We arrived just before midnight at the train station in Seoul. A few hours prior we landed from a Singapore flight, with map-in-hand showing us how to reach our vacation apartment rental. Although the directions stated we were close by our kids were exhausted, so we could not afford to get lost, and our own tiredness and the street’s darkness were not helping.
We were approached by a taxi driver who took advantage of the situation wanting to charge us an exorbitant fee to take us there. Suddenly, we heard a voice in perfect Castilian Spanish asking us: are you having trouble? the taxi driver fled the scene and we were left stranded in the middle of the night with this mysterious character who came out of nowhere and offered to help us.
He was a Korean man in his thirties, dressed in a dark suit and tie and wearing a backpack. He looked at the map for a few seconds and told us that we were only a 10-minute walk away from our rental and he could take us there. On the way, he told us that he had been in Mexico learning Spanish, and that he was very happy to be able to practice it after a long time.
I asked him to stop at a small shop because we needed to buy food for the children. Not only did he help me find what I needed, he also offered to pay the bill because he thought we had not yet exchanged money; fortunately we already had. Leaving the store, my tired children asked us to carry them. The man took our bags so we could carry the children and we walked toward a small uphill road. When we finally reached the apartment, access to the building was confusing so he called the landlord to guide us and did not leave without ensuring our safe access into our rental apartment.
When he said goodbye, he wished us a nice stay in his country. He gave me his business card and told me not to hesitate to contact him if needed. He then disappeared into the darkness of the night. When I read his card a strange sensation gave me goose-bumps. His name was Samuel, like the archangel, and surely that pouch on his back concealed his wings. 🌸
UNA COLOMBIANA EN ORIENTE 
1 Comment