09/09/2026
One thing nobody tells you about living right by the ocean is how loud it is.
The consistent hum of waves crashing against rock.
I could never have imagined living this close to the water, with uninterrupted views of the sea, my favourite thing in the whole world. Who could have imagined such a thing?
Month 2 of living in Korea and I spent this month in the port city of Busan.
I seem to have an affinity for port cities. I have a deep resonance for what they represent. Cities shaped by migration, movement, meeting points, trade and travel. Places where people, cultures, stories and histories have continually crossed paths.
Being here has inspired what I’ve been reflecting on this month: land as a witness.
It holding not just what happened there, but also something of how those experiences have shaped us. Traces of our personal stories, identities, histories and memories.
Iron Kingdom. Unified dynasty. Japanese occupation. American military presence. Impoverished wartime years. Rapid industrialisation and modernisation.
And within all of that are the personal stories of everyday life.
I can’t even imagine, let alone fathom, what has been shared between this land and all those who have lived on it, travelled through it and passed by.
As I retrace those footsteps, I’m left reflecting on what has grown from these stories and how they have come to influence what I’m seeing and experiencing right now.
Because our relationship with land is never one-directional.
We leave something of ourselves in places, while places leave something in us. We take experiences, meanings and memories from a place, while also leaving behind our own presence, stories and traces.