Me in the Mountains

 On Saturday, our director Heather took us to hike Chiaksan Mountain, which is known as "Cure Mountain," as it has been known to heal the spirit, mind, and body. It was a perfect escape from the monotony of teaching and the stale city air.

The five of us scaled the trails at our own pace, and it was a gratifying challenge for body and mind. The climb was a distance of only some 3 kilometers, which seemed much less intimidating from the beginning - but I've been inert for some time, and as the pitch increased, my muscles ached and my breath grew labored and my will quavered, but my resolution solidified.
 

Keeping up with the two Korean teachers was a struggle, not only physically but also because they were so quick (used to the mountainous terrain, perhaps?), I felt as though I were missing the scenery. After all, the destination is miraculous, but the journey is gratifying as well. I could feel the air getting more and more pure, and finally we reached a tranquil spot to collect water and dig into our snack supply. It was a beautiful mashup of nuts and dried fruit and sweet potatoes and felt so nutritious and filling and fulfilling. We filled our bottles at a spigot of natural and pure water from the mountain, and its clean taste was remarkable.
After resting, we continued up and up, steeper and steeper still, until at last we caught a glimpse of our destination: Sangwonsa Temple, a buddhist speck in the mountains of Gangwon-do province.
 

The view from the summit was hazy but beautiful, and I had an unshakable feeling of pride for reaching my goal. The climb wasn't easy, and we still had to make the trek back down during which my legs would shake like jelly, but for the moment I felt as though I had shed the weight of the language barrier and the workload and all concerns. For a substantial amount of time I've felt far from God and from my family and all forms of comfort, but here there were no worries. Now it was just me in the mountains.