At the train station

The other day on my way back to Daegu after spending the morning in Daejeon at the English Coffee House, I was waiting at the train station for the train. The waiting area was really packed and there was no place to go sit down, so I decided to go wait in the back corner. Usually when I'm at that train station I encounter a group of Jehovah's Witnesses who wants to talk to me about their religion. So as I was standing in the corner I was looking around to see if I could spot them first so I could avoid them, but then I something out of the norm happened.

A very old Korean man came up to me and in perfect English he asked me if he could ask me a question. I gave him the green light and then he asked me what is the meaning of "expensive sappy". I didn't really get what he was asking, so I asked him to repeat his question. Again he asked me the meaning of "expensive sappy". I told him I don't know what he was talking about and then he reached for his pocket to get a small piece of paper. He gave it to me to read and then I saw the words "expensive therapy". Oh, I said, you mean expensive therapy? Then he asked me to repeat the word "therapy" again and again so he could get the correct pronunciation.

Then he kind of introduced himself by saying that he is 84 years old and that he studies English everyday, by reading English newspapers and magazines. He said he doesn't have an English teacher to help him therefore he isn't always sure of the pronunciation. (I guess his Saturday afternoon involves going to places like train stations to meet foreigners to whom he can talk to) He asked me where I was from and I said "South Africa" and I was expecting the usual response I get from older Korean people, because usually they ask me again " uhm you actually mean South America, don't you?" (they still have a hard time to believe that Africa is home to some white people as well). This grandpa asked me if I was from Cape Town and surprised me with his knowledge about Africa. He continued talking about random things and I patiently listened and corrected him a little when needed.

It was a wonderful experience, but that day I was a little tired and just I listened to him, but now I feel really sorry that I didn't make more of that opportunity by getting to know him better. I think he might have very interesting stories to tell about his life. It's an opportunity gone by, I'm disappointed with myself, but now I've decided - CARPE DIEM