Short Stories (2013, Malta EC)

The place where I live

 

The place where I have lived is nothing special. It’s just a common city like the places you can see in every country. I was born and have worked in Seoul, and I lived in Incheon for just 2 years. So now when I imagine my last place, I just think up some scenery, for example the traffic jams in rush hours on the way to my company, same faces in a subway, a lot of buildings and black-haired people at the exit of the subway station.

 

How about my ex-company? There were so many desks and rigid faces in dry air. When I was fed up with the routine work, I used to stare at the gray window, dreaming of a new life somewhere. But at that time, I could imagine that I was in the park with my (future) baby.

The special feast in my country

 

Seol-nal, the Korean traditional New Year’s Day, is a special feast which we celebrate in my country. The date of Seol-nal changes every year because it depends on the lunar calendar. So, most Korean people are used to checking the date when they get a New Year calendar. And then, they plan their long vacation to visit family, travel abroad and meet old friends.

 

But there are the same rituals in every house, even though you have a special plan on the date. It is the special meal ‘Dduck-guk’ and traditional bow ‘Se-bae’. As we eat a ‘Dduck-guk’, we believe that we get older, and with sharing ‘Se-bae’ with each other, we hope we will have health and luck.

 

 

The special place which I have visited

 

I visited Varkala beach, which is located in south India, in February this year. It was the most impressive place which I have ever visited. The beach lies on the Arabic Sea and I could see the spectacular sunrise and sunset. Besides, it is located under the Varkala cliff and there are so many hotels and restaurants only on the cliff. It means the beach was very clean and calm because there were only people and some sunbeds. I felt that my complex heart was healed by that scenery.

 

In addition, that day was the Korean New Year’s day, Seol-nal. I was really happy because I could escape from the responsibility of the day, not only the hard working time in my company.

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