a smile 19:11

I said goodbye to my teacher and was glad Friday was over! I made my way to the bus stop listening to my ipod in my own musically enchanted world. As I got on the bus, I headed for the back - my usual routine. As the bus driver made his way from stop to stop, I noticed a young lady running with a bag and groceries in both her arms from the other side of the street signaling him to wait! (I hate to admit it but I do people-watch from the back and find it quite entertaining.) I immediately thought whether or not he would ignore it or make her day by waiting. He waited! She had the largest smile on her face and it radiated to every corner of the bus. I felt it. It made me smile. She seemed to be a happy person. She stood near the front and took out an article to read.

The bus driver continued and three young kids entered the bus - one girl and two boys. They were most likely just out of high school because it was only one in the afternoon and most kids who ditch school would not dare taking the bus during that time. They also had never taken the bus it seemed. They talked to the bus driver and although I could not hear anything, it turned out they did not have enough money. Looking around, they gently asked the young lady with the big smile if she could lend some money. She looked eager to help. She went into her bag and gave them some money with, of course, a big smile on her face. And from the movement of one of the kid's lips, I could clearly make out that she had said, "thank you very much!" An older man sitting near the young lady began a conversation with her and both laughed and had a good time.

This definitely made my day today. How one smile can affect multiple people's lives in a matter of minutes! I wanted to laugh out with joy because it was a simple, yet beautiful gesture.

switzerland! 14:47

Switzerland was the most memorable part of my trip. Maybe because my expectations were not as high as Portugal or Spain. Or maybe because my friend Iwan and his family were so hospitable. I don't think I can explain it concretely but it left a wonderfully deep impression.

Before I left for Europe, I bought a ticket to Basel at the last minute so I could go and hang out with Iwan. Basel however, happened to be an hour and a half away from where Iwan lived. But Iwan, being the good guy he is, came all the way up and greeted me at the airport! We spent the next day just hanging around Busswil, Biel, and Bern. (Which all happen to be great cities or towns or villages, or whatever you want to call them.) The most memorable thing was riding bikes with Iwan through the side streets and farms, along rivers and lakes, and into downtown Biel while just chatting about random things, about life, about hopes. It felt very freeing, calm, and all my worries in life were insignificant compared to the grandeur of the mountains and lakes. I decided that I would go back next summer...

portugal 23:53

Porto, Portugal was my first destination. Downtown Porto is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means that it is an old, really rad part of town. I went to see my old roommate Hugo and of course he was extremely hospitable. I'm glad to be his friend. We saw sites, drank lots of wine, hung out with Hugo's friends until the wee hours of the morning, and ate a lot of good Portuguese food. I am now quite surprised that Portuguese food is not popular in the states because it would do so well! My favorites were Arroz de Marisco and Francesinhas. Arroz de Marisco is similar to the paella but in stew form and significantly better in taste. Francesinhas are sandwiches with steak, ham, and cheese. Melted cheese is poured over the sandwich and topped with an egg. Lastly, a beer-tomato sauce is poured over the entire food-structure (at this point it's about a good 6 inches thick!) and eaten with french fries. It packed with tons of calories I'm sure, but it's so good.

A few initial observations of Portugal: 1) the Portuguese speak really good English! (In relation to Spain, France, and Italy, the other Romance language speaking countries) I had no problem communicating with any of the young people I met. 2) They are a little smaller than other Europeans. They also eat a lot of fish and live longer than other Europeans. I have a hunch that maybe it's the fish.... 3) Tan is the IN thing. If you are not tanned, you are not cool. I guess I'm not cool then. 4) Don't wear white socks. (I found out the hard way.) Only old construction workers wear white socks. 5) Portuguese r's are pronounced like English h's.

These are the boats that used to carry wine from an area upstream down to this area.

The River Duoro that flows between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.

