PERSONAL NARRATIVE ESSAY #2

PERSONAL NARRATIVE ESSAY #2

 

SENDING TIME

KMLA 18TH WAVE

131031 KIM YESUEL(LILLIAN)

 

I’ve always preferred handwritten letter than e-mail. The feeling of the paper, the alphabets in all different forms fascinated me. I believe sending the handwritten letter means not only sending the news, but also sending yourself and most importantly, your time. It needs a lot of time to write, and since the font is not uniform, it also represents the sender. I have the precious experience which started from sending time.

 

I joined the first camp when I was 10 years old. It was then that I made the first friend from the different city, and one of my best friends. She and I were like the magnet during the camp. She had a lot of energy, which was actually aberrant for a small girl like her. She was even smaller than me, and now you can guess how small she was. We actively participated in every single activity. Foolish songs were made, endless talks were done, and unadulterated happiness was enjoyed. After 3 days of camp, we would have exchanged the cell phone number or email address if we had one of them. However, we had neither of them, so we exchanged the home address, and promised to send letter to each other.

 

Right after the camp, we started to send our time to each other. We talked about the camp, our trivia, and some issues. We waited for reply every week, and it became habit for both of us. I still have those colorful envelopes back at home. However, when we were 12 years old, she moved the Gwangju, my hometown, and the time stopped being sent. I didn’t know the new address of her, and she lost the envelope with my address. The precious 2 years slowly faded away.

 

At the end of my 1^st year in the Unri middle school, I met her again. Now, it is necessary to mention that I maintained the 1^st place at the school except the 3^rd exam of my 1^st year. Someone stole my precious title of 1^st, and immature jealousy, negative emotion burgeoned toward that unknown student in class 10. Few weeks after the exam, I got a letter in familiar handwritings. It was from that girl 2 years ago, saying that she had found the envelope. I was so happy because I encountered the part of memory. Nothing, even her handwriting or writing style, in the letter changed. And the letter said, “Hey! Long time no see. Are you doing well? I got the highest score in the exam of Unri middle school! Hurray! Please congratulate me.” As you can guess, the sender of the letter which I desperately waited for was that unknown girl.

 

I was surprised that it was her. I was surprised at how my attitude could suddenly change. Before I knew that she was who ‘stole’ my place, I didn’t like that hidden thief. But when I knew the truth, my emotion toward that thief became positive. I’ve always believed that the human should have unchanging attitude toward everyone. I thought I was doing it better than the past, but then, I couldn’t help but find myself changing my attitude. I haven’t told her yet that I disliked her as the person who took my place away, because I was so embarrassed, and sorry about hating her for a short time. I didn’t want to show my naiveness in handling my emotion and attitude to her. Also, I thought she ‘stole’ my place, but soon I found it embarrassing since that means I lost my first mind and was recognizing 1^st place as my own.

 

This unique experience revealed the fragility of me. That is why this experience is so important to me. It taught me not only the excitement of sending and receiving the time, but also the lesson that one should be unchanging. Maybe, I still have the different attitude to someone I don’t know. But I will keep this experience in mind, and gradually fix it as I grow up. Then, someday, I will be able to face people like her with no shame.