Chyue/People Watching/Thursday 1-3p.m

  I see different people and different age in my daily life because I take the subway everyday to get my school. One day has nearly finished but I have to keep going the rest of my day. I got in the subway and there were lots of people than the other days because of struck. Fortunately, I got a seat when the subway had gone two more stations. I tried to sleep as usual because it takes nearly 2 hours to get back home but before I fell asleep, one of grandmom got in the subway. She is as same as the other grandma. But she is thin, pale, look so weak and has some freckles and wrinkles on her face could be known her age.I could see her gray hair, too. Perhaps, she is nearly 70 years old. She wore thin cloth like summer fashion even the weather is a bit chill at outside. She is not as tall as the other grandmom,may be I think her height is 140 cm. Then, she looked so tired and she had lots of heavy stuffs.

  At first, I also considered to offer a seat or not because she was not standing in front of me. One more thing, offering a seat to elder citizens on the subway in Korea is their culture.  But nobody offered a seat to this old grandmom because some were using their smartphones and some fell asleep and they were so many people. So they didn't recognize grandmom. I had a look to this grandmom when she was finding a seat. Finally, I decided to offer a seat to this grandmom. Even she had a lot stuffs, she denied my offering as first. I said "I will get off soon" and she said " Thank you for your kindness". But even though she sat my seat, she was uncomfortable to sit my seat and she asked me to sit beside her. I said " I am fine" and she smiled at me .

  There were getting more people passed station by station. She was concerned about me and she asked me to give my bag. She gave a bottle of vitamin and she gave back my seat before she got off. She told me thanks again and again and I also said "thanks for your treat and safe your way and finally she passed through the crowded to get off. I also felt so tired and fell asleep as soon as I sat down again my seat.

LeeSooKyung/People Watching/Thursday 1-3p.m.

It started off like just another normal day of the week until a smallish man came to the first subway car where I usually take. His clothes with lots of dazzling colors were peculiar enough to catch my attention. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes forming every time he makes a smile told me his age. Maybe he was as old as my father, I guessed. However, I noticed his face wear a wry smile.

Carrying his box full of odds and ends, he stopped in the middle of the aisle. Although he was wearing ridiculously, he seemed like any other vendor selling something broken too easily except a sign around his neck. "Please take a few minutes for my daughter.", the writing on the sign was uneven but scrupulously neat.

"I have a daughter who is the apple of my eye.", he hesitantly opened his mouth finally. "However, such adorable girl is struggling against congenital leukemia even right now and I'm here to see my daughter's radiant face as soon as possible.", he added. Tears in his eyes, he took an orgel, a music box, out of his bag. "Before the disease deteriorated, she loved playing with it. So I decided to make the favorite item of my daughter by myself in order to pay for hospital treatment by selling it." In other words, an orgel was the result of the hope for his daughter. He was not just a vendor but a father who can do everything for his precious treasure, his daughter. 

Yunji Kim / First Draft /Thursday 1-3 p.m.

My eyes automatically popped open before the alarm even rang. I looked out the window to guess what time it was. It was still dark outside with a little sunlight starting to peek in. I guessed I had had enough sleep and walked out to the kitchen. My mom was already preparing breakfast with a stiff face. She smiled at me when she saw me walk in, and it was the warmest smile I had ever seen in my whole life, although it looked somewhat awkward.

           "How was your sleep?" she said, in her warmest tone.

           I shrugged as I sat down to eat. I could feel the stiffness and tension in the atmosphere, and I could also feel the pathetic struggle of my family to loosen up the awkwardness.

           It was the day of my college entrance exam. I was never an anxious type of person, but even for me, the pressure was hard to cope with. The idea that this single day will decide the majority of my future was extremely stressful. My family also knew that, as they had gone through this big day as well, and they tried everything to keep me in my best condition. For months, my parents never scolded me or point out what I should fix and they just let me do whatever I wanted.

           On our way to the exam place, my mom and I both drove in nervous silence. I can never forget the last look of my mom before I went in to take the college exam. Her eyes were filled with tears as she was trying so hard not to cry. The whole atmosphere of the exam place was entirely different than I had expected. It was frustrating to see thousands of parents with the same look as my mom, waving hands to their children who had just turned around to take the exam they had been preparing for 12 years. This was the most shocking and important experience in my life when I witnessed the massive love and support of my family.

