Since the last post, I have traveled all over Seoul and made so many memories and so many more friends that I will always cherish! I have learned a lot about the Korean way of life as well as a lot about myself. This trip has opened my mind in so many ways. It feels a little different when YOU are the one that looks like an idiot trying to speak what little you know of a foreign language to order your food or simply pay at the grocery! I also now know how it feels to stand out in a crowd. I felt the stares and even though I could not speak the language; I knew when I was the topic of someone's conversation. I never felt threatened though, Korean people are some of the most friendly people I have ever met. They are so much more inviting and forgiving to foreigners than most of us are here in America sadly.
This trip has made such an impact on me, that I am already in the process of planning for next year's trip to Korea! I can honestly say that I was heartbroken to have to come back home so soon. I did not want to leave all of the wonderful friends I had just met, or the new routine I had seemingly just settled myself into. One month is just not enough time to experience Seoul.
Since I have so much to catch you all up on, I am simply going to post some pictures and tell a brief story about each one to wrap up this blog...
07/12/14
My friends; Rachel, her father; Ross, Emma, Rui, and I hiked Mt. Bukhansan.
Below are some pictures of Hoeryongsa temple. It is a Buddhist temple that was founded in 680 A.D. but has since been rebuilt and expanded several times with the last expansion taking place in 1630. It is located about 1/4 of the way up the mountain.
Here we are at the top, catching our breath!
At this point I thought we had almost made it to the top... we still had an hour of hiking ahead of us!
07/16/14
Miwon, Sandra, Seollung, and I spent the whole day together exploring some of the things Seoul has to offer. First, Sandra treated Miwon and I to one of the best buffet lunches I have ever eaten! I might have overindulged just a bit...
We then met up with Seollung at the Japanese embassy to see the statue that sits in front of it to honor the Korean comfort women that have yet to receive a proper apology from Japan. (more info here: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3594678 )
After that we went to a gallery exhibit of art from a girl named Yesuil. She was one of the many high school students killed in the Sewolho ferry accident in April 2014. This gallery was her family's way of honoring her. There were artworks all the way from her kindergarten days up until her final days.
We then watched MISO, a traditional Korean performance show. There were live actors as well as live musicians that played throughout the entire show. It was very impressive, but unfortunately, photography was not allowed so I have nothing to share from it.
After the show, we took a cab to Insadong, probably one of my favorite places in Seoul! Insadong is the Culture and Crafts district of Seoul. There, you can purchase items that are unique to Korea. I especially enjoyed the brush shops and the ceramic shops. Most of the shop keepers are excited to tell you all about their craft, I really enjoyed their stories and advice.
After we had finished shopping, we had a massive dinner at a restaurant in Insadong. I cannot even remember what we ordered, but there was a lot of food for four people and it was absolutely delicious.
Comfort Woman Statue
She faces the Japanese embassy
After Yesuil's passing, a shoe company took her designs (below) and made actual shoes going from her designs (above). They also named the shoes after her.
Notes of love and grieving left on a window inside the gallery..
7/17/14
After class, my friends; Allison, Alan, Ed, and I made our way to Myeong-Dong to do some shopping, laugh at the funny t-shirts, and get some delicious street food. While walking along the street, we saw a sign for a cat café! Since none of us had been to one yet, we decided to give it a shot! It was an odd but fun experience, cats were everywhere!
Extremely sociable cats...
I think this is what heaven tastes like; a crepe rolled up with nutella, almonds, corn flakes, and a banana inside...
07/19/14
Sandra, Miwon, Miwon's brother, wife and two daughters and I took a tour of the Changdeokgung Palace secret garden; courtesy of Miwon's brother!
Changdeokgung is one of the Five Grand Palaces built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897). Behind the palace there is a 78-acre secret garden. It was constructed for the royal family and palace women. Not even high officials were allowed to enter enter the garden without the king's permission. It has a lotus pond, numerous pavilions, and landscaped lawns, trees, and flowers. There are over 26,000 trees of a hundred different species in the garden and some of them are over 300 years old.
07/25/14
Graduation day. It was so sad, I am glad we all got to see each other all in one place for one last time. I told Miwon, the first time we were in that auditorium I didn't really notice any specific faces, just an enormous mass of people filling the room; this time though, I looked around and I could recognize a large part of the crowd. I had encountered most of them some time throughout that month. I will miss them all!
Miwon, Rui, Myself, Satria and Sandra at graduation
