The Journey to Find Myself in Santiago.

 

 

On the last day of national holiday Chu-seok, I saw the movie ‘I’m Off Then’ about the pilgrim’s road in Santiago, feeling sad to end of the holiday. When I became 4^th graders, I was having a tough time deciding on my career. So, I need to get some rest and find something to heal my tired mind such as the movie like that. This movie came from the best-selling novel in worldwide, and then was published in Germany in 2015. The story is that after the popular comedia, in best year fainted from overwork, he walk along the pilgrim’s road in Santiago to find his lost meaning of life. Santiago is a very important element in the movie, I’m Off Then’, in terms of the effects on both the process of this narrative and theme.

 

 

 

 

 Firstly, the pilgrim’s route in Santiago plays a crucial role in the process of the narrative. This movie moves beyond the storyline of journey that a men walk along to the pilgrim’s road. This genre is called to ‘Road Movie’. In this genre, it is the main storyline that the main character experiences so many things during his journey. This movie especially focuses on a change of the hero from the entrance of the road to destination. Walking the way, at first, the main character, Happe, cannot adjust life of the pilgrim’s road. He dislikes getting along with other pilgrims and then may feel so lonely. Moreover he sometimes lost his object to find who I am. However, walking through this road, he meets peoples who give a lesson to him and develop gradually. At this point, he keeps writing a daily lesson every day. And his record through the road also makes an important role in the narrative, give a lesson to the audiences, too.

 

 

Secondly, Santiago efficiently suggests the theme of this movie. The pilgrim’s route in Santiago eventually is the journey for finding not only enlightenment but also real me. It relates to the theme. In this movie, the hero’s name, Hape, is an assumed name for comedian. Hans is real name. In other words, Hans walks along this road to find himself who have overshadowed by the false name – Hape. People who walk this road spend most of time to walk alone. So does he. Because there are no people who have a talk with him, he for the first time can listen to his heart. Finally, he finds real himself and change from the men who live as not real himself but a comedian to the men who actively find to real himself. For us as well as the charaters in this movie, this road gives a chance to listen to our heart, walking along the road alone.

 

 

In conclusion, the pilgrim’s road has a key setting in the journey of the men who want to find himself in spite of both the narrative and theme. Lastly, there was a sign in entrance of the road – “Do you know who you are?” If you want to know the answer about the question, you would walk along the pilgrim’s road in Santiago like Hape.

The way of Life and Peace - Korean pilgrim's walking trail 'Jirisan Dulle-gil'

 

 



   The Jirisan Dulle-gil is the trekking course that people walk around the village surrounded by the Jiri mountain. It passed through five cities of South Korea with a range of 300 km. This way came from the concept of the pilgrim’s route such as Santiago. In 2004, the group of pilgrims, starting the movement of peace and environment called ‘Life and Peace’, first suggested this way. They thought that it would be good to have a pilgrims’ trail in Jiri mountain that can heal many people by the nature of it and connects people, nature, the village. For this reasons, Jiri way consistently has been made with the many help of that village people, environmental organizations and local government. Finally, since all 21 section of the Jiri way was completed, Jiri way has changed the way that conserved our ecosystem and contributed to development village community. In other words, the good effects of geotourism in Jirisan Dulle-gil are mainly two things – an ecological preservation and the development of local community.

 

   First of all, Jirisan Dulle-gil heals people by the operating system that conserves Jiri mountain’s own eco-system and then makes us learn the value of coexisting life. This trekking course is a great way to see the nature, villages, history, and culture, as well as to rediscover and embrace the meaning of these beautiful things. Unlike other trekking course that was developed to tourist area, the trail connects to a number of old mountain paths, hilly paths, forest paths, river paths, field paths, farm roads, and village roads all over Jiri mountain without destroying its own eco-system. So it’s a perfect trail to take if we want to see the nature. Furthermore, through this sense of nature conservation, there are trekking rules for visitors. For example, visitors must not damage the locals’ crops and carry their own vehicles. And they cannot take a picture the locals without permission to protect their privacy, too. Therefore, visitors can learn how to coexist with nature and villagers naturally.

 

   Another good effect of Jiri way is to improve the local economy. Most of the trails of Jirisan Dulle-gil were built with the help and understanding of the people living in the area. In addition, this way of purpose is to promote the local economy of people living in remote village with the Jiri mountain and to connect them with other people. Therefore, there are lots of efforts that activate their economy and give an opportunity to mingle with the locals. First of all, Trekkers should stay in local house where local residents run because there are no other accommodations such as mass chain hotels, hostels. So visitors have to find the house in advance. They make visitors use the local house easily by providing the social network website for accommodations. Moreover, various programs that live with the locals and experience their work are prepared in Jirisan Dulle-gil. For instance, they are managing a program called the school of travel in Jiri mountain. The participants of this program walk along Jirisan Dulle-gil and help locals’ farm work, living with the local residents. Especially, there has been the program that teenagers walk this way and volunteer to do such farm work as picking red pepper or digging sweet potato, staying the elderly in the village during their weekend. Consequently, this system of room and board or experiencing programs enable the locals to preserve their local cultures and provide income as well as trekkers to give a chance to experience local culture and way of life.

 

   The slogan of Jirisan Dulle-gil is ‘If you want peace, you become peace at first.’. In the society of limitless competition and materialism, this way make us reflect on our life of pleasure and consumption, know the meaning of life that (we) live slowly like people living in the Jiri mountain along with nature. Like the slogan of this way, the Jirisan Dulle-gil wish to enhance the remote villages with mountain, and deliver a message of coexistence, reconciliation, and peace to all living things on and near the trail. Now, Dulle-gil is gaining much popularity among nature lovers as soon as it opened. The more people walk this way, the more the message of peace spread out.