Korean Act of Kindness

Today, as I exited the subway in Nowon-gu, I realized it was raining. I had not prepared for this weather and had no umbrella to shield me from the elements. I simply used my scarf as a makeshift hood and tried to keep dry. As I stood at a busy intersection waiting for the walk signal, a kind Korean woman, maybe in her early 4os, stood right next to me and held her umbrella above me. It was such a random act of kindness! Me, not being able to express my gratitude, just looked at her and smiled. As the signal changed, and it was safe to cross the street, the woman kept close to me and held her umbrella above me until we were safely across the busy street. She said something to me in Korean which I had no understanding of. I think she asked me a question. Regardless, I took a left turn while she continued straight. I simply looked at her and said my basic Korean of "kamsamnida," which means "thank you." She replied "ne," or a simple form of "you're welcome." While it was such a simple gesture, I really appreciated this stranger's kindness. It really did remind me that we live in a beautiful world.