She took a shaky breath and continued Russia made North Korea a communist government The US made South Korea a democracy Korea hasn’t been united since Both sides stockpile weapons and never take their eyes off each other No trust No friendship Aunt Bernadette rubbed her eyes She looked tired hopeless After the 150-mile-long demilitarized zone between north and south was created to keep the tension and the fighting down she said the Korean War in 1953 A no-man’s land Tomas whispered You got it But you can see all the soldiers on either side always ready to fight Aunt Bernadette shook her head I don’t get it It is time for peace I managed a half smile Aunt Bernadette was our hippie peace-loving aunt Her favorite song was John Lennon’s Give Peace a Chance What will they do with us I asked I don’t know We can only stay calm and wait she said
Chapter Two Volcano Until we got arrested in North Korea our first three weeks in South Korea were phenomenal We spent our first couple of days relaxing on Jeju Island just off the coast Mom said Jeju Island is a favorite honeymoon spot for newlyweds I could see why it is beautiful There’s a volcano forests and waterfalls Koreans say that Jeju Island is the garden of the gods cultivated on Earth Mom’s a bird biologist so she was totally thrilled about Jeju Island She decided that our first stop on the island should be Hallasan National Park to hike up the volcano Dad’s not really the athletic type although he tries The volcano would be hard for him to climb but he wasn’t going to be left behind Aunt Bernadette is all healthy with her organic foods and morning yoga so nature is her thing Tomas and I agreed it would be awesome to see a real volcano up close too Back home in
Chicago we have a lot of things but there’s no volcano The hike would take us all day Dad filled a backpack with plenty of water bottles snacks and a first-aid kit Tomas and I started out at a jog excited to reach the top Slow down kids save your energy Dad called out to us We laughed and waved as we ran away The grownups could catch up to us at the top of the mountain It was only six miles to the top Do you think it will erupt today Tomas asked excitedly I think he was secretly hoping for an eruption so he could see the
red hot lava spilling down its sides Nope I huffed as I ran It’s been dormant for years Tomas looked a little disappointed so I added Who knows I guess it could still blow at any time That thought kept his interest Tomas followed close at my heels as we ascended the mountain Roe deer bolted through the forest probably surprised by two noisy kids About ten minutes into our adventure Tomas started to whine Marisol slow down I’m tired I’ve got a cramp He grabbed his side and doubled over But we have at least five more miles to go I said Tomas dropped to the ground I need a water break I waited as patiently as I could tapping my foot on the ground as he drank from his water bottle Jeez settle down he said Give me a minute After that Tomas never regained his speed We moved slowly but steadily up the mountain stopping to take pictures with our cell phone Mom Dad and Aunt Bernadette must have been moving even slower We didn’t see them We followed the trail higher and higher until it looked like we could touch the clouds Are we there yet Tomas groaned Almost to the top I said happily We’d been hiking up the
