Searching — The Slow Life

On By The KrewIn book review, CULTURE

By MRBJ

KREW Tries: Being a Book Club Member!

If you are still trying to breathe despite the hustle and bustle, keep reading.

Yeongju, a character in the “Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop” written by Hwang Bo-Reum and translated by Shanna Tan, lives life passionately making herself busy all the time not until her divorce happen which becomes her deciding point to drop everything and open a bookshop. Having lived in a hustle culture then shifted to the slow life hoping for new beginnings, Yeongju still finds herself questioning if that new beginning is the right choice.

According to the Oxford dictionary, hustle means to move quickly using a lot of energy and effort. Hustle culture has become a common lifestyle considering how society perceives success through merits and accomplishments that are usually time bound. However, we cannot deny the fact that hustling may lead to mental fatigue and burnout, less personal time, and poor health. A study found that compared to a 40-hour workweek, the risk of work-related burnout doubled after 60 hours of work (Lin, R.T. et al, 2021). On the other hand, the slow life is more on doing things with greater focus and purpose at the right speed (Solan, 2022). 

So, if you are still living a hustle lifestyle, is it a personal choice or a decision by necessity? 

For Yeongju, she did not have much of a choice but to detach herself from her busy lifestyle so she could have new beginnings. Finally understanding what she really wants, which is reading a book, starting a slow life for her begins by owning a bookshop. However, it is harder than she thought. She encountered several challenges and setbacks specially in identifying what books to recommend, how to attract people to visit in the bookshop, and developing strategies to sustain the shop. Regardless, she firmly believes that the bookshop will survive even if it is struggling to find its target market for two (2) years. 

Living a slow life, whether a personal choice or a decision by necessity, does not equate to an easy life. 

Yeongju, along that difficult journey, found people who became instrumental in marketing the shop. The shop then eventually offers coffee, free crochet items, book club sessions and book talks which became a haven where not only book enthusiasts come by, but also people who just enjoy the side things that the shop offers. As such, the bookshop started to find its community. 

In the end, Yeongju still finds happiness while dancing in the rain by pursuing what she really wants. 

Similar to Yeongju, I also found myself struggling and just wanted to drop everything to have a slow life. I cannot even find myself finishing a book despite having a deep connection with it before. Yet, amidst the hustle and bustle, I am grateful for the opportunity to become a member of the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) Book Club. It has given me a chance to reignite my passion for books and reclaim the joy of reading. 

Admittingly, I didn’t finish the first book assigned titled “At Dusk”, KCC still gave me a chance by assigning a new book which is the “Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop”. KCC also organizes a session per batch for book club members to share insights and realizations over coffee and snacks. A newfound community, that was just like Yeongju, reignited something within. If you are looking for a similar community, make sure to follow KCC’s social media pages (@kccphil) to stay connected on their book club openings and more!

KCC offers membership to book and non-book enthusiasts to join the book club. You will be assigned in a particular batch, and they will let you borrow the book for a specific period FOR FREE! Completing the book at your own pace is completely fine, but if attending the book club session is a goal, it is preferable to finish it beforehand. The session is conducted in-person, so aside from participating in the session, attendees will have the chance to explore the KCC building. 

As someone recognized as an ambivert, it’s delightful to spend time with individuals who feel at ease expressing their opinions on the book while also attentively listening to others as they share their thoughts. They won’t pressure you to speak up, but instead, they’ll encourage you to articulate the emotions you experienced while reading, helping you grasp the book’s messages more deeply. This is facilitated by responding to the guiding questions posed during the session. Participating in the discussion will also enable everyone to gain insight into various perspectives from readers of the same book.


In a fast-paced society, it is not easy to make a change for ourselves, but if we will focus on what we want and do things with intentionality we might achieve our dream lifestyle and breathe joyfully whilst hustling and bustling.

As the National Literacy Month unfolds in April, the featured book on this blog serves as a reminder that amidst our experiences and challenges, there exists literature that resonates deeply with us, offering companionship and understanding.  MRBJ

   

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.