2010.10.17 Text 1 note

  1. “I’m in Mathematics.”

      Last night I met a guy named Kim.

      As required for my Intro. to Theatre class, I went and saw CU’s production of The Ingenious Chambermaid. If you’re not familiar, it’s a comedy, set in eighteenth century Italy, about relationships, and their connection to Italy’s social structure of the time. It was a hilarious and wonderful production. What happened afterwards was a little wonderful in its own way.

      I was walking down the theater’s steps on my way to the bus stop. It had been a long day, and I was ready to get back to my dorm and get some rest. Behind me, I hear the sound of someone clearing their throat. I ignore it, and keep walking. Then I hear it again, a little louder. It dawns on me that someone could be trying to get my attention. I’m tired and hope that I’m mistaken, so I keep trotting down the steps.

      Suddenly, an Asian man aged in his mid-20s or so is standing very close to me, nearly touching my left shoulder with his chest, saying, “Hey, did you just get out of The Ingenious Chambermaid?” in a heavy Korean accent. I was sleepy and didn’t really feel like talking to anyone, but I’m too nice not to reply.

      Have I mentioned his accent was heavy? At certain times, I could only make out about half of what he was trying to say. I was a little unnerved at the whole situation—I didn’t really understand why he came up to me and starting questioning whether or not I liked it, and whether or not if the play was making a point about stratification.

      After going a little while, him at my side slinging questions my way, I realized exactly what he was doing. He asks me why I saw the play, “Were you there just for fun?” I tell him it was a requirement of my Theatre class, and he responds, “Oh, maybe we’re in the same class!” I knew that we are not (my class is small, I would have already been aware of him), but that made me realize he had a backpack on. He’s a student too. I didn’t think about him being a student because he was older than anyone I’ve met so far.

       When he asked if I thought the play was making a point about social stratification (that word took a couple tries for him), he was bouncing ideas off of me to see if they would work in a paper. I start to feel bad about feeling unsettled when he walked up to me. He just wanted a little help, to make sure he knew what was going on.

      He asks my major, and I tell him English. He’s a Mathematics major. He’s from Korea. He lived in California for a little while before, but now he’s here in Boulder, at CU. English isn’t his first language. He’s really interested in math, so writing a response to a play is something a little harder for him.

      He tells me his name is Kim, and I tell him that its nice to meet him.

      I spent a few moments with someone who has lived a life unlike my own, and learned a little about him. He sees this town through a frame of reference dissimilar from most others’ here. On the way to the bus stop, I helped someone out with their homework.

      Kim, you’re a pretty cool guy. Sorry if I seemed standoffish at first.