May 27th - All Done!

Again, I'm sad, but glad that I can have time to rest. The official GCC (Global Course Connections) segment of the trip is now over, and we are free to be on our own once again.

Today, most of us parted ways. Four of our group members are off to Taiwan for another shorter adventure.  Two of those people will be returning for Yonsei study abroad programs to study Korean more intensively. Our GSI and professor are both staying in Korea, but not in Seoul. Two of us are going on separate journeys through Korea while another is going back to the US before returning for another Asian adventure. I will be staying with three others in Seoul for one more, left to our own devices.

might be our only full group picture

We are actually back at our good old Sinchon Hostel, which we stayed at during the first week. I can't believe how quickly these two weeks flew by; it's strange knowing that I was in this same hostel just a week before. I am very pleased with how the trip turned out, and am excited and confident to be on my own (with some others) in Sinchon - ready to brace the subway system and order food and do all the individual things like an imitation Seoul-ite.

We've done so much this trip, and I'm glad I have this blog that I can look back on - because honestly, we've made too many memories to keep track of, and they all happened so fast. We climbed Bugaksan, bumped up against North Korea, visited palaces, watched K-pop in person, cheered for the LG Twins, met Korean college students, drank tea with monks, biked along the Han River, went Gangnam Style, walked til our feet blistered, and so much more.

I know this next week won't be the same level of excitement, but that's perfect. I can only take so much. I'll take these memories with me forever and I hope all my classmates feel the same way I do. Korea and Seoul will hold a special place in my mind and I definitely hope to return in the future. It was a special experience to see so many things firsthand, things that can't be explained by books or pictures.

goodbye for now

Thanks Professor Juhn Ahn and GSI Nora Hauk, you made every penny worth it and more. 

fun and full of information

May 26th - Goodbye GCC; A Little Bit Longer, Seoul

I'm sad today.

But although today was our last day, the day was still very fun and happy. We went to the popular amusement park Everland and it's water park partner, Caribbean Bay. The park itself is not actually in Seoul; it's in Yongin, but lots of people from all over Korea, along with international tourists visit the park.

The park itself is most comparable to Disney Land or Disney World. It's got tons of colorful characters and souvenirs scattered throughout, along with plenty of photo ops. As expected with Korea, there are even cosmetics shops within the park (an Etude House and Face Shop near the entrance). Otherwise, the park is pretty much just like an American theme park. You ride rides, get snacks, and just have as much fun as possible! It really didn't even feel like we were in Korea, except for when we had to communicate with people...

a colorful tree

a colorful ride that i did not ride

We then switched over to Caribbean Bay after lunch, which is just around the corner from Everland. The water park was not very crowded, and it was a generally warm day, but it did get a little colder. We immediately noticed that people here were actually quite covered up. Almost everyone had life jackets (required to leave the shallow end of the wave pool) and something to cover their heads. Many people had shirts on - almost all the foreigners were the most revealing, which was kind of funny to notice. Not all Koreans were so modest though, as the park allows people to dress in such a way that they could never do in public - it's not even legal for men to be shirtless in public places. With regards to all the life vests, our GSI Nora told us that many Koreans just don't know how to swim. There aren't really lakes or pools to swim in, and it's hard to access the beach from Seoul. But maybe everyone just had vests because you'd feel left out if you didn't. Another thing you might notice at Caribbean bay was that a lot of the Korean people there were actually tan. Korean beauty culture usually values white, pale skin, so it was interesting to see people who were tan or tanning. Normally, people do whatever they can to avoid the sun and whiten their skin.

the entrance to caribbean bay

empty wave pool

All in all, a theme park is a theme park, and there's nothing to do there but enjoy yourself, which we did pretty well in my opinion. After swimming, we headed back to Everland to ride a little more and headed home after. The best ride was the T-Express coaster, which is the steepest wooden roller coaster in the world. I love roller coasters, especially those at Cedar Point in Ohio, but that coaster was quite possible the best roller coaster I've ever been on. If we had had more time, we definitely would have ridden again.

a giant red heart

Anyway, we headed back to Seoul by a combination of bus and train, and it took almost a couple hours.

I'm glad we ended the trip on such a great note, but I'm actually really sad that it's over. I'll definitely miss all the friends I've made here, and my professor and GSI too, who were really just like friends to us on the trip the whole time.

a bear

bye bye everland!

