[A Healing Letter from Palau](7) Viewing Palau’s ‘Divine Garden’ from an Aerial Perspective

Every morning, I wake up to a view of the blue ocean. I’d hop on a boat and race across the beautiful water, watching the silvery waves. Occasionally, we’d be greeted by dolphins. Then I’d return for a nap before heading back into the sea to meet its underwater inhabitants. As the sun sets, I’d wrap up my day with a cool beer.

I’ve been living this way in the South Pacific for several years now. Most tourists I meet express their envy, saying things like, “You’re so lucky to live in such a magnificent place.”

.The ‘Blue Hole,’ one of Palau’s premier diving spots. – Photo by James Jung

However, living the same routine day in and day out, I’ve started to feel a bit of boredom creeping in. With a spotty internet connection, I sometimes worry that I’m falling behind, stagnating compared to the fast-paced lives of people back in Seoul.

Suddenly, I felt a desire to see my home from a different vantage point, not just from the sea. I wondered, ‘How do the seagulls see us from above?’ I yearned for a broader perspective, a bird’s-eye view. I wanted to look down on the waters of Palau and reflect on my own life.

The Presidential Office and government buildings of Palau. – Photo by James Jung

So, I took a helicopter ride up into the sky. The land shrunk below, and the sea revealed colors I had never seen from the ground. The memory of that view lingered even after I landed, prompting me to try some aerial filming with a drone. Sure enough, a different perspective revealed so many things I had previously missed.

Viewed from the sky, Palau was so beautiful it could truly be called a ‘garden of the gods.’ The experience was deeply moving. Only after seeing Palau from both the sea and the sky do I feel I’ve finally begun to understand it.

For the new year, 2017, I hope everyone finds the opportunity to see things from a different perspective, to look beyond their usual point of view.