older. As I have lived my life, seen a lot and met various people, I've come to believe that there are even more good people in the world than bad.
When I walked with my friend together along the streets of Bukchon on my way home, I could see pretty, small shops selling Korean traditional goods including tea cups, bags, kites, dolls and clothes. I felt so pleasant and merry, taking a stroll in a cool, gentle breeze. I bought a pop-up card of paper flowers in a shop. It was so cute and gorgeous that I could not help but buy it. I had a smile on my face with those small paper flowers. It was such a beautiful day.
Lee Nan-hee studied English in college and theology at Hanshin University.
QOSHE - Taking a stroll with paper flowers - Thoughts Of The Timesaccount_circleinfobrightness_mediumcancel
A couple of days ago, I went out to Bukchon Hanok Village in downtown Seoul for an appointment with one of my acquaintances there. It had been a while since I went there. As far as I remember, I have been to Bukchon and its vicinity a couple of times before. But there were not many times that I could really enjoy being there and appreciate its own traditional beauty. Probably I must have had no room in my mind to enjoy the fine days and calm beauty of those places before.
On the contrary, last Tuesday I had much fun and a good time visiting there, having a cup of green tea latte and a light snack with my friend. We entered a newly built cafe in a big three-story house. There were various kinds of tea and goods related to tea in the first floor. The general atmosphere inside the cafe was calm and bright with lots of large windows. When we........
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