A Whole New World

You jump onto the sofa as soon as you come home. Only the silence greets you. You are spending the whole Chuseok alone. Bell rings from the living room - call from your parents in Spain. You answer their questions and promise that you will be fine. As soon as you change your clothes, you go to the academy, where you study for 5 hours straight, and return home at 10 PM. You have to go to bed right away because tomorrow, you have to leave for Guam to take the ACT. At 6 AM, you go to the bus terminal and wait for the bus to Incheon Airport. Songs come out from your Airpods to relax you from your stress. After five hours of flight, you walk into the hot, humid, sticky air of Guam. You have to go to bed early for your exam tomorrow.

Red door of St.Johns School

     

The next morning, you are in front of the red, big door of St.Johns School. Lots of students are chattering about, but their faces are cloudy. “Everyone, please go to your test room immediately!” You push the big heavy door in front of you. The door closes with a big thud as you enter the test room.

On a scale from 1 to 10 in terms of new experience, I’d rate my Chuseok a 7. This Chuseok was very different from the previous ones. First, it was my first time to spend Chuseok alone. Also, it was the first time not to visit my grandparent’s house. Finally, it was my first time visiting Guam (I had not expected that taking the test would be the reason for my first visit). 

Being home alone was quite a fun experience. Even though I had a big test, I felt free. I could do whatever I want to do. First thing I did was calling my best friends and invite them over. I hadn't been in touch with them since middle school graduation. It was so fun chatting with them for the whole night. Because I am used to living in dormitory, I didn’t feel much loneliness even though my family wasn’t with me. After returning from Guam, I ordered delivery foods and watched Netflix until 3 AM. I woke up at 2 PM. SO HAPPY. It was one of my best day in 2019. 

However, not meeting my relatives was a bit sad. I couldn’t join the family meeting as I had to take the ACT. I was at Guam. I wanted to meet my grandparents and talk to my nephews. Our family usually meet on every holiday such as Chuseok and new year’s day. We don’t live near each other, so this is the only time that I can meet them. And I have never missed these meetings because our family considers this meeting very important. Last year, wearing my Hanbok, I went to my grandparent’s house and played “Hwatoo” with my cousins and other family members. Unfortunately, this year, I couldn’t join that tense moment when the grandfather passes the card to members. Even though I had greater freedom, I missed some moments. 

The place I decided to go instead of my grandparent’s house was Guam. Even though I was going there for testing, I was so excited as it was my first time. I heard that the beaches in Guam are so beautiful. And it really was. At the dawn of the test day, the view from my hotel room was fascinating: blue waves, beautiful sunrise with gradations in the sky. I wished that I could just jump into the waves instead of riding the bus to my test center. My first trip to Guam was awe-inspiring yet was a shame that I had to leave right away after the test. 

Beautiful scene in Guam

Opening the red door again from the inside, I was sure that this Chuseok was very different from my previous Chuseoks for 16 years. It was full of novel experiences, including both good and bad. My experience during Chuseok didn't have much to do with its traditional meaning, but it was still a meaningful experience for me.