Traveling to foreign places is an eye-opening process. You learn so many invaluable things about other people and cultures during your trip. While you are traveling, you are exposed to diverse cultures and get to interact with different people. 

That experience broadens the horizon of your mind significantly. Sometimes, your trip can be a journey to past civilizations. Other times, it can be a soul-searching journey. 

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Spain with Korean novelist Pyun Hye-young to attend the 2015 Translation Workshop and Korean Literature Essay Contest held under the aegis of LTI Korea at the University of Malaga.

Specializing in Korean studies, the University of Malaga offers a degree program only in Korean studies, not Chinese or Japanese studies.

The University library has a big hall dedicated to Korean studies, exhibiting a comprehensive collection of Korean literature, culture and history. In the hall, there were three big signs that read, “Window on Korea.”

The Korean literature program at Malaga, led by professors Antonio Domenech and Kang Eun-kyung, was very strong. Unlike the Korean literature classes at American universities, which are usually full of students of Korean heritage, the Korean literature classes at Malaga were attended by Spanish people.

The students, who had read and translated Pyun Hye-young’s “Cadaver” in one semester, were extremely pleased to have an opportunity to discuss and review their Spanish translation drafts with the author for three days. The result was an accurate and impeccable translation of Pyun’s story that is set to be published in Spain soon.

The hospitality of the university was exceptional. Dr. Jose Angel Narvaez Bueno, rector of the University of Malaga, welcomed us by graciously hosting a splendid dinner reception, and so did Dr. Victor Fernando Munoz Martinez, president of Andalusia Tech University, the next day.

At the award ceremony for the Korean Literature Essay Contest, vice president Chantal Perez Hernandez and Dean Ana Rosa del Aguila Obra brightened the occasion by acting as masters of ceremony and joining me in handing out awards to the winners.

In Madrid, I met with President of SELGyC and former Dean Lopez Garcia at the University of Madrid to initiate literary events related to Korean literature there. I also visited the Korean Cultural Center at the Korean Embassy and met Chae Suhee, director of the center, to discuss collaboration between KCC and LTI Korea.

When I left for Spain, I looked forward to meeting two legendary knights and three great artists during my sojourn there, aside from my official business. The two knights were Don Quixote and El Cid, and the three artists were Picasso, Goya and Dali. As a scholar of English literature, I also wanted to see for myself the vestiges of Hemingway, whose celebrated novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls”had inspired me to visit Spain.

For me, Spain is always the country of El Cid, whom I admire most. His name was Don Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar. He was a Spanish hero who saved Spain from the massive invasion of the belligerent Moors from Africa in the 11th century.

I admire him very much because he embraced the moderate Muslim lords in Spain and allied with them to successfully defeat the hostile Moors from Africa. Since Rodrigo was not antagonistic to the Muslims in Spain, he was condemned as a traitor by Christians. On the contrary, Muslims admired Rodrigo and gave him the honorable title “El Cid,” which means “the Lord.”

Cid died during the final battle with the Moors in Valencia, but his spirit still seems to be predominant in contemporary Spanish society. In Alhambra Palace, for example, I found both Islamic and Christian architectures peacefully coexisting side by side. In my hotel room at Malaga, half of the TV channels were broadcasted either in Arabic or with Arabic subtitles. My Spanish architect guide Juan told me that Christian kings, after conquering the Islamic kingdom in Granada, did not destroy the Islamic palaces, but imitated them while building Christian palaces next to them. In Spain I found the mixture of Islamic and Christian cultures everywhere. Even in flamenco dance, I could hear traces of Islamic melody in the background.

I also found that the Spanish people were so open-minded that they even embraced foreigners as their own, such as the Italian adventurer Christopher Columbus and the Greek artist El Greco, who resided in Spain. At the airport parking lot, I noticed that the signboards were written in German first, and then English and finally Spanish at the bottom for the convenience of German and English tourists.

That was something Koreans would never do. It occurred to me that Koreans should also be open-minded and embrace foreigners and other cultures. Like El Cid, Koreans should stop antagonizing ideologically different groups and reconcile with them to save the country from increasing crises.

Whenever I have traveled to foreign cities, I’ve hopelessly fallen in love with them and leave my heart there before I return to Korea. Leaving Spain, I left my heart in Malaga and Madrid this time.

By Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and the president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. — Ed.