JB Life! Volume 2 (Spring 2016)

By JONI PAGE, U.S.A.
Ten-year Resident of Jeonju
A Jeonju Story, My Story
Coming around the bend, driving in my car,
the lights of the World Cup Stadium begin to
come into view. The bright and distant lights
greeting me, leading me... I think to myself, my river,
my bridge, my friends, my home. My town, Jeonju.
I have lived in Korea for about ten years now. Ten
years is a long time. Lives change, faces change, people
come and go, but Jeonju has been my home. I’ve lived
and worked in other cities here in Korea, but I always
come home to my house, my bed, in Jeonju.
The front of my house is situated within easy walking
distance of a major street with convenience stores,
markets, bakeries, eateries, and more. Yet there’s no one
behind me, no one but the hills. The 7 peaks of Jeonju, a
majestic mountain ridge painting the skyline behind my
house that culminates in a striking pagoda at the summit.
It’s difficult to climb up the steps sometimes. It’s not an
easy hike. But I do it, just because it’s there, because I
can...and because it is beautiful.
Sure, I go to my homeland, America, to visit my family,
my children who I miss very much and are all grown
up now. They miss me. These ten years have been a bit
of a struggle for us as a family. They love me and I love
them. I love my family in America. Nonetheless, I always
come home here to Korea... at least for the past 10
years that’s how it’s been.
Sadly, my stay here in this lovely country of Korea
has an expiry date on it. Soon I will have to bid adieu,
one final farewell, to this fair and lovely town I’ve come
to know and love. My homeland beckons, my children
await. Another chapter of my life eagerly waits to be
written as I turn the pages in my memory. New adventures,
new discoveries.
The stadium lights welcome me back to my town . I
don’t need navigation anymore. I know my way home
from here. My home town, Jeonju.
Jeonbuk Life 29