The Beginning of December
It's some time after four o'clock in the morning and I'm listening to unbelievably beautiful music through headphones in my apartment. In the distance it's just possible to make out the sound of a temple bell (?) being rung to call monks from their slumber. Sometimes it's easy to forget that I live in a suburb of the world's second-largest metropolitan area.
I brought my iPod with me for my walk to work earlier in the day in order to listen to a new album that I recently found. The group, Manel, hail from Catalunya and have a nice, cheerful sound to their music; listening to their songs seemed like it would be a great way to spend the 15 minutes it takes to go from my apartment to our academy. However, just two blocks from home I crossed paths with a girl who stopped and waved at me. I took off my headphones and greeted her in Korean, expecting a 'hello' in return. Instead, she bowed and returned the salutation in Korean. Turns out she didn't know any English but had simply wanted to say hi, since she hadn't seen me in the neighborhood before.
Her sincerity was amazing. We had a short conversation in the alley before she continued on her way home, and after we parted ways I could tell there was a large grin plastered across my face. I don't think she realized what kind of impact she would have on one stranger passing by in the street, but her greeting played a significant role in influencing my mood for the rest of the day. My neighborhood in Uijeongbu has the second-lowest population in the city, but I'll gladly accept fewer meetings if the ones I do have are similar to to my experience today.