Since he has been living in Suwon almost 10 years (on and off, of course), he, whenever leaving home, feels like he'd encounter someone he knows of. And it never is wrong.
After spending a couple of hours at the library and parsing the vignette in Genesis where Jacob runs into God (or God in a form of man) and wrestles with him, he exited the premises, expecting to bump into someone he knows. And he did.
She was one of the colleagues that Oh worked with while volunteering at the international health clinic on campus. That was their first encounter after Oh came back from the states. They have been meaning to meet with each other, but well, Oh has been busy and so has she.
Anyways, they were glad to see each other and decided to have a little conversation over a cup of coffee. And they unfolded the past couple months of their lives. The nurses that Oh used to work with at the clinic were all doing fine other than some of them broke up with their boyfriends. And Oh and the lady talked about their work, good ole times and whatnot.
After promising to have a get together with all the clinic personnel later, Oh said good bye to the lady and got on his bicycle. Then, he thought that this area is too comfort for him. He knows the place too well and so from a certain point, it has served as a comfort zone for Oh. Some say that stuck in a comfort zone is bad and some say it is not. Sometimes Oh feels jaded with the same things, the same buildings, the same roads and even the same people almost every day. But then again, he also believes that making adjustments to a new environment and being alone might not as good as being in a comfort zone and feeling snug.
At any rate,
Back at the library, Oh was reading Time and spotted a spread reserved for Lance Armstrong. While reading the article, something struck Oh. It was about why Lance is always up for a challenge. After he retired, he challenged Boston Marathon. And now he plans on riding again. I bet he's earned enough money and reputation, has a beautiful wife and must be living a helluv life. But still he is trying to broaden his horizon. Here is an excerpt as to where Lance's motivation comes from.
And while parsing this segement, Oh felt like Lance was talking about Oh's reason to exercise. Oh, at the gmy, feels like he owns the gym. He is yet a skinny and lean Korean man, but works out and really enjoys it. The two hours at the gym everyday is when no one can not interrupt Oh. He feels lucky and gracious for having a healthy body and thus can even move. Sometimes, when Oh goes to work, he runs into this particular man with disability. Just like Oh's passed uncle who suffered from stroke, the guy, relying on a metal cane, limps. Whenever Oh passed by the guy, he feels guilty a bit for doing that. He is pretty sure that that guy would even notice Oh, but still in presence of people with disabilities, Oh feels like he owes something to them. Ah.. he misses his uncle today more than ever, to whom he even could not say good bye or sit next to his death bed.
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