When do people start thinking that they are mature? The answer to this question may vary tremendously among people. It is because, throughout people's lives, each of them faces different incidents in their lives that had led them to mature. In some cases, people mature when they become independent and live alone by themselves. After living in Seoul for more than a year by myself, I realized that I was starting to think differently or more "maturely" than when I was a high school student. Hence, I met Seongeun, my friend from high school, in a café and started asking questions about her life and what kind of changes took place in her life.
I asked her what kind of challenges she faced while she lived in Seoul by herself. With a deep sigh as if she had lots of things to say, she said, "Cooking, doing the laundry, paying the bills, keeping track of my spending, and so on." Her mind was loaded with worries and concerns, of which were very different from what she had from high school. During her high school life, the only major concern was catching up in her studies and university application. However, when she became a university student and started to live by herself, she came to realize the love of her parents. She said, "I never realized how time consuming cooking was. Not only that, I never realized how annoying washing the dishes were. I can't believe my mom always did such labor." She further on told me that if she had known how tiring such works were, she would have helped her mom do the chores. Her face outwardly showed that she was very thankful to her mother. She continued, "The thankfulness I feel now is a whole new feeling of gratitude. It feels like a more mature one."
I went on to ask her about her way of spending money and how she manages her allowance. She is receiving money from her parents, but to lessen the burden of her parents, she is working in a part-time job. With anxiety shown on her face, she said, "The first thing I do when I receive my allowance is taking out the estimated amount of the cost of the bill. I need to do this so I don't over spend my money and later have to worry about the bills." Then, I asked her about the way she had spent money during her high school years. With regret, she said, "Even if I had enough clothes, when some pretty clothes caught my attention, I would ask my mom for money to buy them. Now that I think of it, I was so immature." Before, she could not restrain from her desires. However, after learning the importance of money she had learned the importance of frugality and self-control.
I enjoyed interviewing Seongeun, because I was able to totally sympathize with her. Listening to her talk made me contemplate more deeply about my life, and I was able to learn new point of views in looking at the world. Before we ended the interview, I said, "I have one last question for you. Do you feel mature now?" With a shy smile she answered, "I have a long way to go, but I feel like I matured further today!"
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