Look behind the skyscraper

After the grueling final year of high school, dusted off with two jobs and endless fundraisers, it was with great anticipation that I packed my thermals into my duffel bag. After a stint of boot camp in the humid Queensland Summer with my volunteer team I was, at last, free to fly.

A quick gasp left my mouth as I stepped off the plane into the paralysing cold of a South Korean winter, causing an eruption of giggles from nearby luggage boys. Before I could acknowledge them, I saw something most foreign to me. Sprawled in grey lumps across the landing field was my first ever glimpse of snow. Overtaken with childish excitement, little did I know that South Korea had a thing or two to show me about snow.

First, after my bare hand threw a snowball at a teasing teammate, snow really made me appreciate the invention of gloves. Second, a few crash landings on my rear taught me that a snow blanketed country was to be appreciated with caution. But the day snow taught me something about South Korea enraptured my senses and mastered a beautiful memory within me.

On a rare day off from volunteering, my host, Ssong, announced that she was taking us to her favourite treasure of Seoul- the Gyeongbokgung Palace. Via the prestigious Korean Train Express, we arrived at the 600 year old royal abode. I saw dark mountains looming in the distance, transporting me to ancient Empires but the juxtaposition of skyscrapers promptly imposed modernity back unto me. We began to explore; the palace’s structured multitudes of walls, passageways, rooms and, most of all, intrinsically detailed artwork roofs exclaimed nothing less than architecture created for grand royalty. Even the skeletal trees dressed in soft white coats of snow, distinguishing themselves as part of the royal line. I was overwhelmed.

But the magnitude and grandeur of the Korean palace was not in solitude. As I held out my glove, masterworks of snowflakes landed daintily. The entire scene glowed with bountiful pillows of snow. It illuminated the hues of the palace and ourselves as we were enveloped with sparkling layers. It was as if nature had allowed me to step into the Korean heart at its purest. Hidden in a city known and loved for KPop, advances in technology and a bursting population, was the silent fall of snow between palace walls.

Ssong grabbed my arm and stared dreamily at the beauty before her and whispered, “This is a fairytale.” And silently to myself, I thought with great joy, “This is Korea.”