Living History

One thing that I am always amazed by in any culture is the opportunity to speak to older individuals about their lives and hear their stories. Talking to people from past generations is like receiving an accurate glimpse of history from a human perspective. I believe it is extremely important for us younger generations to listen to them and learn from their experiences. If we turn a deaf ear to their past situations and advice to us, we will repeat the trend of mistakes and tragedies that they experienced.

Yesterday after the Buddhist temple stay, I joined Craig, a Tennessee native and Poli Sci major who enjoys arguing politics with me, and our SCH married couple Lindz and Krist for some shopping in Dongdaemun. Lindz and Krist are truly each others best friend and soulmate. They are absolutely adorable and set a great example for our Korean students in our program of what to search for in a significant other. They encourage our Koreans to look past the superficial "types" they pursue and their naive approach to relationships to replace it with a search for a best friend who will accept them for who they are.

But back to Dongdaemun: Dongdaemun is a series of department stores practically on top of one another. It is like a 21st century market with 12 floor shopping centers in lines down the main street. It is a shopaholics paradise.

As we were walking from one store to the next, we were stopped by this elderly Korean gentleman. He began to ask us some questions about ourselves in perfect English, some of the best English I have heard in Korea.

We asked him about his life, and his eyes completely lit up. He began to share with us about how he fought in the Korean War when he was 20. He then worked with the USA army during the war and learned English. He shared more of his life and what it was like to be a child during the occupation, a soldier during the war, and a man during the economic development of Korea. It was one of the most incredible conversations I have had in my life. In five short minutes of talking to him on the street, my perspective South Korea's history became much more personal. He showed us pictures of him while working as a soldier, his face beaming with pride as we saw a very handsome young man smiling with some USA soldiers.

He is a true hero in my eyes, he has lived through one of the most dramatic developments in any nation in history and continues to share his story with everyone he meets. He thanked us as Americans for all the dedication the USA has had to Korea. He shook our hands and began to tear up as Craig (who comes from an army family) saluted him and thanked him for his service to his country.

I will never forget that short exchange with this man. His life story is truly amazing and to hear it from him was incredible. I hope someday when I reach his age I can share my life story, experiences, and advice to young people with as much grace as he did for me.