 

Chyue/First Draft/Thursday 1-3pm

Chyue/First Draft/Thursday 1-3pm

Chyue, Chyue!! I heard the sound that somebody was calling me I couldn't see anyone around me. I was walking in the dark place and awful smell was around me. I couldn't find the way and my body was trembling. I shouted and called my Mom, Mom, Mom... Please help me.. I don't know where to go. I was really terrified at that moment and I heard one of lady's voice and she said " Go back, this is not a place you have to come"!! I don't know why she was telling me like that and she shouted me again " Go back quickly, go back...". I couldn't see her face and I just ran back the way I came and I fell down in the hole. I screamed and it made me woke up and at that time, I realized I was in a terrible dream.

But when I opened my eyes, my mother and sister were sleeping beside me and the time was midnight. I spoke in a murmur and I called Mom..Mom..Mom! She woke up and looked at me with worries and she asked me "Are you okay....my dear??" What do you want??. Until that time I couldn't remember what happened to me.  And I asked her" what's wrong with me, Mom?" . She stared at me with both of her eyes that were filling with tears and she said " I'm so sorry..my dear, it was my fault! You got injured because of me and I shouldn't let you play outside without me"and  she went out from the room to make some soup for me. My sister was still staying with me and I got back my memory at that time and I felt kind of pain on my head and legs. I remembered that I had an accident that evening. I asked my mom to play outside a few hours ago and at first, she didn't allow me to play alone without her but I was bullheaded girl and I made bellyache to my mother. Finally she allowed me to play at outside an hour. I met with friends who is living same quarter with at playground and we played together safely. Suddenly, we heard sound that was from sky and we were finding together. That sound came from a tree near around us and we found out a kitten on the tree. It seemed like it was afraid to climb down from tree so I tried to help it and climbed up the tree but I don't know how high I climbed up. My friend shouted me to climb down again but I didn't have any ideas and fears because I just wanted to help the kitten and I got it. I climbed down again with kitten and suddenly kitten escaped from my hand and it arrived to the ground safely. At that time I looked down to ground and I was frantic and nervous how to climb down because I was on the middle of tree. I climbed down step by step even though I was trembling but that moment I just heard my friend's screaming and I didn't remember what happened to me. And then I woke up at the midnight. My sister told me I fell down from the tree and it was very high. My sister told me that as soon as I fell down from the tree, my mother took  me and ran to the hospital without shoes. My head and leg was broken but it was not very serious. 

I realized how parents are worried and careful of their offspring. They are always precious and valuable their children even though how they are stubborn like me. Despite I didn't see my mother expression and how worry she was, I could feel that because I heard she took and ran to hospital without shoes. That is called parents' love. I always take care myself after that accident because I don't want to make my mother cry again.

Sol Lee/ First Draft/ Thurs 1~3 P.M.

 A day before Chuseok holiday, I was waiting someone in the crosswalk. Crosswalk was crowded with many people because of lunch time, but someone was running toward me. I immediately noticed that's my sister. "Hey, how are you? Is everything okay?" I asked but she just smiled awhile instead of an answer. My younger sister is only 17 years old and now high school first grade. In Korea, high school period is full of stress and less self confident because of severe competition. That really frustrated student. I haven't seen her almost two months because we all lived apart from parent's home. We lived each dormitory near our school right now. I suspected she would be really hard to endure what she had faced with, but we were really glad to see each other again. I hugged her and talked to her gently as usual. At first we went to the restaurant. I assumed she won't talk to me what's difficult and how she feels. However, when I started to talk to her she seemed comfortable and easily talked about what's her situation right now.

 "I don't know what is the problem in my studying and I don't have any confidence that I can do something better. "

 "I always think parents should always believe what their children are doing, but our parents didn't understand me at all. I think they want too many things to me."

 "I used to play with my friends, but right now I had no friends except for boy friend. I don't want to make trouble with my friends especially in my dormitory room, so I used to stay alone."