May 25th - Picnic in the Park

The official trip is really close to ending now, and I'm getting really sad (but also relieved, because these are some of the most tiring two weeks I've ever experienced). Today was a fun and relaxing day, and tomorrow will be too, so that's exciting. Yesterday was a "free day," so we didn't have to blog about it and had it to ourselves. Some of us ate in Samcheongdong, the neighborhood to the north of Jogyesa and Insadong, for lunch and dinner. I went back to Myeongdong and got some shopping done. Men's sizes here are way more convenient for me; if I lived here I'd be poor but dressed well.

Today we had a picnic in a park beside the Han River. The weather was very sunny and it was really hot, but it got better as the day went on and we moved to a cooler spot. But before we went on the picnic, we had to get some food, which we obtained from the Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong. As I've talked about earlier (I think) the department stores here have so many things. The lower floor is pretty much a grocery store and it's filled with foods, baked goods, and the seemingly out of place cleaning supplies and hygiene items. It was actually a little overwhelming. Right outside the grocery area (the divide between "grocery area" and "outside area" is very ambiguous) there are lots of smaller cafes with pastries and cakes along with a food court type area with chairs surrounding different types of foods, including a rotating sushi bar. We all ended up choosing our own groceries but paid together after about 20 minutes, which was a bit chaotic.

chomping on a Lotte-sponsored picnic

After buying groceries, we headed onto the subway and got off near the park, where we sat and ate for a while under some nice shady white things. From what I've experienced, Seoul has lots of great public spaces that I find visually pleasing and are clearly well-utilized, so high-five to the brains behind the development. As always, there were plenty of couples, but they were actually outnumbered by the families.

The great thing about today that made me really happy was seeing all the young families with young children all out together and playing happily. There were a lot of toddlers and babies just flying kites (but we got a kite too) and running around playing soccer, or riding bikes or rollerblading. The parents played well with the kids and it was just a really happy atmosphere. This aspect of living also reinforces the positive view that I have on Seoul's utilization of public gathering spaces. It's not like the park was empty either, it was actually quite crowded and busy, but just enough - not crazy and not uncomfortable.

family time

Another thing you'd notice when picnicking here is that people like to bring tents. I don't know if they stay overnight, but we realized how important the tents were once the giant mosquito-like bugs (and mosquitoes) started swarming us. The families tents are pretty serious and fancy too, like at the same level as the fancy ajumma and ajusshi hiking gear. They zip up and have screens and roofs; one family even had an air mattress.

civilization is literally a few steps away

The area we sat in after we left the white shady things was a more family-packed area with basketball courts, some open fields, a decently-sized shop, and a couple rows of tents selling street-style foods like meat kebabs, kimbab, and alcohol. From time to time delivery businesses went around and dropped fliers on or near peoples' mats and tents. We got hungry, so eventually we ordered from one of those moped-driving delivery guys and had some pizza and fried chicken, sans the alcohol. (Fried chicken and alcohol is hands-down the most popular post-work and social snack here).

Pretty much, the day was just relaxing and fun, which was much appreciated. The walking was less-intensive and less painful, though the sun was the same as always. We slept on our little blue picnic mat and took pictures and ate snacks. The park was also just a really nice place to people-watch, with all the families and couples around. Little kids liked to drop by every now and then, and we'd try our best to not creep them out with our "annyeongs."

By nightfall, we walked just a little bit over to look at the Banpo Bridge, which is a very pretty sight to see, but it's also really couple-y too - though surprisingly, couples were a minority tonight. The bridge is also part of another type of public-renovation project to help beautify the city. At certain times, the bridge shoots out jets of water that are brightened by multicolored lights. A quick glance on Wikipedia shows that the bridge is 1,140 meters long and has nearly 10,000 LED nozzles that shoot out 190 tons of water per minute. I'd be concerned that such a fountain would be very wasteful, but I hear that LED lights are good for the environment and if the water is coming from the river, then there's plenty of it. Perhaps Wikipedia's counting ability is poor or misinformed, but the sight is pretty breathtaking with the northern side of Seoul as the backdrop (we were on the southern side very close to Gangnam; remember that Seoul is divided in half by the Han River). My camera couldn't capture the nightscape very well, so I had to google the following image. We actually looked at the fountain from below/on its side; we were sitting on the left side of the fountain if you look at the image. My phone has better pictures, but they're not on my computer.

pretty

After taking some pictures and just watching the water flow, we walked across the bridge to the northern side of Seoul and took a cab back to Jogyesa. Now it's time for bed, because tomorrow will be a fun, exhausting, and somewhat sad day as we get ready to say goodbye.

goodnight seoul!

