I first met Mrs. Eva in Summer 2017, about two years ago. Back then, I was having difficult times. I had only about six months to fully prepare to apply for US colleges when I was in high school, and at the same time I had to study Chinese subjects for my GPA; I started this because people ignored my dream and my identity because of my poor economic situation. After making everything happen, the only thing left for me was bad temper. After coming to college, however, I was fairly disappointed by how other colleagues view the world–many of them were no different from people I met in high school, and forced me to view the world in their way; so-called “true world order”. Moreover, my grandmother appeared in my dream a day before she passed away, in my first semester of freshman year. (I won’t describe it in the post, but it was the scariest dream I have ever had in my life.) Feeling weird after waking up, I called my parents several times but then they did not respond. Thinking about the void of life, I gave up every responsibility I had to bear and ran away from everything. Looking back, I would have looked like an emotionless cat standing wet in the pouring rain.
My only hobby back then was watching others’ lives online. Back then, VLOG was not that popular; so I started reading personal blogs of various people, and I somehow had a chance to read Mrs. Eva’s blog. It seemed like she was living a different life from others I know and met so far. Reading her posts, I felt like she was living an ideal life–that I longed for my entire life, and I was certain that she had power to make dreams become true. Unlike many people who write to show off online, she wrote sincere posts with her unique philosophy and logics. Nevertheless, her posts, her thoughts and her life shined a lot more than any other bloggers who boasted their livings online.
Fortunately enough, Mrs. Eva was planning to visit Korea from Seattle by the time we started communicating. I was also in Korea for my summer break back then, so I randomly decided to meet her in Seoul. Looking back, it was more of my strive to live by holding her hands. Considering fact that I was a person who hated to meet strangers or new people then, it seemed like she had positive power to naturally open up others’ mind through her story and life; otherwise, even I myself cannot explain why an indifferent person like me (back then) would take a bus that I have never taken before, and visit new place that I have never been to before–only to meet her.
Chatting at the cafe for few hours, we became one step closer to each other, and often times I missed her while I was in LA. So I decided to fly to Seattle to meet her. Visiting her house for the first time, I was mesmerized by her space and her world. Observing her life with my two eyes and talking with her for a long time, I could gradually cure my pains, confidently confront the emotions I was afraid of, and grow up.
It was a mere coincidence (although I would like to phrase it as the word serendipity) that I met her; however, it became a destiny for me to grow up after meeting her. Her positive mindset, her story of life and her unique viewpoint made me grow and introspect in a deeper level. People who are having a hard time, like I did, would grow by being with her, learning from her and being mesmerized by her. She helps me to break shells surrounding myself. She never breaks it for me; she wants me to do it by myself so that I can be a true master of my own life.
And I want to be a person like her.
3518 Trousdale 