Mother Nature on the mountain
The new day had come even before I saw the clear sunrise. The first thing I felt in that morning was chilly mountain air touching my face. Then I heard footsteps on the hard wooden floor outside the room and tap water running. As it was a lodge made of wood, creaking sound was everywhere. By that sound, I knew all my friends already woke up.
I came down from my bed which was full of fluffy and thick bedding, and I arranged it feeling its softness and coldness in my hands. When I came out, I heard them greeting me in excited voices. They were in a hurry preparing breakfast, packing things, dressing up and so on. I slowly said "Good morning" to them, but my voice broke and I had to clear my voice. It was due to the cold weather in nighttime, and my bare feet were still cold on the wooden floor without carpet. That floor kept creaking as everyone was moving in hurry except me. I could see everyone happy and excited, as it was the day to go up the beautiful, high mountain!
* * *
It was the place named Ayder in Northern Turkey, known for its beautiful and cool mountains. Mountains in Ayder were so high that sometimes people could walk in the clouds, and that's what I and my friends were expecting. We were travelling Turkey for one month, and it was the middle of the journey. We had arrived there the night before and had fallen asleep with happiness.
For me, however, the morning was not easy. I am very sensitive to the cold weather and I really hate it. I especially hate opening my eyes with trembling. That was exactly what happened that morning. I sat at a table, sipping at a cup of Turkish black tea, feeling its warmth in my hands. I closed my eyes.
"Are you okay? You felt cold last night and that's why you don't feel happy now, right?"
A cheerful voice made my eyes open. One of my friends, Stella, smiled at me and she cheered me up. Her voice sounded like a lovely bell.
"I know, it was too cold last night. But this is the day that you were waiting for! Come on, you will feel better if you have something."
She was right. After having breakfast, we came out of the lodge. There was a slope right beside our lodge, and pink flowers bloomed on that slope. We were quite surprised by its beauty, as we had arrived the late night and therefore we had not seen it. Seeing lovely flowers and feeling fresh morning air made me feel much better. We moved by car first and soon we started to walk.
We walked on the lane, seeing flowers in near, pastures and cows faraway. Everything in my sight was like a scenery in postcards. I took a lot of pictures using my film camera. We had our lunch on a big stone. We had prepared sliced tomatoes, some cheese, and the bread called Ekmek, which is the main food of Turkish meal and quite similar with baguette. It was the most delicious bread that I had eaten ever. Under the clear blue sky, feeling the summer breeze touching my hair, we enjoyed our lunch.
When we arrived a small village on the top of the mountain, we found a small shop selling tea and snacks for mountain climbers like us. After we finished a cup of hot Turkish tea, we saw clouds coming down the slope! We were in clouds in a minute! It was very humid and cold, and I trembled again. But I felt totally different with what I felt in the morning. I felt perfectly happy and excited.
* * *
I sometimes think of that day. When I need refreshment but I cannot take a rest, I just close my eyes and recall the memory of that day-- smiles of people I met there, a woman in traditional dress who gave me a cup of tea, what I felt in humid clouds, and even a little nameless flower on the way.
It is a very precious memory for me because it was the perfect repose in the nature. For the first time in my life, I felt the healing power of the nature which was strong enough to change my mood and physical condition. I do believe that the nature can give a rest to human being, and I think that's why people call it the "Mother Nature".
(Yousun Jung)
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