Soohee Oh / The first draft #2 / Tues 11-1

Another mother   "Hi!" An excited voice penetrated into my house; it was my new homestay mom. She was very tall. And it seemed like she did not care about her appearance much. Scanning her from head to toe, I noticed a very short hair with a somewhat old pair of glasses, wearing a pair of jeans and a red jumper. She took all my baggage and loaded them into her car. It was one of the cold winter morning but she was someone who would spread her positive, confident energy into the cold air. "It's freezing! Let me turn on the heat for ya" She pressed some button and the 10 year-old looking car began to blow some warm air to my face. As soon as we arrived at home, she showed me my room and the entire house. My room was preheated; and I felt she seemed like such a caring person, about not only her family but other people around her. She used to be a pastor and a consultant at a church. The reason why she decided to become a pastor is that she used to be a bad student at school but after she met God, she was completely changed. She began to take care of herself and of her people. And I was one of her people then; even though I was not a Christian, she said many encouraging words to me whenever I was disappointed with myself. One day, I took a quiz at school. Since I was a typical Asian student, I was not satisfied with the score which was below 90. With a sad face, I got into Ruth's car after school. "You look so sad. What happened, Soohee?" said Ruth. Then I told her that I got a bad score on a quiz and could not get off of the test result. "Well, when you think of your life as a big picture, one small mistake will not ruin the entire picture." After hearing this, I was in shock; to me, it was a very simple yet powerful advice, making me rethink about my attitude toward life.. I used to be someone who was never satisfied with what I had and what I got. However, I liked all the words she said - "You will have another chance" or "You got B on the essay? That's great!" These positive and encouraging compliments actually kept me going rather than depressing me. In the end of my life in Canada, the biggest change for me was the positive and tolerant mind and attitude towards me and other people around me. On the day I left her house for Korea, she gave me a huge hug and patted on my back. On the flight, I noticed a letter from her, saying she was truly glad to have me and believes I can do a good job in Korea as I did in Canada. Bursting into tears, I promised myself not to forget her and what I learned from her.