200602232 Mijin Yi, p. 67

An Experience That Changed My Life

 

 

  One of my interests for my free time is to observe people; what they are doing, what they would be thinking about, etc. Almost each time I thought that we Koreans too take care of what others think about themselves. We do always pay attention to our attitude, especially in public places by being conscious of others' existence. I think that is, therefore, why it is not easy at all especially for Koreans to change themselves though they want to. Why do you think I am saying of it? That is because it was exactly same for me; I would focus rather on how I was looked out by others than how I looked of myself. However, one day, an special experience which I had changed a lot myself a lot in terms of all of myself such as personality, life style, way to think, etc.: traveling alone. It is possible that I would be asked by some of you that this experience is not special enough to change a person but very common that everyone have already done it at least once. However, I am sure that mine was very simple but, meant something to me.

 

  During my sojourn in France, I tried to travel as much as possible because in the beginning, I believed with any special reasons that traveling would change many things of me and also I would, therefore, have something to show others. Anyway, finally it did. If you want to ask me how many times I left to travel anywhere, I cannot answer to it since I, first of all, did not count it and secondly, the number is not any more important to me. Every time I had any chance to leave Paris where I was living at that time, I did. Or, when I was too stressed and I was sick of my daily life but I had only a weekend to be free on, I did as well without thinking about anything too complicatedly. I just did what I spontaneously made up my mind to do. For each travel, I left away alone but, finally I was not alone. That means that as I thought that in order to know well a certain city where I was at that moment as a stranger, tourist, I tried to meet local people, sometimes in a café or on the street just by speaking to someone next to or around me who seemed to be free and open-minded-very often, they were elder people,- and we started out to discuss about pretty different things from why I had started to travel to what I or the person would want to do in the future, a personal question. Furthermore, I tried to take enough time to do something, in a word, 'be lazy'. For example, when planning my travel, I would put on each place, at least 3 nights to stay in. And then, since I did not like at all taking any guide tour or rarely follow what a guide book said of, I just tried during my visit to feel the atmosphere of each place by walking around very slowly, looking at even every small elements or sometimes, stoping walking for watching children's smile with complete brightness or amateur musicians in the street, who got the street where I was full of beautiful music and composure. Throughout those things, I could feel really being there and even a part of the place at the moment. And also, I could sure know better each corner of it than any usual tourists. Lastly, what I tried to do is to give myself some presents. It does not mean a big, expensive one but again small things, but possibly quite meaningful to oneself. For example, the presents for myself after my travel are several memos and diaries I kept writing on during my travel about what I felt, what I saw, how I reacted to certain things differently from I would usually do, etc. By reading them again even today, I am able to remember pretty exactly what was happening at certain moment, at certain place, even what music I was listening to. And secondly, what is left to me is a lot of tickets and books I bought pretty spontaneously. As I am really fond of spectacles in any kinds, from pop music concert to opera and art museums, I tried to see as many of them as possible, of course in a good quality. As I was a student and there is a big reduction to students for many those things, I did not have to pay expensive for them and could, therefore, have many chances to enjoy them. About buying books, as I said before, for I tried to 'be lazy' during my travel, I spent a big part of time lying on the grass in a park and reading, or looking for an unusual but interesting stuffs to read. So, finally, I got to have more 10 books after my travel including some catalogues from some museums I visited.

 

  Does such my experience seem to be special? It is possibly but I do not think it is too special that you would be able to do. I know that those traveling styles would not count to others because of different taste of each of us. My point is not to be afraid of being different from who you usually are and what you do, and just to try to do what you really want to do ignoring others' eyes on you and you will see a new life and open your eyes to.