Hello. I’m from a place called Jeju Island — the land of tangerines.
Whenever people hear where I’m from, they always ask,
“Do you have a tangerine farm at home?”
Well… yes, we did. Why not?
I grew up eating almost all kinds of tangerines I will let you see Jeju tangerines. This is house-grown
tangerines, kumquats, cheonhyehyang, and even Buddha’s Hand
A little tangerine like me would dive into the sea, stroll along the beaches, and admire the views from
the Oreums — Jeju’s little mountains.
Yes, the place where I grew up is filled with nature everywhere.
Under the sea breeze and palm trees — yes, lots of palm trees without coconuts —
people and dogs run and walk together happily.
This is Daeseom, the trail near my home.
The silver grass dances in the wind, and the foxtails greet me as I pass by.
And of course, sudden rainstorms — that’s so Jeju, too.
Even the black-sand beaches, with their unique colors, and the shimmer of the night waves,
they all seem to ripple and glow inside me.
Carrying all these memories, I flew far, far away —
to fill the garden inside me with something new.
***
This piece is a contribution to the digital zine “Imaginary Gardens”, produced by the 1st-year Contextual Design masters students at Design Academy Eindhoven, May 2025