May 23rd - DMZ & JSA

So today was a day that may or may not have happened, depending on certain conditions. It was scheduled on our itinerary, then removed, then called "tentative." During the trip, we actually did get permission to go to the DMZ (demilitarized zone) and the JSA (joint security area) between North and South Korea. The experience's tentative nature was really based on recent interactions between North Korea and the rest of the world, our safety is the number one priority, after all. Although many worry about North Korea, South Koreans generally don't. There's no feeling of any danger at all in Seoul; maybe it's in the news every now and then, but life is as casual as it gets here.

The tour itself was definitely an interesting experience. We were led by a tour guide on a tour bus as it drove us to a few memorials and monuments on the way to the border. The tour guide was very friendly and lively, but also quite dramatic, as was most of the experience. We first stopped at a museum that had a large section devoted to the Korean war, and the feeling of propaganda was strong. Outside the museum there were many memorial plaques with the names of those who died in the war. Most were Korean, but there were also plaques for the 16 or so countries that also sent soldiers to help South Korea; the names of those international soldiers were honored in stone as well. There was one room inside the museum with a large video screen that showed images from times of peace to times of war, and ended with theatrical music and the message "freedom is not free" (I was too slow to catch a picture), which I found kind of creepy. There were also lots of models of weapons and machinery and rooms that simulated the feeling of battle.

creepy injured mannequins

There was a statue outside of two soldiers hugging, from a popular story around here describing two brothers. I'll paraphrase the tour guide's version a bit, but the story basically goes like this: one brother, the older one, was old enough to fight for South Korea. Although he was relatively young, he had to go because his family needed food. The younger brother was too young to fight in the war, but as it continued and tensions heightened, the armies began to recruit more people, and the young brother was recruited into the North Korean army. Some time later, the two brothers ran into each other on a battlefield, neither able to shoot the other. Instead, they dropped their weapons and just hugged each other, as the statue depicts. Stories like this are sad, but popular ones when talking about the war. It's definitely a very sad thing, and it may be hard to lose sight of all the losses.

bad picture, only picture

After lunch (bibimbap), we headed to the JSA, the Joint Security Area shared by North and South Korean soldiers. As we drove through, the tour lady shared many more stories of incidents and fights that led up to how the JSA formed and why it looked the way it did. One incident she described was the "Axe Murder Incident." Before the JSA looked like it did, there was a time when the divide between North and South Korea was more ambiguous, and North Korean posts were scattered between South Korean ones. The South Koreans had one post that couldn't be seen by the other South Korean posts because its view was obstructed by a poplar tree. The South Koreans tried to cut it down, and a fight ensued as the North Koreans opposed the action. Tensions rose and it eventually ended with the death of a few people, and I don't know the numbers but at least one person was killed by the axe, by a North Korean. Clearly, this story was shared with bias, but it is still interesting to think about and tells us why the border between North and South Korea, even in the JSA, is very clear cut today. There is a plaque as a memorial of the incident where the poplar tree was located.

where the poplar tree stood

As we drove through the wooded areas, the tour lady kept reminding us that there are landmines all around, which seemed a bit fake and dramatic, as did many of the things that she said. When we were able to get off the bus, she had to remind us of many things not to do, like point, laugh, stray from the group, or anything unnatural. Before the trip, we were also told not to wear anything with short sleeves, ripped jeans, skirts, shorts, and to wear collared shirts, which was a bit of an ordeal for everyone. At the JSA, not everyone was dressed to the code, and nobody seemed to care.

The JSA consisted of a few guardhouses and meeting rooms that straddled the border between North and South. It apparently is a misconception that the 38th parallel is what divides the two nations, and the tour guide told us that the real line is called the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), which more or less straddles the 38th parallel anyway. The physical border between the Koreas is between two of the buildings, marked by a concrete slab. I took a picture of it through a window. The soldier we were with was very strict about what we can and cannot take pictures of, and to be honest, it was hard to tell if it was just part of the fabricated drama or if taking pictures of trees was a real threat to national security. Our professor got yelled at for leaning on a table. Another person got yelled at for taking a picture at an angle that wasn't specified. The building we went in crossed the border, so I guess I stepped into North Korea for a couple minutes.

a peek into north korea; a lady's camera and hands

a very important slab of concrete

if you look closely, there's a north korean man; not kidding

All in all, the experience was just strange. We didn't know what to expect, and it was a little bit anticlimactic. We saw a building in North Korea, and North Korean trees and soldiers, and they looked like normal buildings and normal people. The scariest part of the experience was the giant bees that swarmed us when we were taking pictures at the border, and the angry military man that yelled when we faced the wrong way or sat on the table. It was also strange how commercialized the experience was, which just added to the feeling of fabricated theatrics. The souvenir shop sold JSA and DMZ shirts, for kids and adults along with camo gear from head to toe. They also sold North Korean liquor and wine and the regular gamut of Korean collectibles. There is also a Popeye's chicken just outside the border, along with an amusement park.

