The nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me was that I was free spirited. The person that said it is no longer in my life, but I think the reason I thought it was so endearing at the time (and the reason why I still hold onto it) is because he believed in me more than I did. I’ve always wanted to be one of those people that are fearless to the world. I’m so proud to say that I’m finally going down that path of being the person I always knew was itching to get out. I went to a psychic not too long ago and she said that she believed in a past life I was stuck on a high mountain and merely watched life pass me by. She believed that I’m going to take this life to do everything I can to experience as much as I can. I think she was right, but I can’t help but feel I’m off schedule for some reason – meaning I was invited to a ball but I’m running an hour late. Maybe being fashionably late has its merits though - People won’t have time to judge what I’m wearing or who I show up with. They’ll just be glad to see I showed up at all... I’m just hoping I'll still be in time for cake! Ok, maybe I took that metaphor a little far, but I think you know what I'm getting at. I’d rather be late than always wonder what if... but I’m just hoping that I’m not too late for whatever is/was in store, that’s all.
On another note, yesterday was my first real hiking experience. I can see how people enjoy doing it so much. It’s a great place to do some serious soul searching and take in Mother Nature in her entirety. The mountain that I climbed was not more than fifteen minutes from my apartment building (once I knew where I was going, that is). I knew the general direction that the mountain was in but I wasn’t sure exactly how to get there. In my search for the entrance I was going up and down streets, making up my own route as I went. I couldn’t help but feel like everyone I met along the way knew I had no idea where I was going, and that I was being judged for not knowing my way around. Obviously I was being self conscious... or maybe I was just pissed at myself for not knowing everything – who knows at that point. All I knew was that I was out of breath before I even started to climb.
I knew I was on track when I saw a few Ajumas (older women) decked out in bright hiking gear and walking sticks. Not too long after I reached a sharp incline between the rows of houses and a nearby University. This had to be it. When I reached the top I saw the mountain. The bottom was full of squared off community gardens and a bumpy dirt covered walkway leading up to the base. It almost looked like it was roughly paved with concrete years and years ago. When I was finally parallel with my first tree, I was questioning if my body would even allow me to survive the climb. Don’t get me wrong, the climb itself only takes about 40 minutes or so, but believe me, you feel every step. The incline probably averaged around 30-45 degrees but the skyline when you get to the top is priceless. I just sat there and stared at the unfamiliar city below for as long as it took me to climb the mountainous mass. It was beautiful, and I knew it was just the first of many more experiences I would have here. Lots of thoughts went through my head on the way up and down the mountain; many of them had to do with my future career path. Anyone that knows me knows that I’m a bit of an obsessive thinker by nature so I got caught up trying to compare careers with mountain climbing. The best I could come up with was “What’s the view if not for the height”. The more I went over it in my head, the more I liked it. I liked it even more when I came back home and couldn’t find a match on google – so consider it an original!
Tomorrow I’m going to an outside market with one of my friends in Nampo-dong. From what I hear it’s going to be quite the experience. Maybe I’ll even find an affordable camera so I can start posting pictures! In the meantime I guess I’ll sign off by saying – "Stay fit, and have fun! Not an original – but a great Body Break quote none the less.
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