One Needs to Learn Language of Natives

...  I take pride in this, and my heart fills with gratitude toward the warmth of the people. No doubt, as Korea is a homogeneous society, the language barrier is always there, but the love and affection of the people and above all their modest and polite attitude, surpasses this.

In this context, I would like to share an experience, which I had recently. As usual, I was walking down the lane to buy some food from a nearby department store. I happened to see a shop; displaying an array of handbags, varied in size, color and pattern. I have always been fascinated by handbags, which, of course, complement a woman's personality.

As I approached the man, he greeted me with a smile and I reciprocated in the same vein. I wasn't much impressed by his warm gesture, as it is the normal way of attracting a customer. After initial greetings, I selected a bag of my choice. The seller, having sensed that I am a foreigner, could have easily deceived me by demanding a higher price.

Nay! See the warmth and modesty of the man. To my surprise, he not only gave me the handbag for a lesser price, but also offered me a gift of another handbag. His face was beaming with joy, practically reminding me of the proverbial saying, ``He is truly happy who makes others happy."

I accepted his gift with all humility. Overwhelmed with emotion, I felt, ``He is richer than Bill Gates." It is true that to reach a person's heart, one ought to learn the language of the natives. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, ``A good hand and a good mouth can travel through any land."

By Neha-ashfaq
Contributing writer