It was an experience that I think would be important to do once, but not again. We spent hours on a bus from about 9 to 5, only getting off for an hour or less at a time. You definitely get the feeling of propaganda, and it's just a strange but important thing to see in person.

I can't believe the experience is almost over. We only have about three days left in our official program, then I'll be on my own with three others just exploring Seoul (and revisiting shopping destinations). We have some more fun activities planned though, so I can't wait.

In Short - Where did we go? - DMZ, JSA

May 22nd - Palace and Museum

Because we were out late last night, today was a bit shorter and less intensive with the walking. We got lunch at one of the restaurants run by they Jogyesa temple people, so it was completely vegetarian (monks have to eat it too). It was good though, the soy bulgogi looked and tasted like real meat, so I appreciated that.

We also painted mandaras with one of the monks and had tea with another. I painted a flower and it was green, yellow, and blue. The monk came up to us and interpreted our paintings and styles for us. She told me that by looking at my painting I am a calm, passive, non-aggressive person, which I'd agree with. She also told me I lack direction in my life, which I feel like is also true, but true for everyone in some sense. She also told me I should become a monk. I don't want to become a monk.

painting mandaras

The same monk had tea with us, which was very interesting. She showed us how to drink the tea, what to do with our hands, and how to sit properly at the tea table. I have bad posture, so I feel like I lacked in that department. She said normally monks drink three cups of tea, but every time I finished, she kept pouring more, so I ended up drinking a lot even though I don't even really like tea, because I think it tastes almost like water, though that's beside the point. After infinite cups of tea, we headed to the lunch I described earlier, then walked to Gyeongbokgung palace.

where we had tea

The palace was quite lively, considering that it's very artificial. The site has a history, though. The old palace that was actually built in the Joseon Dynasty did exist, but it was eventually destroyed by burning. This newer palace is built to look like Joseon-style palaces, though, and it was still very beautiful. We sat for a while looking at the architecture, but there wasn't much to see really once you finished appreciating the history and architecture.

behind is bugak mountain, which we climbed before

When we left, we saw the changing of the guard ceremony outside the tower. I would upload a short video I took, but my computer is too slow, so you'll have to settle for a picture instead. The guards were very colorful and sported fake goatees, because many Asian men don't really grow out their facial hair. The ceremonial motions were accompanied by a large, booming drum, and men in colorful robes with leaves and branches sticking out of their hats. The ceremony went as you'd imagine. Some guards left the front gate, other guards came in through another, and four were dropped off at the front of the palace to stand motionless in the heat for a few hours.

changing the guards

We also had a very funny experience in the palace. There were many tour groups, including students and Chinese tourists. We were pretty tired, so we were just sitting, but we also tried talking to some of the people around us, and before long, the Chinese tourists were kind of swarming us, along with the middle-school age Korean boys and girls practicing their English and complementing one of us on our looks. If there was ever a time to pretend to be a celebrity, that was it.

their "mission" was to practice english

After we left, we went to the Seoul National History Museum, which had exhibits on Seoul and its development from past to present. It was interesting to see the panoramic shots of the city before and after Seoul's rabid urban development. Some landmarks that were easily visible, like Myeongdong Cathedral, were easily hidden in the jungle of skyscrapers post-development. I personally like the various tiny models of different styles of architecture and landmarks around Korea. There were a lot of dollhouse-esque models that I find really appealing to look at.

seoul - before and after

I split off with Spencer and Nadia and we went to Myeongdong to do some shopping, then we ended the day eating some pasta at Blacksmith's, a popular Italian restaurant around here. It was delicious. In the late evening, we walked around Samcheongdong, which is another area popular for dates and couples. It's filled with quaint cafes and flower shops, cobblestone roads and benches. There are also places to just grab food with friends, too. We also got to walk through a residential area and see the style of houses there, which are older in an architectural sense, but still nice looking and in a nice neighborhood. We also dropped by the Hello Kitty cafe, which is very pink. The coffees people ordered had hello kitty drawn in the foam, and the waffe Adjanni ordered was shaped like Hello Kitty's head. It was a bit of a cuteness overload, to be honest, and cute things don't normally bother me.

chairs, table, decor - all hello kitty

Now, it's almost 1AM and I need to sleep because we have a very long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Good night!

