🇳🇱 A Journey Filled with People, Memories, and Warm Hearts

[진영]

🇳🇱 A Journey Filled with People, Memories, and Warm Hearts

July 2–9, 2026

I left Korea on July 2 for the Netherlands and returned home on July 9.

The main purpose of this journey was, of course, the seminar and championship.
But looking back now, I realize that this journey was about much more than an event.

We trained together.
We learned together.
We laughed, ate, travelled, talked, and shared many moments together.

I also had the chance to visit beautiful places, enjoy the Dutch countryside, and meet many wonderful people. Through every conversation and every moment we shared, we came to understand one another a little more deeply.

And then there were the gifts. 😊

Cookies, traditional Dutch sweets, local foods, a beautiful tea cup, a cloth bag, a meaningful sculpture, and even a bottle of whisky...

Some gifts were delicious.
Some were beautiful.
Some made me smile.
And some carried memories that will remain with me for a long time.

But the true value of a gift is never its price or size.

A gift is a small piece of someone’s heart placed into another person’s hands.

I also brought gifts from Korea, and I returned home carrying gifts from many friends.

But more important than the things we exchanged were the feelings behind them — gratitude, friendship, respect, care, and warmth.

Perhaps this is what an international martial arts event should truly be.

Not only competing.
Not only training.
Not only teaching and learning.

But meeting as human beings, sharing our hearts, and returning home a little closer than before.

The seminar and championship ended successfully, but the relationships and memories created there continue.

Thank you to everyone who welcomed me, trained with me, travelled with me, shared meals with me, laughed with me, and gave me these beautiful memories.

I left Korea with luggage.

I returned home with more luggage... 😂
but also with a much fuller heart. ❤️

Thank you, everyone.

Until we meet again.

And now, I am back home.
This morning, with a cup of coffee in my hand, I sit quietly and look out over the beautiful scenery of Oryukdo.
The seminar, the championship, the training, the journeys, the laughter, the people I met, the meals we shared, the gifts we exchanged, and the moments when our hearts touched...
Everything passes through my mind like scenes from a movie.
Only a few days ago, I was surrounded by so many people, moving from one place to another.
And now, I am here again — quietly watching the sea.
☕🌊
The journey has ended.
But somehow, the feelings remain.
The gifts are now in my home.
The memories are in my heart.

And the connections we made will continue into the future.
Perhaps a journey does not truly end when we return home.
It ends only when the memories stop speaking to us.

And this morning, here in Oryukdo,
they are still speaking very clearly.

Thank you, everyone, for being part of this unforgettable journey.
Until we meet again. ❤️

The journey has ended.
But the energy, the memories, and the connections continue to flow.

#Netherlands2026 #HaedongKumdo #JinyoungSsangkumRyu #UWHKF #MartialArtsFamily #FriendshipBeyondBorders #SharingHearts #BeautifulMemories #UntilWeMeetAgain