Thursday, 23 June 2011

PARTING

Have not been blogging because I went on an overseas trip for 2 weeks.  The stay was awesome, the food was excellent, the hosts were perfect, and the hostel feels so homely; everyone feels like part of a happy family!


We cooked, we ate, we played Heart Attack and Chinese Chess and Uno, we went to karaoke (Noraebang), we ate adventurous food (sannakji. Simply love it!), and we drank.


This is the first time I drank so much (보통 많이 마시 지마!), and it is also my FIRST time drinking Soju! Back home, I'll usually stop after 2 servings of red wine. 3 servings of red wine, maximum. With Soju though, it's different. Firstly, it's rude to reject an offer in Korean etiquette. And secondly - this I gotta admit - I greatly underestimated the power of Soju. I thought the shot glass is sooo small, and thus can afford to drink more. What a grave mistake!


Anyway, back to the hostel. It is such a pleasant stay! Perhaps, 2 weeks is too long a vacation - so much so that I began to feel like a part of the hostel. As a result, it feels sad to see people - whom I've come to regard as friends - leave one by one when it's time for them to catch their flight home. It feels sad to help bring down their luggage and bid them goodbye.


One day, after biding a group of Taiwanese friends goodbye, NK and I climbed up the stairs back to the hostel. My heart felt slightly empty and heavy. Heavens know when we'll meet those Taiwanese friends again. Maybe never. Just Facebook. 


While climbing up the stairs, I asked NK - one of the hostel owners - whether does he feel sad watching people come and go all the time. He replied, "At first, yes. But now, not really anymore." Strangely, his words touched my heart. Right there and then, after hearing what he said, many things sprang up in my mind - all of which are private and sensitive, so I did not voice them out to him or dared to ask him. Does he feel lonely? Does it hurt? Is it sad to see people leave? Is he enjoying this job? Does he dare to form real friendships with guests when most - if not all - will have to leave someday? What, and who, does he see ME as? This person who is, right now, climbing up the hostel stairs beside him; who does he see me as? A friend? A stranger? A simple guest? Or just someone in passing who will be forgotten eventually? 




I think, the hosts are doing a really wonderful job. In my opinion, it's not really about the costs of accommodation or living environment etc. One of the most important things when it comes to choosing an accommodation is the atmosphere. A lovely place which feels like HOME. Which is why I chose this hostel in the first place. Because I like the warm interactions shown in the photos on the homepage website.


I've never said this to any of them, but I honestly think the owners are doing such a terrific job in running the hostel. As the idiom goes, "Great is one who enjoys his work." When work doesn't feel like a chore. Work should never feel like one. Everyone should enjoy what they're doing, and the owners are doing it WONDERFULLY!

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