May 21st - Markets and Cheonggyecheon

I blogged a little earlier the other day, so I wasn't able to talk about our walk along Cheonggyecheon. At nighttime, it's got a very romantic atmosphere and is filled with old and young couples walking, talking, and just sitting along the stream. Cheonggyecheon is essentially a very long stream with bridges and multiple walkways cutting across the way. It was once not so clean and not so romantic, and in more recent times was entirely covered by a highway. Eventually, the highway was removed in the name of urban renewal, and in time the stream became a popular public space. An interesting little fact is that the water in the stream does not flow naturally in the direction that you'd be observing if you looked at it in person. It's actually being artificially pumped against gravity, and I believe it ends up at some sort of purification plant. If you come back to the stream late enough, the water won't be flowing at all.

in the daytime

nighttime

Yesterday, we walked along the river at night, so it was very couple-dominated, which was actually very sweet to observe (or finger-curling if that kind of thing bothers you). Couples are a strange phenomenon here in Seoul; if you're in a relationship here, the world kind of knows. Girls cling to their boys, and it's not a rare occurrence to see couples in matching items - socks, shoes, hats, scarves, or even pants or shirts. Some find it cute, others find it sickening. Social image is very important to people here. At peak hours during the evening, most people won't be found alone. Seoul may feel very couple-dominated or like people have lots of friends, but it's easy to forget that people just stay inside when they're alone. Social anomie is actually a problem in cities like Seoul; it's easy to feel alone when your morals, ideals, or even preferences differ from the larger group at hand.

Today, we walked along Cheonggyecheon in the daytime. It was still dominated by many couples, but there were also families and randoms about as well. We even saw a guy on a skateboard (which is neither popular nor prominent, as described by a Yonsei student in reference to an anomalous skate park in Seoul). The water was flowing and it had a more casual feel during the daytime, much less romantic (but still somewhat).

We started the day much later, so instead of meeting for lunch, we met for dinner. We walked along the river and went to a market to eat. I don't know the name off the top of my head, but it was pretty interesting. The market was lined with many stores that sold traditional hanboks. Many other stores sold wedding wear for men and women, along with wedding shoes and other related items. My cousin's getting married soon; if she lived around here, it'd be so easy to get everything together. 

The market was filled to the brim with food. When we got there, it was just starting to get busy, but when we left, almost all the booths and stands were occupied with business-people meeting after work for eating and drinking (alcohol), arguably the most popular pastime in South Korea. Women were frying foods everywhere, and there was plenty of random seafood to stare at. We ended up eating in a restaurant on the side of the market and had many different things, like pork skin and kimchi tofu. My favorite thing was the haemul pajeon, which is like a seafood pancake (I think I wrote about it a few posts back; I ate it at Yonsei also). It's fried and greasy, but also delicious.

haemul pajeon with long green things

frying goodness

men huddled around food

We left the market after eating and walked further along Cheonggyecheon to Dongdaemun. Dongdaemun is an area of multiple buildings, all for shopping. It's definitely one of many shoppers' paradises in Seoul. The store we started at was a multi-story department store (called doota!, exclamation point included) and it featured many aspiring designers looking to score a spot in the coveted fashion industry. After seeing how expensive everything was, I left with some of our classmates and looked at other stores. One building was filled with many different kiosks, each respectively filled with specific items. The aisle we walked through had a lot of stores specializing in those pashmina-looking scarves and ajumma (middle-aged to older women) hats (visors, large sunhats, caps with velcro). These stores are designed for retailers in places like Namdaemun who buy items in bulk and sell them on the streets for a profit. When we were there, many stores were closed, but we got a good idea of how they look and function.

The last building we went to was filled with more clothes, but at cheaper prices. From 10pm to midnight, the time we spent there, this building was very very busy. The shops had just received their shipments of clothes, and some don't even sell clothes to shoppers, only to retailers. But the shops that do sell to people can cut you a good deal on their clothing. People knew I was foreign when I failed to understand the Korean numbers (but I'm getting better at it!), so I feel like they gave me higher prices. Many of the racks showed clothes but the prices were listed as ranges, like 7,000-15,000 won, and I feel like this is done so that they can charge more to those who can't or are bad at bargaining.