Hugo's awesome friends whom I befriended.

spain 23:10

Back in March of 2009, my soon to be friend Hugo contacted me through couchsurfing and asked if he would be able to stay a couple of days. He was coming to Los Angeles for ten weeks to take an English class. Instead of crashing for a few days however, he became my roommate for four months! He left for Portugal, his home, in June and we communicated through email and facebook occasionally after that. One afternoon in July, Hugo skyped me and had me check some flights to Europe. I had thrown around the idea of going to Europe, but I didn't really think I would go anytime soon. As I searched, I found a flight to Madrid for 560 dollars and I booked it immediately. Talk about an impulse buyer. I was off to Europe.

My first destination was Portugal. Afterwards, I flew to Switzerland and then to Madrid. Now in Madrid, I have a friend who I have known for a little over two years now. While living in Korea, Jorge found me through a language exchange site and we communicated through skype. I taught him English and he taught me Spanish. We became pretty good friends through it.

The idea came into mind that since I was flying into Madrid, I should meet up with Jorge. And that's exactly what happened! The funniest thing is that Jorge has a really unique voice and a really thick accent over his English. So, at the airport, even though I had no idea what he looked like, I was able to recognize him immediately once he opened his mouth.

This is the Palace of Communication. It pretty much dominates this main intersection.

The Plaza Mayor. A beautiful little square where people (mostly tourists) hang out. Jorge told me things are double the price here.

Parco de Retiro, an enormous park with many grand buildings and sculpture. This one commemorates some ruler in the past.

This is Jorge, his wife Raquel, and I in their living room. They have such an awesome pad in a town thirty minutes south of Madrid. They were so warm and welcoming.

filial piety, love, and tragedy 23:44

I had written about Suwon in one of my previous posts and briefly talked about the history and ideas that went behind the construction of the city. This week however, I was able to read about it in more detail and was consumed and moved by the story of a king's love for his father and the subsequent tragedies that shook the palace and its people.

King Jeongjo (1724-1776) was a strong ruler. It is said that the dynasty flourished and prospered under his command. Unfortunately, he was also a strict and seemingly 'uncaring' father who instilled great fear and paranoia in his son, Sado. Prince Sado felt he could not live up to the standards of his father and eventually believed his father would kill him. He began to hate washing himself, which led to himatiophoia (the fear of clothes) and hallucinations. He also began digging holes to store weapons as a precaution to any assassination attempt. This paranoia eventually led to erratic murders of eunuchs and maidens in the palace. Throughout all this, his wife Lady Hyegyeong documented in her journal the mental illness that had befallen her husband. Their son (who would become the next ruler), Yeongjo, also saw how this illness had taken of a hold of his father. In the end, King Jeongjo ordered the death of his son for treason (which during this period usually meant suicide). After a few failed attempts however, Sado was forced into a rice chest where in eight days, he died of starvation.

Nine years later, King Yeongjo took the throne and with the thought of retribution, began to order the deaths of all who were involved in the death of his father. This led to the death of many officials, including his grandfather, Lady Hyegyeong's father. He then collected the finest architects and city planners and began the construction of Suwon (Hwaseong as it was known then). He moved his father's remains to the city and gave his father a proper burial that a king deserved. It is said that he loved his father dearly. Visiting the mausoleum had become one of his major preoccupations.

"Returning from the tomb, how many times I halted my carriage to look back in its direction and think of him."

The saddest part about this story is Lady Hyegyeong's loss and her helplessness throughout it all. She saw her own husband's mind deteriorate and his eventual inhumane execution. Soon after, her father and much of the people in her family were murdered at the orders of her own son. The deep pain and suffering that she went through must have been excruciating for her. In her journal, Lady Hyegyeong writes that it was the father who was the cause of his son's mental illness and it was he who murdered his own son for the very illness that he caused. Such irony and tragedy.

One interesting side note is that the palace-fortress-mausoleum in Suwon is quite different from all other memorial sites because it was actually inhabited by REAL people. The great pyramids in Egypt, the vast tombs of China, and other note-worthy memorial sites were only recreations of a world. Paintings, sculptures, buildings were made but not lived in by real people. This makes Suwon all the more important and fascinating.