On July 18, news of severe flooding came from various parts of Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, and with train services being suspended, activists Dol and Banghak grew anxious. Fortunately, on the day of the visit, the train departed without issue, and when we arrived at the station, the weather had even cleared. We quickly rented a car and drove to halmoni’s home, finding that the neighborhood had not suffered major damage. Halmoni and her caregiver warmly greeted us as they got into the car, though the hot and humid weather seemed to leave her looking more tired than she had the previous month.
That day, we planned to take halmoni to Pohang to see the sea. She had long said she wanted to get some fresh air, so we set off early and headed straight there. Dol drove the whole way, worried it might rain, but luckily Pohang welcomed us with clear skies. After an hour and a half’s drive, we arrived, strolled through Jukdo Market, and went to a restaurant for steamed seafood.
Halmoni initially felt some discomfort after being in the car so long, which worried us. But after sipping a glass of soda, she brightened up and enjoyed her meal, eating rice along with the seafood. She kept telling Banghak how delicious it was, asking how they had managed to find such a place, which left Banghak feeling a bit shy.
After our meal, with everyone full, we decided to take a short walk along the beach. Because of her knee and back pain, halmoni sat on a bench, sharing stories of her life while gazing at the ocean. As she talked, she confessed that she hated to see the time pass and was sad at the thought of us leaving. Still, she kept checking to make sure we would not miss our train back, worrying about us more than herself.
On the way home, halmoni stayed awake the whole ride, chatting with us. She had many questions about the world today and much to share from her own experiences. At one point, while driving back through Daegu, heavy rain suddenly poured down — but as soon as we passed through a tunnel, the skies turned bright and sunny again, making everyone laugh in amazement.
We safely returned from our trip to Pohang and bid halmoni a reluctant farewell. Watching her hesitate to let us go tugged at our hearts. Halmoni, we are sorry we cannot visit you more often or stay longer. But we promise to spend as much time with you as we can, whenever possible. Please continue to eat well and stay healthy, just like today!
On July 18, news of severe flooding came from various parts of Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, and with train services being suspended, activists Dol and Banghak grew anxious. Fortunately, on the day of the visit, the train departed without issue, and when we arrived at the station, the weather had even cleared. We quickly rented a car and drove to halmoni’s home, finding that the neighborhood had not suffered major damage. Halmoni and her caregiver warmly greeted us as they got into the car, though the hot and humid weather seemed to leave her looking more tired than she had the previous month.
That day, we planned to take halmoni to Pohang to see the sea. She had long said she wanted to get some fresh air, so we set off early and headed straight there. Dol drove the whole way, worried it might rain, but luckily Pohang welcomed us with clear skies. After an hour and a half’s drive, we arrived, strolled through Jukdo Market, and went to a restaurant for steamed seafood.
Halmoni initially felt some discomfort after being in the car so long, which worried us. But after sipping a glass of soda, she brightened up and enjoyed her meal, eating rice along with the seafood. She kept telling Banghak how delicious it was, asking how they had managed to find such a place, which left Banghak feeling a bit shy.
After our meal, with everyone full, we decided to take a short walk along the beach. Because of her knee and back pain, halmoni sat on a bench, sharing stories of her life while gazing at the ocean. As she talked, she confessed that she hated to see the time pass and was sad at the thought of us leaving. Still, she kept checking to make sure we would not miss our train back, worrying about us more than herself.
On the way home, halmoni stayed awake the whole ride, chatting with us. She had many questions about the world today and much to share from her own experiences. At one point, while driving back through Daegu, heavy rain suddenly poured down — but as soon as we passed through a tunnel, the skies turned bright and sunny again, making everyone laugh in amazement.
We safely returned from our trip to Pohang and bid halmoni a reluctant farewell. Watching her hesitate to let us go tugged at our hearts. Halmoni, we are sorry we cannot visit you more often or stay longer. But we promise to spend as much time with you as we can, whenever possible. Please continue to eat well and stay healthy, just like today!