30 things essay

 Loud music bursts out from my roommate’s phone at 7 o’clock, filling the dormant, warm air. I step down the bed, flop down on the chair and wait until the music is off. In front of me, a Spanish textbook is wide opened, filled with scribbles and question marks. Some them I found the answer yet slant pen pointing the front  shows that the still not answered. Beside, I see equations and diagrams running through the scratch papers. The more things I have to think about, the more my desk gets messy. I know I will gather and clean up the floating thoughts hovering above the desk one day, but today I want to simply enjoy the Sunday morning, as a reward of the long, long week.

I wake the roommates up at about 7: 30 and go up the cafeteria, in the highest stairs. As I grab the handle, I feel a strong atmosphere that it is snowing; and the intuition does not fool me. Snow! The lounge is illuminated by the snow all over the hills and buildings. And even more snow is falling decently. Pouring spoonful of seaweed soup in the soup ball, I sat at the table, waiting for the roommates. Then I checked the text message from my dad yesterday.

* * *

Awkward silence filled living room; TV news was only making sound. People gathered around a round table, sitting on the floor. In front of each one of them was a bowl full of sea weed soup. “Ha, the president is going mad again.” My grandfather exclaimed. Father sitting opposite side with a stoned face did not say a single word. It was back when I was 13. “Jiseon, this is your favorite soup. Have some more.” Grandma broke the silence filled my bowl. I looked at the steamy, transparent soup. If people are honest and open to each other, like this seaweed soup, would they every dispute and condemn? My grandparents, who married poor but took three children’s education as the first priority, had always been devoted and caring, especially to children. Their second child, Mother, grew to become one of few female dentists in our hometown and married to another dentist. They were hard-working and accumulated enough money to buy my grandparents a nice, new apartment, near our house. Our relation was close like the rice sticking to each other, yet once in a while, silence came between us, not to be too close.

* * *

After eating the breakfast, I go out. Taking a deep breath, I can feel the refreshing coldness from the atmosphere. The campus building with blue roofs is already covered white, and beyond it I could vaguely see bare field and windmills on the hill. Under the falling snow flakes, I started to walk around the dormitory. Crunch, crunch. As I step forward, the snowflakes under the feet crumble and gather form deep footprints. Walking around the campus, slowly yet steadily, I will return to this first step. Meanwhile the snow will keep covering the prints, yet leaving the faint silhouette.