Long story short, I had many things I wanted to write about but somehow, I never finished them. I don't know whether it was just plain laziness, fatigue, writer's block or whatever it may be but I just couldn't finish what I started. And there you have it, a "dormant" personal blog which should have been far easier to maintain than my other "main blog" that is way more time-consuming to update.
What made me decide to pen something again was this Korean variety show from tvN called "Korean Hostel in Spain / 스페인 하숙". I have been a faithful follower of Na Young-seok PD's shows since "2 days 1 night" which unfortunately has gone through lots of ups and downs and is currently in limbo. Ever since Na PD crossed over to tvN, he and his team have churned out many entertaining shows, some seemingly really mundane (Three Meals A Day) or silly (like New Journey to the West) but turns out to be really interesting for some unfathomable reason. I have to admit, he and his team have that Midas touch to attract viewers although there was only one show which I couldn't finish i.e. "Little Cabin in the Woods" (too slow for me) and I haven't had the chance to watch "Trivia".
The premise of this show is very simple - the original cast members from Three Meals A Day: Fishing Village i.e. Cha Seung-won and Yoo Hae-jin head to Villafranca del Bierzo in Spain where they operate a Korean hostel for the pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. Joining them is Bae Jung-nam, a model-actor, who is tasked to help Cha-jumma to cook for the pilgrims by doing chores, marketing and dishwashing. If you've seen Three Meals a Day featuring Cha-jumma before, you know that you will get hungry seeing all the delicious food he dishes out to the pilgrims. I was always craving for Korean food after each episode.
On the other hand, Yoo is in charge of facilities, maintenance and handling registration, check-ins and outs for the pilgrims. Along the way, he opens a "business" called Ikeyo (a pun on Ikea) which comes up with 14 different items under various product ranges such as Ikeyo Security, Ikeyo Life and Ikeyo Electric. This man can create virtually anything with just plywood, a hammer, saw, drill and nails! Along the way, he even gets one of the staff members to become his sole employee (Section Chief Park) and another to be his intern.
Come to think of it, every episode is quite similar in the sense that it always starts with the trio waiting for the pilgrims to come calling on their doorstep (because reservations at hostels are not allowed), they then cook dinner and breakfast the following day for the pilgrims, go about their chores after sending their guests off and repeat the same thing all over again. There was a day when they had as many as 11 guests but the last day saw no one showing up. However, what makes this show interesting is more than just the humour, the interactions between the trio, the mouthwatering Korean food and the ingenious creations of Ikeyo.
The show never projects itself as some kind of "sentimental chicken soup for the soul" or hardsells the notion that you have to go on some pilgrimage route like the Camino de Santiago in order to improve your life or solve the problems you are facing or do some soul-searching. What struck me most was how everyone had different reasons for going on the pilgrimage and often, the most difficult thing is getting started. It takes a lot of courage to take that first step on this 800km journey alone. Even if people do start off in groups or make friends along the way, there are bound to be sections on the route when you are on your own. People walk at different paces and sometimes can walk more on one day and maybe lesser on another depending on your condition. As such, it is probably difficult to expect someone to be by your side all the time on this journey. Isn't this reflective of how the journey of life is? The people in your lives come and go and ultimately, you have to be able to live with yourself and spend time listening to that voice within you. However, we are all so busy with our lives that we hardly have time to sit down, think and reflect on what we really want.
Many people go on this journey as a form of soul-searching and to spend time with themselves as they try to seek answers to the questions in their lives. Many of them are young people but you also have people in their 50s, 60s or even 70s doing this route even more than once. There was this lady from Korea who is in her 50s or 60s (can't remember the actual age), suffered an injury and could no longer play the piano which was her livelihood. As she reflected on her life story, the others felt sad for her but she chose to take it positively as a chance to take time off her work and do something she wanted to do. It's hard to be so positive and try something seemingly so daunting at that age. Although it is not a given that you may find a solution to the problems you have even after reaching Santiago but to many, this experience of going on this pilgrimage has probably helped them to come to terms with things and find a way out of the situations they are in.
This resonated with me quite a lot as I watched this show. My fears and worries seem to have increased as I get older. If it was the younger me, I would have dared to do a lot more without actually worrying about the outcome. Looking back now, the old me was rash but courageous but I liked who I was. It was also really satisfying to be able to achieve things which seemed impossible in the beginning.
As I grow older though, the maturity and experience gained along the way do impede my willingness to step out of my comfort zone and do the things I want to do. There is a lot more to lose. There are more consequences to bear. And there are some conditions which have changed now e.g. health condition which make it not suitable for me to do certain things. I suppose this is probably the price of growing up. You gain some, you lose some.
Of course, it doesn't mean that just by watching this show, I will be aiming to embark on this Camino de Santiago anytime soon. I don't think I can handle 800km for a start and even if I can, I might need to take a long time to finish this route. However, a shorter route on a less challenging course somewhere else might be workable. I think I have to start doing some research before actually taking that first step but I like the idea of spending some time walking to a destination and thinking about what really matters to me.
That aside, I think what the show reminded me of was how I used to be more courageous to attempt the unknown. I probably lost my guts along the way as I became more and more jaded and discouraged by many things which happened after I left school. Seeing how all these people with their own stories, achievements and setbacks embark on their solo journeys, it has given a gentle push on my back to start doing something I want before I keep regretting the things I should have done but did not do.
And who knew that you could be inspired in this way by a variety show like this? I guess it's a worthwhile investment with a decent return from spending 11 weeks on this show. ^__^
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