My Home
Skyscrapers with bright night lights and Buddhist temples dominating the Bangkok city, this was the first scene that I had of Thailand. Visiting a foreign country for the first time, I didn't know what to expect. Until my dad told me that we were moving, I had never heard Thailand. All I knew was that, it was a place far awat frm Korea. Leaving my ordinary life and friends behind, I was upset and worried.
"What's this smell?" My sister and I said it at the same time, before we got into what looked like our dad's car. Normally, we would call out "I said it first" or "stop following me", but we were too tired and annoyed to say anything. No one could tell what the smell was. It was a new kind of scent that we never encountered before. It was a combination of spicy, musky and salty. Later I found out that it was part of exotic spices like cilantro, used in Thai cuisine that I grew to love.
Coming from a cold winter in Korea, the humid December of Thailand was too much for me to bear. I was still wearing long blue jeans and holding onto a pink winter coat from Korea. To overcome the humidity, I took a sip from the water that my dad handed to me. Right after taking the first sip, I spit it out. Water which was supposed to taste like nothing, tasted like iron, kind of like rain water. Maybe I was being a bratty nine year old, but it really did taste like rain.
Weather, scent, taste, nothing made me happy. Instead, everything irritated me. I made a pouty face to show my frustration to my parents.
However, entering what it looked like a highway, my lips which were out due to my pouty face, went in and formed a '0' shape. In front of me was a new world. I was mesmerized by the tall buildings shining bright lights. In between, I could see what it looked like a palace or a temple. With car radio blasting oriental Thai music, it was obvious that I was in Thailand. Even the advertisements written in Thai alphabets and Buddhist temples shouted at me that I was in Thailand but somehow reminded me of the tall buildings and Gyeongbokgung back in Seoul.
Before my encounter with the Bangkok city, my heart was filled with anger and nervousness. But from the first car ride from the airport, it gave me a hope. A hope that maybe I could get used to this place. It gave me a sense of promise that Thailand won't be bad.
Time went within a blink of an eye. It came to the time for me to leave Thailand. I was no long just a nine year old scared about her new life in a foreign country. I was a high school graduate, leaving the place where I grew to call my home. The strong spices of Thai food, the taste of water and even the sight of lizards on our bathroom wall were no longer foreign to me. They all became part of my life.
On the taxi going to the airport, it was also at night. Even until the last day, we couldn't escape the crazy car traffic of Bangkok city. I noticed that we were going through the same highway that we first came through ten years ago. Looking at the opposite direction with cars lined up for the traffic jam, it reminded of my first car ride in Thailand. It was odd to think how scared and worried I was back then. Nine year old me would have never expected herself to have such a hard time leaving. Inside, I sincerely thanked Thailand for giving me the best childhood years I could think of.
It has been about four years since then. With my younger sister graduating high school in May, our family is planning to visit our home after four years.
I can't wait to go back home.
It’s very interesting that the place you felt exotic eventually became your home. You described your feelings very vividly and I was able to understand how you felt in Thailand. My favorite part was the time your attitude changed when you were entering a highway. I really liked your description, “my lips formed a ‘O’ shape”. I think it’s really cute and fresh expression. Overall, the place indeed seems to be important to you as you had contradictory feelings.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there were some parts that were not so clear. When you wrote, “We got into what looked like our dad’s car” At first, I thought that you and your sister got in someone else’s car or something that wasn’t a car before reading it again to find out what was happening. Also, “entering what it looked like a highway” was also confusing for the same reason. I understand why you wrote in the way, but I think you can just write it more directly to make it clear. I also see a slight spelling mistake in your first paragraph.
201202334 Kweonho Lee