The Curtains That Changed My Life

The second month I lived in South Korea one of the sweetest things happened. The co-teachers and administrators had been such a blessing in taking me to places to buy household items and for delicious meals after work. More than once Vice Principal inquired whether my apartment was comfortable. (In Korean culture the practice is to refer to your respected elder by their title and never by their name, even among peers who older by mere weeks and months.) Each time Vice Principal asked I would reveal more of what was going well and what still needed doing in my studio apartment. One of these times I mentioned to him that my landlord needed to put up blinds on the large windows that were eyes into the rectangular space. By way of my co-teachers, my landlord was made aware of all the things that were needed as agreed upon in the leasing contract. The landlord sent her husband to complete some of the things on the to-do list, but the blinds never were put up. Some days passed, Vice Principal asked me about the apartment again. No blinds yet.

The next time he asked me about the them and received the usual report his response was unlike any other. Through the Director of Education he asked her to ask me if I was teaching the next period; I was not. She stated that Vice Principal wanted to go to my house to put up curtains his wife made for my home. I was stunned. And he wanted to take the 5 minute walk right then. I had no choice in the matter. As we prepared to leave the Director picked up a large plastic bag from Vice Principal’s desk. We stopped at the front door cubbies to change from our indoor to outdoor shoes and started walking across the courtyard. The abrupt change of plans invited anxiety to wash over me.
We walked together on that autumn day; I trailed behind Vice Principal and the Director whose arms were locked. As we walked I thought about neglecting to clean the dishes last night. I hoped there wasn’t a lingering odor to violate our sense of smell. I figured I would open one of many windows immediately upon entry. Nervously, I entered my 4-digit building code; we walked up the two flights of stairs to the studio door. I’m pretty sure I put my door code in to the keypad incorrectly, but eventually we got into my studio. Each of us took off our shoes. Sock footed I shuffled across the room to open the sliding glass doors and quickly removed all my freshly laundered clothes from the line they were drying on. Bras and panties and all. I threw them on my comforter. Thank goodness I am in the habit of making up my bad every morning.
Then I provided a chair and got out of the way. I opened a window over my bed and decided to do the dishes while I waited patiently. There were only a few words exchanged between the Director and Vice Principal; I could tell she was informing him of what to do. It was necessary, because Vice Principal is blind. I watched him blindly use the tools necessary to hang the curtains his wife had made for the apartment. They were vast, heavy and beautiful. They were wide and long enough to keep neighbors from seeing directly into my cozy home. The material chosen was heavy to stop the cold from creeping in during the winter months. The color was a rustic gold which made me feel like royalty. I was honored by this generous gesture that brought tears to my eyes. I was touched by a spirit that engulfed me, by the thought to gift such regal curtains to a stranger in need, but also that this man who could not see would inconvenience himself to ensure that I felt settled and welcome in my living quarters.
After that, I viewed Vice Principal like my late grandfather, a strong voice of wisdom in the form of an older man approaching 60 years of age. His presence in my expat life was completely unexpected. Throughout my time there, I knew angels watching over me for sure. However, that moment was by far the most heartfelt gesture that made me feel cared for.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Share a moment that someone did a kind gesture for you.