The tsunami, caused by an earthquake in Indonesia on December 26, 2004 (local time), hit Phuket (December 25th). I was there at the time.

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It had been about five months since I had quit my job and packed my bags with my wife to go to Phuket for a break.

\bAt that point, I was getting bored with just playing around, so I was working as a dive master at a diving shop to get my SCUBA diving instructor license.

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The tsunami completely devastated the western coast of Phuket, Khao Lak, and Phi Phi Island.

Phi Phi was completely destroyed, with the entire island submerged and then drained, including the hotels and commercial districts.

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A few days after the tsunami hit, the diving shop was also damaged by the tsunami, and all diving was stopped, so I was helping a volunteer group from Korea.

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Early in the morning, I got a call from Joy, the owner of Phuket Sunrise Guesthouse (it no longer exists).

The guesthouse housed staff from the volunteer organization.

They needed someone to drive the pickup truck to load the luggage onto the boat going to Phi Phi Island.

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I was happy to go, so I rushed to the guesthouse, where the luggage was already loaded.

I got the car keys and was told that time was short, so I left immediately.

I was only told that I had to load the luggage onto the boat called Paradise 2000 (Songphan), so I stepped on the gas.

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There are two ferry docks in Phuket that go to Phi Phi: Khao Sire Pier and Rassada Pier.

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I didn't know that there was another pier besides Khao Sire at the time.

Khao Sire was the only pier I knew, so I just headed there.

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I drove a shortcut that only locals knew, so I arrived at the port earlier than expected.

But the boat wasn't there. That's when I realized something was wrong.

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'Oh no! Damn it!'

My heart sank.

I tried to remember what had happened before leaving.

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"Do you know the XXX pier where the ferry departs?" Joy said.

I hesitated for a moment.

'There's only one pier, right?

But the pier name is a little different from the one I know...?

Maybe it's just a different name for the same place?'

I should have asked him clearly at that time.

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I should have said, "No, I don't know."

But I said "Yes" without realizing it and sat in the driver's seat.

Even if I knew, I should have confirmed and asked clearly.

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I called and asked for the port name again, and then went to the nearby rabchang (motorcycle taxi) and asked where Rassada Pier was. This was before there was a Google Map service like there is now.

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People started making gestures to show me the way, getting busy among themselves.

Then a young man stepped forward and said, "Follow me," and started the motorcycle.

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I started following him.

I stepped on the gas without thinking and turned through the alleys, somehow

I arrived at Rassada Pier about 5 minutes late.

The boat and the people were waiting, and as soon as the car arrived, the volunteers and the crew of the boat rushed in to unload the luggage.

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I was glad I wasn't too late, but I was really stressed out driving alone.

When I got out of the car, I could feel cold sweat running down my back.

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I should have said I didn't know, asked clearly, and confirmed things before handling them.

I had a sense of aversion to saying I didn't know anything from the time I worked in Seoul.

I don't know why I was so afraid to say I didn't know.

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Even though things go wrong and I end up regretting it.

After that incident, I thought I should stop pretending to know things I don't.

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Later, one of the staff members I was working with said to me,

"You say you don't know what you don't know, XX. That's amazing."

I don't know if it was a compliment or sarcasm, but I took it as a compliment.

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But it seems like I'm getting sick of pretending to know things again.

I've lived in Korea for too long.

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In our society, saying you don't know feels like you're committing a crime.

It's not like I did something wrong; I just don't know.

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It's okay to not know.

You can learn and know. But,

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I was surprised to find that I wasn't as bold as I used to be when saying I didn't know. So,

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I have to live the way I think.

Think the way I live,

I've been saying things out of habit without thinking, so

I can't say I don't know what I don't know, or I hesitate

I make the mistake of pretending to know things that I don't.

"I don't know."

I'll try to be more mindful and say I don't know when I don't know.

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After arriving at the port, I tried to pay the rabchang youth who had guided me,

But he refused the money and coolly left.

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We were volunteers,

and he knew we were carrying water and supplies for the people who were recovering, so

he didn't want to be paid.

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It was a short conversation in broken Thai and English, but I understood his heart.

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I had a prejudice against Thai people at first.

It was a prejudice that arose because Phuket is a tourist destination and I had first encountered the commercial attitude of people who deal with tourists.

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When I took a tuk tuk, I always had to negotiate with the drivers.

It was common to be overcharged if you paid the first price they called, and they often tried to rip you off.

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But the people who I thought were only interested in money

volunteered to take us without pay when I wore my volunteer vest and got in the tuk tuk, and they gave us a thumbs up.

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They were willing to give up their resources knowing that we were helping them.

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It was a moment of breaking down prejudices.

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I have more to say about the kindness of Thai people, but I'll save that for another time.

In short, they are very kind and smile a lot.

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The best thing about Thailand was that people smiled when they made eye contact.

Young and beautiful women and burly-looking old men were never stingy with their smiles.

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I support your challenge.

just keep going.