The small bus stop in my village was busy with people and overloaded buses. On the ground were even more things to load. Touts were shouting the names where their buses were going.
“시내! 시내! 서쪽으로 갑니다!” 난 한 암표상이 외치는 걸 들었어요. 내가 타야 하는 버스였어요.
「街！街！西行き！」僕は客引きが叫んでいるのを聞いた。あれは僕の乗らないといけないバスだった。
“City! City! Going west!” I heard a tout shouting. That was the bus I needed to catch.
시내버스는 거의 찼지만, 더 많은 사람들이 타려고 밀고 들어오고 있었어요. 어떤 사람들은 짐을 버스 아래에 싸두었어요. 다른 사람들은 버스 안 선반에 두었어요.
The city bus was almost full, but more people were still pushing to get on. Some packed their luggage under the bus. Others put theirs on the racks inside.
새 탑승객들은 티켓을 꼭 쥐고 붐비는 버스 안에 앉을 곳을 찾았어요. 여자들은 어린 아이들을 긴 여행을 위해 편하게 만들었어요.
New passengers clutched their tickets as they looked for somewhere to sit in the crowded bus. Women with young children made them comfortable for the long journey.
난 창가 옆에 끼어앉았어요. 내 옆의 사람은 초록색 플라스틱 가방을 꽉 쥐고 있었어요. 그는 오랜 샌들과 헤진 코트를 입고 있었고, 그리고 불안해 보였어요.
I squeezed in next to a window. The person sitting next to me was holding tightly to a green plastic bag. He wore old sandals, a worn out coat, and he looked nervous.
난 버스 밖을 보고 내가 자라난 우리 마을을 떠나고 있단걸 깨달았어요. 난 큰 도시로 가는 중이었어요.
僕は外を見て、僕の育った村を離れることを再確認した。僕は大きな街に行くのだ。
I looked outside the bus and realised that I was leaving my village, the place where I had grown up. I was going to the big city.
짐 싣는게 끝나고 모든 승객들이 앉았어요. 행상인들은 물건들을 승객들에게 팔기 위해 버스 안으로 밀치고 들어왔어요. 각자 무엇을 팔고 있는지 외쳤어요. 단어들이 웃기게 들렸어요.
The loading was completed and all passengers were seated. Hawkers still pushed their way into the bus to sell their goods to the passengers. Everyone was shouting the names of what was available for sale. The words sounded funny to me.
몇몇 승객들은 마실 것을 샀고, 다른 사람들은 작은 간식을 사서 씹기 시작했어요. 나 같이 돈이 없는 사람들은 보기만 했죠.
Hawkers pushed each other to make their way out of the bus. Some gave back change to the travellers. Others made last minute attempts to sell more items.
버스가 정류장을 떠날때, 난 창 밖을 내다보았어요. 난 내가 과연 언젠가는 마을로 다시 돌아갈까 궁금했어요.
The return bus was filling up quickly. Soon it would make its way back east. The most important thing for me now, was to start looking for my uncle’s house.
