The Campground Where Stars Shone Bright

As I went to church, I noticed a significant decrease in traffic on the highway. Perhaps, many people had gone to the mountains or the sea for the holiday. After Mass, as I finished lunch and was in the parking lot, I happened to run into Michael, who had nothing to do and suggested going to Paul's house for some pork belly and drinks. He didn't even leave alcohol or snacks at Paul's house nor was he formally invited, but he suggested it anyway. It was a holiday, with nowhere to go and no one to invite. Despite my loneliness during the holidays, I found some comfort in having someone offer drinks and snacks. When I was young, the holidays were busy, but as I grew older and my daughters moved out, I found myself lonely and regretting the quieter lifestyle.

 

After coming to the United States as a resident of our company, whenever I had free time, I enjoyed exploring various places that were less polluted and well-maintained natural environments. I quickly developed a taste for camping, not only during the holidays but also on weekends when the weather was nice. A few days before leaving, I would be busy selecting a suitable location, making reservations, checking equipment, and preparing food, but my heart always raced with excitement.

 

Most campgrounds in the United States have electricity supplied to the tent sites, well-equipped bathroom facilities, and showers, so even if the weather is a bit chilly, you can sleep comfortably with an electric blanket, and if you sweat a lot, you can take a shower. It wasn't too inconvenient for families to stay together, but the most difficult part was loading and unloading the considerable amount of luggage into the car. Because it was so difficult, I vowed never to go camping again, but as the holidays approached, my heart wavered again, and I set out to find a new campground. I mostly preferred nearby mountains, but during the holidays, I also enjoyed fishing by the sea, lake, or river.

 

I visited numerous campgrounds from northern New York to southern New Jersey and even to Pennsylvania, but there was not a single place that I didn't like. During the day, some places may not seem particularly scenic, but at night, they transform into mysterious places, surrounded by silence and loneliness. From early evening, everyone gathered around the table with a fire, chatting with like-minded people and enjoying beer, and before we knew it, it was late at night, and one by one, we quietly entered our tents. Sometimes, I would be the last one left at the table, drinking beer alone and poking at the dying campfire. As I looked up at the sky, I felt overwhelmed, as if all the stars I used to gaze at in my childhood summers in my hometown yard had flown to the campground and filled the vast sky. And sometimes, I even fell into the illusion that I wasn't in a rural part of the United States, but back in my hometown yard.

 

The atmosphere of the campground at night was exactly like the passage from the work "Stars" by Alphonse Daudet, which was included in middle school Korean language textbooks. "If you have ever stayed up all night outside, you will know that in the middle of the night, when everyone is deeply asleep, something else wakes up in the loneliness and silence. At that time, the spring water sings with a much clearer voice, and tiny flames sparkle in the pond. All sorts of fairies flutter around, and the sound of branches and leaves growing can be heard piercing through the air. It's a world of low creatures. When night falls, the world of silent objects becomes the world of daytime.

 

Someday, during the Independence Day holiday, our family and Abraham’s family visited a campground near Orient Beach in the northeastern part of Long Island, New York. Where we set up our tents, there were many RVs parked, and everyone gathered in the campground for fireworks every evening. Talking to them, I found that most of them were retirees, so they had plenty of time and economic flexibility to spend the entire year traveling to scenic places and living leisurely. On one of the license plates, it was written in big letters, "Retired," and in the corners, it was written in smaller letters, "No Phone, No Address, No Job, No Payment." Seeing that, I also dreamed of buying a big RV after retirement and living a leisurely life, traveling around, but in reality, now that I’m practically retired, I don't have enough financial stability, and I can't drive with a disabled body, so it's become an impossible dream. Living in one place with a residence, a phone, a meager income, and monthly expenses to pay can sometimes be frustrating. Looking back on those days when I went camping with my daughters, I feel truly happy, and I'm grateful to have created good memories for my family. They say you live on memories as you grow older, and although I'm not that old, just recalling memories makes me feel older in my heart than in my body.

 

(May 29, 2012)