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Published: September 23rd 2012
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Mine was a childhood fill of fun, flight, and dream. So you can imagine my joy last Saturday afternoon when I encountered a family playing with nothing more than a few sticks and having the time of their lives. I stumbled upon the family at TaejosanParkin Cheonan Si. It took me back to my own childhood, and held such a place in my heart I felt compelled to write about it.
Cheonan Si is about 80kms out of Seoul. The Park itself is located at Mt Taejosan and is a popular place for families and lovers – young and old - to visit. You can take in the sculptues, sit down and watch the world go by, or stroll to your heart's content.
This particular afternoon – after staring at a slightly bizarre, but brilliant set of sculptures that included two pigs ‘biting’ each other, a naked couple dancing, and more than a splash of colour, I stumbled upon a family holding sticks with mysterious creatures on the end of them. On closer inspection - as there’s only so much enjoyment one can get from a stick - I noticed a curious-looking dragonfly perched on the end of a
stick. Turns out, this family was spending the afternoon catching dragonflies.
There were the ‘big’ family members – you know, "mum and dad" who so delicately kept reminding the children to be gentle with the dragonflies, to ensure they didn't damage their wings. Then there were the little ones who held their place, arms outstretched, with mouths twisted in excitement as they tried to catch the dragonflies.
One boy – upon instruction from his father, attempted to grab hold of a dragonfly, and held on ever so tightly to its wing once he got it. He held the little dragonfly up to my camera with such precision it was as if he was holding his own prized fish. His adorable, innocent little sister hobbled up next – holding the dragonfly in an uncaring, only when you’re ‘too young to know things hurt’ kind-of-way. Her expression wasn’t the same as her brothers, but I suspect this is because she was still trying to figure out what the fuss was all about it, but still desperate to be included.
The dragonflies enjoyed teasing the family - as they would fly down within an inch of the stick, only to
fly off again the moment the family begin to reach for one. Just as one dragonfly would land, another would make a signal and they would both be off, as the family shouted and moved their sticks to an imaginary beat and wished that time had been the time they had caught one.
There was even a duel when two of the boys, both holding dragonflies attempted to push them together so their wings were almost touching, as a way to distinguish who had really caught the bigger and better dragonfly.
Suddenly, the father of this family thrust his hand up to the heavens and grabbed a dragonfly – to which the children eagerly watched on. So young, so free, and probably had no idea that in many years to come they will be doing the same thing for their children.
Catching dragonflies on a balmy Saturday afternoon is a good way to spend a weekend. Your materials list is small: patience. And sticks. And an ability to thrust your hand and your stick, into the air.
Why they catch them? Well, I didn’t ask the family this, but it seems, as we strolled around the park that this is a popular Korean past-time, and there was another man walking with his young daughter on his back, and she too was carrying a little box of dragonflies caught earlier in the day.
If dragonflies aren’t you thing, never fear, just watching people attempt to catch them is something special, but walking around the park means you can also glance at all the sculptures. You can also try, like us, to decode what the pig sculpture means – good versus evil perhaps! And you can go hiking and walking – in the great company of the dragonflies.
We left the park as the sun was setting, and the families -one by one - left too. But I think the most relieved and exhausted would have to be the dragonflies - who happily watched the families retreat back to the city and breathed a sigh of relief as they knew they had a few hours reprieve from being chased.
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