matcha latte on a rainy night

My fellow Matcha lovers – I know, I know! It feels like every post starts with “It’s been a while, huh?” But by now you know how it goes. Life’s been busy. Work has picked up, some things shifted in my personal life, and to be honest? I’ve been struggling to find the right words. Not a full-on writer’s block – I’ve had tons of ideas, but I just couldn’t bring myself to actually write. And you know what? That’s perfectly fine. 🙂

Since my last post, I’ve been (you guessed it) to Korea and back. But this time, I wasn’t alone. One of my good friends joined me, and it turned out to be one of those trips that just fills your soul. We didn’t overplan, we just took it day by day. Ate well, laughed a lot, explored corners of the city, found little hidden gems. And I realized something: I loved showing her around Seoul. This city that, somehow, has started to feel more and more like home.

You’ve probably seen those videos floating around online – the ones saying that when a foreign place feels like home, maybe the universe is trying to tell you something. Like your story there has already begun, even if you haven’t fully stepped into it yet. I’m not sure how much I believe in fate or signs, but I do think there’s something to that feeling. The kind where you’re in a completely different country and don’t feel like you’re missing home. When a place just clicks.

Of course, traveling somewhere and living there are two very different things. And I get that. We all romanticize places when we’re traveling – everything feels exciting, fresh, dream-like. But some places stay with you even after the high fades. For me, those places are Seoul, Busan and even Tokyo.

Especially Seoul and Busan. They’re so different, but they both have a piece of my heart. Busan has this vibrant energy mixed with the calming pull of the sea. Seoul is fast, loud, always moving, but still holds these quiet corners, full of cafés, stories, and soft little moments. And each time I go back, I feel more connected.

And I’ll be honest with you (as always): leaving this time was hard. The hardest it’s ever been. For the first time, I cried during takeoff. Not because I didn’t want to return to Switzerland. Not because of work. But because I finally understood what it is that keeps pulling me back to Korea.

It’s me. The version of myself I become when I’m there. She feels lighter. Grounded. Like she can breathe without trying. I don’t feel the constant need to explain, adjust, perform. I’m just me, fully. And each time I leave, it feels like I’m leaving a little piece of that behind. So maybe, when a place feels like that, there really is a reason. And I’m ready to find out what that reason is.

Because – deep breath – by mid-November, I’ll be moving to Seoul. Temporarily at first. Fingers crossed all the prep goes smoothly! And of course, I’ll be taking you along on the journey. A new country. A new rhythm. A new version of me.

Let’s figure it out together.