지하철에서 일본어를 공부하시고 계시던 아주머니

얼마 전 지하철을 타고 가던 중, 저와 나란히 문 앞에 서 계시던 아주머니를 보고 놀랐습니다. 주말이라 등산을 다녀 오시는 것 같았는데, 손에 들린 것은 소설책이 아니라 일본어 회화책이었습니다.

I was in the subway the other day and I was very surprised when I looked at the lady standing next to me near the door. It looked like she was on her way back from hiking in the mountain, but what she had in her hands was not a novel, but it was a Japanese conversation book.

그것도 별로 본 흔적이 없는 새 책이 아니라, 보고 보고 또 봐서 많이 더러워진, 공부의 흔적이 역력히 보이는 일본어 회화책...

And it was not a new book with no sign of studying, but a fairly old book worn by countless times of studying and studying.

공부를 하시는 것이 이상할 것은 없지만, 이렇게 지하철 안에서 이렇게 열심히 집중해서 외국어를 공부하시는 분은 아주머니 중에는 처음 보았기 때문에, 정말 기분이 좋아졌습니다.

There's nothing wrong with studying Japanese like this in the subway, but it had been such a while that I'd seen anyone of that age studying a foreign language in the subway, and she wasn't even distraced by my camera! Looking at her, I couldn't help but smiling. I was so proud of her, although I didn't know her in person.

역시 배움에는 나이가 없는 것이겠죠?
Age indeed is nothing but a number when it comes to learning!