You're  Beautiful : Moving Forward - Part 11

Mighty Hwang Tae-kyung has stopped wearing those big collared T Shirts he favoured back home. The thin comfortable ones, with the waved plunging necklines. All because one little African boy commented on how pink his s were.

Instead, he now sported the normal jersey shirts that put the T in its name in the first place.

When Tae-kyung picked his cell phone up to book a flight ticket to Uganda a few nights ago, he really did know what to expect from the trip.

All he knew that he wanted to be with Min Nyu a little while longer in whatever continent it may be.

He did, however, anticipate a hot and humid weather.

He did also expect to lead a less than luxurious life for the week.

He has also psyched himself that there will be no one to pamper or do his bidding.

But, he was willing to go through the 'sacrifice' for some stolen moments with Min Nyu – to just sit and chat, and spend some time together.

What he did not expect, though, was that he would be roped in as a part time baby sitter whenever a nun had to run off for any emergency church work.

Neither did he foresee that he would be a filler in any of the group activities that the children and nun-teachers had.

He also did not predict that he would act a temporary music teacher and entertainer in the afternoons for both the children and their teachers.

He also did not think that he would play a huge part in helping Min Nyu embrace her role as teacher and mentor to the children.

And what he had not imagined, was how warm and fulfilling the whole experience was.

Tae-kyung and Min Nyu travelled about 48 hours from Seoul to Kampala, en route Tokyo.

Upon their arrival at Entebbe International Airport, Uganda's principal airport, Tae-kyung and Min Nyu had to take another 30 minutes Fokker plane ride to the city of Arua, where Sister Joanna was serving.

At the dusty makeshift airport, they were met by a driver sent by the church, that followed by another half hour drive to the abyss.

Trust Min Nyu to pick the only airport in the country with no paved runways, thought the dis shevelled Tae-kyung when they were safely on the ground. Min Nyu, on the other hand, despite being less travelled than he, looked as fresh as the morning dew, Tae-kyung admired grudgingly.

They finally arrived at their new temporary home at 6.45 in the evening where the children and nun-teachers were just sitting down to dinner.

After quickly washing their hands clean and their faces from their fatigue, both Tae-kyung and Min Nyu joined in the meal.

Since there were only two long tables of 2 nuns and a 50 odd children of ages between 4 to 15, introductions was made in English and fairly brief. Min Nyu was of course introduced as Sister Gemma while Tae-kyung was christened as Brother TK.

After their meal, one of the nuns, Sister Agatha, from Yugoslavia, escorted them to their respective sleeping areas. Sister Joanna was left with supervising the dinner table clean up with the children before sending them off for the evening prayers.

Apparently, word had gotten to the sisters that Tae-kyung had volunteered to Min Nyu on her trip.

"Miss Min Nyu, you will be sharing a room with me, while for Mr Tae-kyung, we have prepared a small corner off the supply room. I do hope you do not mind as we were not expecting any visitors," the thirty-something year old nun smiled.

"Ani, I mean, it is all right," Tae-kyung brushed off politely, in halting English. "The supply room will be fine."

Tae-kyung really did not know what the supply room would look like and was pleasantly surprised that it was a small, clean room that housed various school supplies like pencils, papers and such; and since there were not that many supply to begin with, the room was practically empty and now housed an extra item which was a thick mattress as well as a small side table for Tae-kyung to put his personal items on.

The next morning, the day began with breakfast at 7.30, morning gathering at 8.00 and classes at 8.30.

Since the supply room was also connected to the one of the classes, Tae-kyung found it rude to stay in the room while class was going on. And as destiny would have it, the two nuns automatically included Tae-kyung in the class proceedings. Tae-kyung helped Sister Joanna in the first class while Min Nyu assisted Sister Agatha in the other.

Then the day continued with lunch and afternoon classes. And when the two sisters found out that both Tae-kyung and Min Nyu were professional singers - despite Min Nyu's protests that she was in ANJell for only a month - an old guitar was magically whipped out and the two crooners were made to sing for the class.

Classes broke off at 5 in the evening and the children were allowed to play on their own before their baths and dinner with the days ending with the evening mass and lights out at 10.

All throughout his life, despite not having a mother around, Tae-kyung was brought up in utter luxury and has never experienced any such strife he was currently witnessing in Arua. Calling his experience at the Aruan church a culture shock would definitely be 'the understatement of the year'.

The church itself had probably seen its better days long before the international community had it in its radar, while the children themselves would be considered as having less than the marginal poor in Korea.

But what happy children they were. Tae-kyung thought. Always smiling, energetic and surprisingly proficient in English, the children displayed rare confidence that one would not expect of such a community.

Most of the children were not orphans to begin with, mainly having parents who had to work during the week to earn their living. Some of the children would go back to their respective homes during the weekends, while others would receive visits from their elders and relatives.

One of the children, a six year old, round faced little boy, had taken a liking to Tae-kyung so much that he latched himself to the ANJell leader like glue.

"Iko spends more time with me that you do," Tae-kyung complained to Min Nyu, on their third day at the abyss.

Knowing that Tae-kyung secretly liked the non-pop-related idolation, Min Nyu just laughed and chided that Tae-kyung was still smarting over Iko's comment on how Tae-kyung was fairer than the girls there.

Perhaps it was true, Tae-kyung thought. Money cannot always buy you happiness.

Being with the children at the abyss actually made Tae-kyung a little guilty and almost ashamed of the lifestyle he had enjoyed thus far – remembering how he only insisted on Avian during his concert breaks, how he wanted his shower head brand to be of the same as his taps and how he was adamant that the tailor redo his trousers to include the little front pleats he preferred.

But being with the children also brought him a weird sense of fulfilment and happiness he had never experience before. Kind of like how Min Nyu's presence in his life gave him. True that he was producing more sweat during those few days he was in Arua than he had ever produced in his short 23 years of life. But he was sweaty happy.

Min Nyu too, seemed to have blossomed by the minute. Since he has never seen Min Nyu with children before, he was surprise that her abundant enthusiasm and love shone through so brightly that they even surpassed what she displayed to the ANJell boys before.

True, real happiness cannot be bought, Tae-kyung thought, smiling at the children's latest antics in the playground. But even if money cannot always buy you happiness, at least it could buy you adequate supply of school utensils, dry food items and basic medication; and a quick call to Ma Shilbang would bring the church and its residents the desired items within the week.

Perhaps Min Nyu's trip was not meant for her self-discovery only, Tae-kyung thought that afternoon. Perhaps destiny was trying to tell him something too.

~ To be continued ~