I ended up buying a couple hats and a shirt, it was pretty exciting. We ended the night by walking back along Cheonggyecheon to Jogyesa temple. My feet hurt and I have a couple blisters, which is rare for me. But it's a good pain. 

shopping!

May 20th - Walking

As I'm writing this post, the day is not quite over yet; we're just resting in the temple before we head out to dinner in about an hour.

We did a lot of walking today! We started out by walking from the temple to Myeongdong. The Myeongdong area is quite commercialized and a very popular destination for eating and shopping. There are plenty of street vendors that do sell Korean street food, as always (ttokbokki, ice cream, and more), along with big brand names both foreign and domestic. The gamut of cosmetics stores is of course there as well, along with cardboard cutouts of idols and actors lining the streets. The tourists who visit the Myeongdong area, however, aren't usually westerners. This area is particularly popular with Japanese and Chinese tourists, and you can hear many different Asian languages being spoken by store attendants and advertisers. The advertisers (I don't know a better word for them) just stand outside cosmetic stores and give out free things, but you have to go into their shops and try out products... We were actually somewhat forced into a store when a woman placed a basket with items into one of our friends' hands, and she had to go into the store to give the basket back.

he is everywhere

The Myeongdong area isn't only popular for shopping. The Myeongdong Cathedral is also a part of the area, and it is very large and hard to miss. The Cathedral serves as a reminder of Christian presence in Korea. It is not only important for religious reasons, but also for the community. Historically, people have gathered here for organized protests, such as the movement for democracy, and labor laws. Churches are often popular places to gather for reasons that may or may not involve religion, and this cathedral is no exception.

We didn't spend too long at the cathedral, and moved on to Namsan Tower, also known as Seoul Tower, CJ Seoul Tower, or N Seoul Tower. It's located on a mountain (san = mountain), and the tower itself is only accessible by bus, cable car, or walking. The tower itself has the distinction of being the highest point in Seoul. It functions as a communications tower, but more noticeably as a tourist attraction. Large Chinese tour groups gathered here, along with hiking ajummas and ajusshis (older men and women). The walk up is a hike, and the walk down is not so easy either. The road to and from the tower is lined with many trees, so it's nice and cool even on sunny days, though today was a bit on the cooler side anyway.

After walking down from the tower, we headed to Namdaemun. There's the popular Namdaemun gate of Seoul, along with the crowded Namdaemun market. The market sells a variety of items from dried sea creatures to hello kitty socks and phone cases. It's also a bit notorious for its knockoffs. There are different kinds of purses, shoes, and shirts that all look like name-brands, but none of them really are. The market is an interesting place to shop because many things are cheap, but many things don't actually have prices. This is because a big part of shopping in Namdaemun is haggling. Even the locals won't be able to drop the prices too much, but the shop owners always know what's fair and what's not. 

If you want real brands, for real prices, you can head over to the Shinsegae department store. We looked around there very briefly, but you only need a few minutes to understand what the store is like. The entrance floor was full of perfume and makeup, just like malls in the US, but with more attendants. The basement floor was part grocery store, part bakery, and part cafe. According to our professor, all the major department stores are set up like this. The Shinsegae department store is unique, however, because it's the first major department store that was built in Seoul by the Japanese. The Japanese style department stores led the way in terms of this kind of retail in Seoul, where bored housewives would shop, often in such a way that the shopping displayed wealth and status. Department stores like Lotte also follow the model set by Shinsegae, and the combination of shopping and eating is still a major part of these stores.

shinsegae

lotte

 We'll be heading off to dinner now, so the day's not quite over yet, but I don't think anything major will be happening tonight anyway.

May 19th - Screaming & Screaming

Today was another busy and tiring day, but in a good way.

We had an early lunch and spent a little bit of time shopping in Insadong. The shopping was mainly in the stores along the street along with a mulit-level mall area, Ssamjigil. It was a bit on the pricey side, but there were a lot of unique items and foods for sale. The Insadong area is more noticeably more tourist-y, with all kinds of people walking around and many languages floating about. There are traditional hanboks available to buy or just try on and take pictures in booths. At the end of the road, we saw some young looking students doing a traditional type of drum performance. They walked in a circle and changed directions according to the beat of the drum and instructions of one of the people in the middle.

After shopping, we hopped into the subway and headed to Inkigayo, a popular K-pop music show that airs weekly, and features top current artists promoting their respective singles. These shows are generators for Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, that represents the global spread of Korean pop culture, especially in recent years. Shows like these are popular to watch on YouTube for foreign fans, who often can just skip out on some groups and watch their favorites perform. The Korean idol lifestyle is unlike that of an American celebrity. Singers train for years and only hope to debut; even then, they're success is dependent on their popularity. The screaming fangirls and boys reminded me of just how popular these people are.

