Aaju Maa

It has been a week since I came here to Gumi. At first, I was a little more apprehensive about the place, but it seems I have adapted quite nicely. The most amazing thing during this trip is my friendship with a Korean couple, who own a store near the motel I stay in. Never before had I come so close to any Korean, rather I had no chance to come any closer. Ever since I came to Korea, I stayed in the Indian guest house in Suwon. You find a large number of Indians there (mostly from my company) and the attendants are from Nepal who speak good Hindi. So, never before, had I got the necessity or the opportunity to get close to some Korean.

Now, let me tell you something about this generous and kind couple. They must be in their early fifties or late forties. They run a convenience store (a grocery store plus a place to warm your eatables and eat) and a restaurant. I was introduced at the store by one of my friends. Though they don't speak good English, they speak enough for us to understand what they mean. Same is the case when we talk. With the mixture of some crude Hangul (Korean language) and plain English, we are also able to communicate with them.

A day of mine typically goes like this. I come back from the office to the convenience store for lunch. As soon I reach there, I am warmly greeted by AajuMaa (aunt in Korean). I get some pre-cooked rice there; get it warmed in the microwave oven. By then, AajuMaa brings some bowls. I usually have rice with pickles or some ready-to-eat curries. As usual, she would offer some egg-omelets or other stuff, for free. But being a vegetarian, I respectfully deny every time. Today, she offered me some sea-weeds, called kim. It tastes like "Methi ka Patta". The appearance is something similar to a green paper. It is wrapped over a table-spoon of rice and eaten wholly. Was quite tasty! The same is the situation when I go there for dinner. She usually sits near the table when I am having food and keeps on talking. She often asks me about my family and life in India. I somehow manage to reply back. Then I buy some cakes for breakfast and get back to the motel for the night.

I tried out at her restaurant today. I went there for lunch. I had some bhaap (rice), curry and fried kim. After eating pre-cooked rice for 4 days, it was awesome. After lunch, she dropped me at my motel in her car.

You feel at home when you meet such warm people. I feel lucky for the love that she bestows upon me. It seems very unnatural for me; how can you like someone in just 3 days. It's pure luck to meet such nice persons in life. I got an important lesson from them. You can win the hearts with your gentle and kind attitude. Works well with strangers too. Tested on me and it worked!!! These nice moments can bind you with people whom you have met for only 3 days and even though you never expect to see them again.

This was my first chance to mingle with Korean people and I had a nice experience.