Busan Update

 I’ve taken a new assignment as a First Assistant Engineer onboard a supply ship working in the Far East. Coincidently, my brother just finished several weeks of vessel inspections in Korea, and we met for dinner in Busan. 

This Korean city has long been connected to maritime trade. Military cargo for peacekeeping efforts began in the 1950s, but now, the commercial seaport and nearby shipyards stand out for their volume of work. 

Busan Train Station, and so-called Texas Street, served as the cultural nexus and service providers for international ferry travelers and global mariners. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, passenger traffic has declined. Most mariners are still confined to their ships, even as general international tourism has recently reopened in Korea. But, this has not proved fatal to the majority of Texas Street businesses- the ethnic restaurants, live music venues, and currency exchange parlors. In this older part of Busan, there is little pressure for landlords search for new tenants. Texas Street remains well positioned for the next generation of mariners on shore business and liberty.

Paper Record

 About a year ago, I decried the fully-digital office. Well, necessity is the mother of invention. As I enter the second decade of my career, carrying paper copies of every certificate and record has become a physical burden. I used to keep everything in a binder, roughly separated by category: Navy Reserve, maritime licensing papers, employer-specific files.  

That binder became two binders, and categorization between topics was lost in the shuffle. So, I finally took the time to start removing the certificates that were simply irrelevant to my career: the expired papers, a pool operator's certificate, ABC Alcohol Server training. 

What remained were licenses that hang on the walls of a learned professional's office: the Professional Engineer and Merchant Mariner's Licenses; sea service letters documenting the various ships I've worked aboard; certificates I will need to present to the ship's purser; annual Navy Reserve evaluations; copies of title to my home, my car, and gold coins. This winnowing of paperwork was healthy in the way that it increased my focus on what was important for the present and the future. I could let go of the trivial, and focus on key strengths and abilities.