About
Hey, welcome! I'm really glad you're here.
I'm Sienna, and I live in Seogwipo — a small city on the southern coast of Jeju Island, South Korea.
If Jeju is new to you, here's the quick version: it's South Korea's largest island, sitting just off the southern tip of the mainland. Think dramatic volcanic coastlines, tangerine orchards stretching as far as you can see, and air that somehow always smells like the sea. It's the place Koreans dream about living in someday — and I actually get to call it home.
Quick geography note: Jeju is divided into two cities. Jeju City is in the north, Seogwipo is in the south. I live right along the southern coast of Seogwipo, where three small islands sit just offshore and beyond them — nothing but open ocean all the way to the Pacific. On a clear day it genuinely feels like the edge of the world.
I'll have a lot more to say about Jeju in my posts. More on that later.
A little about me
I'm originally from Seoul. Moving to Jeju — Koreans actually have a specific word for this: ipdo, meaning "entering the island" — wasn't really my plan. My husband's work brought us here when our son was still a baby, and somewhere along the way we stopped treating it as temporary.
That was almost ten years ago. We're full island people now.
My husband is a professional scuba diving instructor, and his home waters are right here in Seogwipo — specifically around Munseom, one of the top ten dive sites in the world. If you're a diver, save that name. Our son is in elementary school and absolutely convinced he's going to be a diver just like his dad.
As for me, I'm a freelance Visual Designer — working across print and digital, online and in-person. Branding, packaging, advertising, web, you name it. It's a newer way to describe what I do, but it fits.
About my name
My name is Sienna — though that's not what's on my Korean ID.
My real name is Hanna. In Korean it's written as two syllables, and in English the pronunciation is exactly the same: Hanna, no silent letters, no surprises.
Here's something you might not know about Korean names: most of them have hanja meanings — Chinese characters that give each syllable its meaning. My dad gave me a hanja name, which is actually uncommon for a name like mine (most Hannas in Korea are just written in the Korean alphabet, no hanja at all).
The meaning of my hanja name? "A petite, beautiful woman who lives a peaceful life."
I am not petite. I'm tall by Korean standards. And "peaceful"? My dad clearly had different ideas when he was actually raising me. :)
But here's where Sienna comes from: when you pronounce those same Chinese characters in Mandarin, they sound like Sienna. That became my pen name, my creative name — and now, this blog's name too.
What you'll find here
1. Jeju — the version locals actually know
Jeju gets a lot of coverage, but most of it is pretty surface-level. I want to share the Jeju I live in every day — the spots that don't make the tourist lists, the things worth knowing before you visit, the stories that take a little longer to find. My husband's dive shop brings in visitors from all over the world, so I've heard the questions people actually have. I'll answer them as honestly as I can.
Whether you're planning a trip or just curious about life on a Korean island, I've got you.
2. Korean food & cooking
A big part of my work involves food and agricultural branding, which means I'm constantly around Jeju's local ingredients — seasonal seafood, island-grown produce, traditional foods. I know a lot about them. But knowing ingredients and knowing what to actually do with them are two different things, and I've spent years figuring out the gap.
I want to make Korean cooking feel less intimidating — especially for beginners. Not the complicated stuff. The everyday stuff. The things experienced cooks never think to explain because they assume you already know. Korea also has so many clever, easy-to-use food products that most people outside Korea have never come across. I'll be showing you those too.
3. The small things nobody thinks to tell you
This one's hard to explain until you see it, but you know those little practical things that are surprisingly hard to find out until you actually need them? That's what this is. Some of it will be Korea-specific, some of it is just everyday life stuff. You might pick up a thing or two about Korean culture along the way — without it feeling like a lesson.
4. Jeju, in music
I write lyrics inspired by each month of the Jeju year and create songs using SUNO AI. I design the album artwork and YouTube visuals myself. Each song comes in four versions: Korean, English, Japanese, and Mandarin — because the feeling of Jeju doesn't need translation, but words help.
Listen alongside my posts. I think it'll make the island feel more real.
Why "Jeju Breeze"?
Jeju is windy. I mean always windy — genuinely calm days are rare here. But that wind carries things with it. The smell of tangerines. Salt from the sea. The feeling that something is always moving, always going somewhere.
That's what I want this blog to feel like. Something that travels. Something that brings a small piece of Jeju to wherever you are.
Twelve months, four seasons — all different, all worth sharing. I'll be here for every single one.
Say hello
Got a question, a trip in the works, or just want to reach out?
I love hearing from readers. Seriously, don't be a stranger.
Written from Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea.
Comments
Post a Comment