...No pictures of the show though; we weren't allowed to...

Immediately after the show, we headed back underground and hopped a few trains to get to the Jamsil Sports Complex to watch a baseball game. Here, teams are sponsored by companies and are named accordingly. Today's game was the LG Twins (home) playing the KIA Tigers. The Tigers are actually one of the best teams in the league here, while the Twins are one of the worst. Thankfully, the Twins were able to win! Winning or losing was not even a thing though, what really mattered during the game was the energy. At almost all times, there was cheering, singing, chanting, and dancing. There were more chants and dances here than at a football game in The Big House, and almost all the seats were occupied. I never knew a baseball game could have so much energy (and I've been to a Detroit Tigers game, when they were good). The energy and unity during the game made me forget that I was a foreigner, that I knew none of the players, and had just heard of the two teams. I learned songs and dances, that "anta" means "hit," and that KFC and Burger King can cost up to 18 US dollars.

Both these experiences are just a taste of some of the things that make Seoul unique and special. Every city has its arts and sports, and today we saw some more of Seoul's. The K-pop industry is inescapable, and sports teams give citizens something to rally around.

May 17th & 18th - Buddha

It’s been a couple days, Friday was a “free day,” which we spent at the Greenplugged music festival. It featured a variety of indie bands and stages, with picnicking and food in between. We ended the evening at the Jogyesa monestary in Insadong, where the lantern festival was occurring, in honor of the Buddha’s birthday.

no idea who was performing

lanterns in the daytime

On Saturday, we actually ended up moving to the temple for the rest of the trip. We said our goodbyes to Sinchon and the hostel and shuttled our bags and our selves over to the monastery, where they have a temple stay program. The rooms are actually similar to those of the hostel, with the exception of beds, which are nonexistent. We’re sleeping on cushions on the floor and you can hear the sounds of the temple from the rooms.

our room

After we arrived and got our rooms, a happy Korean woman gave us a tour of the temple. The lanterns looked even nicer in the sunlight, and seemed even more numerous. She explained things about the different objects around the temple, like the bells, temples, and instruments. The different types of lanterns represent different things. The white lights represent people who have passed, and the colorful lights represent the living.

lanterns at nighttime

The Main Dharma Hall of the temple, Daewungjeon, houses the Buddha Triad. The Buddhas are definitely popular for pictures with tourists, which are numerous at this temple. The three very large, golden, Buddha statues each represent different qualities. The Bhaisaiya Buddha on the right represents medicine and helps those who suffer from physical and emotional disease. The middle Buddha, Shakyamuni, touches his hand to the earth, which the Buddha did after his enlightenment. Amitabha Buddha is the pureland Buddha.

buddha trio

Today was on the shorter side, and we were able to get a lot of rest. That was much-appreciated.

May 16th - Plastic

Today was a particularly noteworthy day, but not because what we did was exceptionally exciting, but that the location was particularly interesting.

We started today with some waffles from a little kiosk on one of the lanes in Sinchon. Waffles are a popular food phenomenon here; there are plenty of cafes and booths that are specifically centered around waffles. One might think that it'd be easy to find an open waffle place at 10 in the morning, but the two we tried were still closed. Luckily, one of those stores started selling a bit early just for us. An interesting thing you'd notice when in a foreign country is the idea of "start times." Cities are like living things. Like a circadian rhythm in a person, a city cycles through different stages of activity. Rush hour is still a thing here, but not necessarily at the same time as it is in the US. Things often start to get busy, at least around Sinchon and Hongdae, around 10. We usually start our day around 9AM, and between 9 and 10, you can literally see the streets fill with people.

waffles!

The main event for today was a visit to Gangnam. Thankfully, there were no references nor reenactments to PSY's viral hit, Gangnam Style during our visit. I am sure that the Gangnam locals were thankful for that as well.

