The physical challenge was only one part of her transformation. After the month, Song emerged with a renewed outlook on life, a reverence for the sea and its inhabitants, as well as deep bonds with the local community.
When asked about how she bridged the generational differences between her and the 60- to 70-something-year-old haenyeos who trained her, she said: “When there is a common interest, you don’t actually feel the age gap. We shared a motivation. For me, it was to learn how to become a haenyeo, and for them it was to teach me to become one. All I did was try my best to do better all the time. Plus, I was the maknae (youngest) haenyeo, and they actually adored that.”
The moment when Song felt truly accepted into the community came when they began to share their hard-earned wisdom freely. “They were trying to teach me more stuff, instruct me, and share more (knowledge), like ‘you can find this here’ or ‘you can use this one this way’,” she said.
“Haenyeos work on their own, so for them to share their know-hows and the skill sets they have learned over a lifetime to somebody who is trying to become one is such a great way of showing that they accept you, and I felt so grateful.”
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