올레

Olle is a Jeju native dialect for "narrow pathway" that connects my wandering soul to the magical island.

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Half point reflection:

I’m safe and comfy. I’d always dressed for...the people: colleagues, friends, special guests,...and Saeed = Viet ruffled colorful PJs. My style here has changed. Without too many options of what I wear or the pressure of who I’m going to see today, I’ve been dressing more freely.

I’m no longer afraid of myself. The biggest fear before this trip was to be alone with myself. It is counterintuitive. Without too many distractions and the privilege of time, I’ve been letting myself out more: listening what it wants, how it feels and why it hurts.

I’m more aware and reflected. In the last 2 months, life has gone by ridiculously fast physically and extremely slow mentally. Physically it seems like yesterday when I quit Amazon; mentally I made lots of realizations that I haven’t been able to do in many years combined.

I’m learning how to be more kind to myself then others. I did say “then”. I believe it has to be in that order. I was always so tough on myself hence others. I always thought I was better than some people: speak better English, finished college, have a good job, eat fancy meals, live on a high rise,....Nothing was enough for me. Being myself was not enough; hence I created goals, meet them, and created more. Being goal-oriented is great; however, being goal-obsessed is not. I looked down on myself when I fail and considered others less when they’re not on the same goal path.

I’m genuinely appreciated. In the first month, I were surrounded by many great people, made long-lasting friends and learned a lot about Korean cultures. In the second month, I’m mostly alone and have been spending the time to observe, listen, fight, and comfort myself. In the last month, Saeed will be visiting so I can’t wait to show him this magical island that I’ve fell in love with.

Lastly, I’m adopting a dog. I know it doesn’t fit in the whole reflection category but I’m so excited to announce the news. I’m adopting a Korean native dog called Sapsaree and will be bringing him home in August. He was born this January, just like me (just the month part ^^). His name is 보리밥, BoriBap means Barley Rice in Korean. He’s very gentle and shy and hairy...just like his 아빠~

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Photography was a black and white zone for me before, whether you like it or not, whether you have a photographer eye or not, whether you can afford an expensive camera with many more expensive lens or not....

Thanks to Saeed’s patience and knowledge, I was able to learn photography is about limitation just like….life. Doing the best with what you have, capturing what your eyes are seeing, savoring what your heart is feeling, and just like everything else in life, persistence is the key. 

I brought one camera and one lens, a fixed lens to Jeju. A limitation that doesn’t give me a privilege to zoom in or out yet gives me the freedom to move forwards or backwards. A limitation that doesn’t provide me the flexibility of capturing the perfect shot yet teaches me the patience to wait for the perfect moment. A limitation that lets me look ordinary and bridges a gap between smiling for the camera and being their ordinary self.

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For the longest time, of all the places I’ve travelled, they’d confirmed the fact that Seattle is known for coffee with multiple coffee shops within a block. However, in Korea, coffee is not just a drink but a culture. Drinking coffee is not about the caffeine intake, but about catching up with friends and socializing with others, about spending times with yourself and slowing time down, about surrounding by nature and feeling content. 

That’s what I’ve been doing almost everyday, either with friends or by myself, either chatting with others or reading a book, either hearing the ocean waves or mesmerizing by the sunset...I feel content!

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One another thing I’ve learned while living in 납읍 is the joy of raising a family. Instead of a mansion, a functional house is lovely decorated.

Instead of a pool, a vegetable farm is harvested on a daily basis. 

Instead of a fancy chandelier, bird nests are hanging in all corners.

Instead of a sophisticated security system, a coffee shop, built in front of the house, opens 24/7 with no staff and occasional owner’s presence, is a gathering place for friends, neighbors and curious strangers.

Instead of a pile of money, there is an abundance of love and laughters!   

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This town, 납읍 has been so welcoming, uniquely peaceful, filled with warmth and love. I’ve grown to become attached to the singing birds every morning, the casual greetings passing through the coffee shop, homemade meals by 할머니, tears and laughters with 제주 막걸리. The neighbors gave me a nick name “Vietnamese Hyori - 베트남 효리” and each genuinely invited me into their simple yet rich life. I’m forever grateful and vulnerable of leaving~ 

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I’ve found my sisters here but this time, I get to be the baby ~

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"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” - Alexander Graham Bell -

If the open door is yellow, who would not notice?

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Fate has brought us together but choice has made us friends. 

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Conquered 한라산, the highest mountain in South Korea, 1500m, 20km in 7 hours. I didn’t know what I’d signed up for until I started. It wasn’t the best day with all the muddy trails caused by the rain. The top was covered by the thick fog. However, with the power of three strong women, the deliciousness of the gimbap, and the breathtaking sceneries on the way down made the hike totally worth it (although 5 days recovery made me hesitate to do it again anytime soon).

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Daily interaction is what kept me survived in US and continues to enlighten me in Jeju. Although the language barrier is undeniably my biggest struggle, there are moments that I feel really connected to these people through their rich face expressions, warm gestures, genuine intentions and of course with the greatest help of Google translate. 

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A few moments of 플리마켓, basically means flea market which sells second-hand and hand-made art and crafts. It’s a small cozy town so everyone here knows each other and often participates in community events.    

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My first impression of the island: it’s the perfect place to calm my mind and explore within. Whether I find the answer or not, whether I find gratitude or not, whether I find happiness or not, being in this island makes me feel alive!

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Saying goodbye to this comfortable life to embark on the new journey. What’s laying ahead for me in Jeju? Will it be all sunshine and rainbows? 

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Yesterday’s sunrise is not the same as today’s sunrise. Maybe I’m biased towards my own hometown but sunrise in Đà Nẵng is the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. This city is getting very crowded with tourism; however, I’m still able to find myself immersed in the unfiltered raw beauty of the place I was born and raised in. 

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The person I’ve yearned to see the most in this trip is Ngoại. At the age of 93, she still has a million worries. You’d think the older you get, the more quiet and calm your life would be. Ngoại is not afraid of dying, but is more worried about her seven kids and sixteen grandkids. She has not only taught me the real sacrifices of being a woman, mother, grandmother but also showed me how to stay strong and kind-hearted through all the hardships in life. 

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A short detour trip to my hometown.

A typical morning starts on the beach before the sun rises. 

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안녕하세요,

This first post is dedicated to the birth of this blog, my reasons of leaving Seattle and decision of moving to Jeju. 

Near the end of the prolonged gloomy winter in Seattle, life had became stressful, unsatisfied and meaningless. 11 years ago when I migrated to the States, I wanted to make my parents proud. During my bus ride to college, I often looked up to people in business suits with a briefcase; I wanted to be one. When I struggled between three mediocre jobs, I wanted to become financially stable. One struggle led to one goal, one goal carried on by another harder goal....until I realized these goals were never mine; they were the society’s goals: go to school, graduate with an “easy to get job” degree, get that job, find a soul mate to marry, save up to buy materialistic things, sacrifice for the children,... It’s absolute nothing wrong with having these goals; I just never took a chance to ask myself if I wanted any of them. 

Staying busy was my unconscious decision to keep moving from one goal to another. Going away is my conscious decision to stop time and face my worst fear: myself. 

Why Jeju? Ah ha! I was in awe of Hyori Lee’s Bed and Breakfast. Yoga + beach + beautiful sceneries = dream comes true~

This blog is my journal and my only form of social media to share my island life to others. 

Cheers~