 "I have a specific dream. I want to do work related to sports. I really love sports. I want to get a jog that get along with many people. And the time when I will enter the university, I'll experience whatever I want."

 She seemed confused about what she had to do and seemed lonely. She was really cheerful girl but life of competition made her exhausted in six months. I was really sorry about that and also felt I was indifferent to her. She is 5 years younger than me, so I always thought she was just a little child. I expressed how I love her, but didn't hear what problem she had faced with. However, she was grown up and had own problems about friends, work she had to do, relationship with my parents and even she had her own plan specifically. I was really surprised during this time. Actually I didn't know about her trouble and even didn't wonder about it at all. At that time I was really sorry about her.

 In the end, we were like friends. I gave her an advice about her situation right now and I also  talked about my current situation and trouble. It seemed more intimate than ever. After touring my university with drinks, we took a subway to get our home. We listened to a music together and made fun of each other like usual, but I learned something very important. We should be  great friends which understand more than other, talk more than other. I thought I had to treat her as a friend not a child.

 

Sol Lee/ Memory China/ Thurs 1~3 P.M.

In front of my dest

Messy

Full of books that I had to study

Smartphone-mass up my life

Tons of homework

Less self esteem-> I don't really want to take a class

Dormitory small room with my roommate- we're getting along well but sometimes

Want to live alone – comfortable in my mind

Getting along with my friend – doing interesting hobbies to get along with

Cut off this vicious cycle (<-> virtuous cycle)

during writing I volunteer winter olympic

laundry that have to filed up

teddy bear is laying in my bed

 

 

 

 

Right now I'm in front of my desk that is full of books. These books are waiting for me to study, but that doesn't happen almost three days. Next to the desk, there is a bed that I really love and hate. That bed is covered with dry laundries that have to be fold up. My room is complicated and confusing. It is same as my mind. I have had a bad habit that ruined my life. I postponed what I have to do like assignment, quiz preparation, studying and so on and nearby deadline I did it in the end.  But the day I didn't prepare that much was really ashamed to take the classes. That was the starting point that I missed a class. That's totally a vicious cycle. When I looked back how I lived, I learned I'm just a person who is filled with error and lack of persistency. I really want to change myself just for me. Right now I didn't try hard to do something and have less self-esteem, so I will try hard to change my life style.

 

Chaeyoung Son/First draft/ Thursday 1-3pm

I was woken up to the sound of alarm, it was already 6 am. Bright melody and a little cool weather made me dally in the bed. I just thought to let myself sleep 5 more minutes, but I decided to take a shower and go to school in time. I had to enter mathematical formulas to silence alarm. [ sin² θ + cos² θ =?] [1]! I took hot shower lauguidly and didn't recognize that I was exceeded time because hot water was felt like a blanket. I had skipped the breakfast and run to the bus stop, but the bus already took off. Next bus came in 15 minutes. Arriving at 7 am is my goal, but I could get to school at a quarter past 7. Although I didn't arrive at the hour arranged, our school begins at 9 am, there is no one at the school door.

To reach my class, I had to pass other classrooms. There was just one boy when I kept looking sideways. I wondered why nobody was in my friend's class so brought my face toward the class window. Soon, there was a scream ahead of me. I looked front with surprise, but nothing was to be seen in the hall except the sound. That kept me on the edge of my seat, so I could not move. Suddenly, a man with navy clothes popped out from the forward class door. When I wasn't giving an accurate picture, the man moved again, I saw a girl. The man bounded her with his hands so she was hindered her mobility They were unaware of my existence and the man tried to face to the bathroom with the poor girl. Primal fear of the moment, a cry escaped my lips and the strange man found me. Then he came to me to shout down. The phone in my hand was way off the map and what's even worse I couldn't move. My screams drew the boy I saw a moment ago to corridor. Seeing the puzzled look on the man's face, then he right ran a way. The school imposed a ban on coming into school early and put a gag on witnesses. Teachers and only our 3 students knew about this incident.

I wasn't injured or traumatised by that accident but this is the memory that I remember clearly. Because I thought the chance of that morning changed the result. If I hadn't missed a bus, I might've become a victim of that accident.