Like any city, Gangnam has some of its own architectural features that make it special. One building, the GT tower, was designed in a way that makes it look like it's spiraling or waving. Another building is covered in small holes that make it look like Swiss cheese, as our professor likes to describe it. We gazed at the buildings for a bit, but one can only do that for so long because most buildings don't really do anything entertaining.

wavy GT tower

We also visited the Samsung building in Gangnam, which was very fancy and very hi-tech, as expected. Floors lit up, walls lit up, TV screens responded to touches, and everything there from earbuds to TVs cost 50% more than it would anywhere else. We were treated to a little video-powerpoint presentation by an employee that essentially boasted of Samsung's remarkable success and growth via a computerized female voice and an ambient jingle. Samsung's success is serious though. In spite of world economic problems, Samsung seems to have lost little. I know, of course, that the presentation was biased, but success is success, and if you've got it, I think it's okay to flaunt it. The Samsung building was almost like a shopping mall, with many upscale-looking brands and stores, some of which Samsung owned, like the Bean Pole clothing line. When an electronics company can begin to produce its own clothing line, you know they're serious.

After some lunch, we walked a bit on our own, then reconvened and headed over to Garosugil (가로수길), a street in Sinsadong (신사동), which is a ward within Gangnam. The name literally means tree-lined road (I learned this from the international students days before), and it makes sense. There are trees that line the road. Aside from that, this street is famous for its very upscale (and very expensive) retail. The stores are inviting, almost alluring, but the prices - not so much. Walking around, you would immediately notice that everyone is dressed very nicely. High heels, jackets, skirts, dresses, you name it, someone's wearing it (unless it's unattractive or cheap). The street was once not so busy and not so upscale. Before, there wasn't much going on on Garosugil, until art galleries and artists started to settle down and open shop in the area. Before long, the area developed into what it is today.

When you go to Korea, there's a certain topic that you can't avoid, and that's plastic surgery. It's affordable, common, and popular. I don't want to say it's obligatory, but if a teen or young adult were to get it, I don't think anyone would have much problem with it. Walking around Gangnam, especially right down the street from Garosugil, there are many many plastic surgery clinics. It's nothing formal - if you wanted to, you could go get your double eyelids and sip an 8 dollar cup of coffee in the same day. In fact, I saw a young woman today with a bandage on the bridge of her nose sipping coffee in an upscale and popular coffee shop overlooking Garosugil. We also saw a few people with bandages and masks on their faces. To be honest, it was a bit eerie and little unsettling, but mostly just unexpected. From Garosugil to the subway, I couldn't tell you how many signs we saw for different surgery clinics, but there were a lot.

성형외과 = plastic surgery

Many of the students on the trip had differing opinions on the idea of plastic surgery. Some were appalled by the notion, some were ambivalent, and others apathetic. In the US, plastic surgery is actually not very widely accepted (outside of areas like LA). For one thing, I believe it is not widely accepted because it is not widely accessible. In Seoul, it is relatively affordable and commonplace. Because it's so common, doctors are well-practiced, and frankly, they just get good. In a way, the plastic surgery industry feeds itself.

Having studied some anthropology, I have a slight an anthropological perspective on this. It's not objective, it's actually very subjective, but what I've learned has influenced how I feel about things like plastic surgery. I'm not an anthropologist, I'm a stressed out undergrad, but I do take the things I learn to heart. Culture is in the body. Our bodies tune our cultures and our cultures tune our bodies. A hot soup on a hot day is normal here, but in the US we'd probably pass on that. Food is just one medium through which culture shapes bodies. When it comes to beauty in the US, we are often taught to value the body as it is. We see ads on TV and articles in magazines telling us to embrace our curves and wear less makeup to look more natural (while receiving mixed messages about going on diets and concealing imperfections, but that's a very different yet equally controversial topic). Altering the body makes it unnatural (plastic surgery), and it's generally frowned upon. In Seoul, it's just different. We overheard students on the bus today speaking about other students. It's like when middle school girls talk about who's pretty, who's not, and why. The girls' conversation was slightly different, however. In the US, people would say things like "your hair is pretty," or "you have beautiful eyes." The girls on the bus were talking specifics about other people, like "so and so's chin is pretty," or "x is pretty because of the bridge on her nose." The body is just viewed differently. Clearly, technology and surgery have had probably played a role in the existence of this conversation, but it really demonstrated to me how differently people view things here.

Anthropologists often use "culture" as their go-to answer when discussing differences among peoples. It's not substantial, but it's sufficient. I won't claim to understand the differences either, but it's important to recognize that different cultures have different values, and one may be disgusted by plastic surgery, but I can guarantee that there are people who will be disgusted by the fact that so-and-so didn't get any. One might ask a plastic surgery patient, "how could you live with yourself?", and that may have just been the question they were asking before  the surgery.

This blog entry was a little more on the serious side, but it's actually really important to me that we think about other cultures, beliefs, and attitudes before we make judgments on actions.

In Short - Where did we go? - Gangnam