We went to a vineyard in Daebudo Island to help a farmer. It takes over an hour to Daebudo Island from Bucheon, so we left early in the morning to give the farmer as much help as possible. Very early in the morning, we were excited as if we were going on a picnic.
The farmer of the vineyard welcomed us as if he was welcoming his own children visiting him from a different city. He thanked us for coming all the way there in a busy farming season when it is hard to hire people even for a high price, and he smiled brightly, which made us feel great even before starting the work.
What we needed to do was to bag the grapes. Bagging is necessary to protect grapes from pesticides and diseases, and to block the sunlight, which makes sugar content go up in the grapes. As we were told that it was a very important process to produce fruits of the best quality, we bagged the grapes wholeheartedly.
Beads of sweat rolled down our backs not long after we started working in hot weather. Our necks and shoulders started hurting. Realizing how much effort a farmer has to make until a bunch of grapes is brought to our tables where we sit and eat comfortably, we thought we need to be more thankful when we eat grapes from now on.
While working with sweat, the time came to eat lunch. We brought our own lunch: bulgogi, lettuce wrap, fruits, rice drink… They were colorful. We ate in the cool shade, looking at the sea of Daebudo Island. It tasted so good. After charging ourselves with more energy, we finished the remaining work. That day, our picnic was more than satisfactory.