08.02 (火)
Yoonkyung's mother and sister dropped us off at Tria hotel, which was where we planned to stay since Yoonkyung's house wasn't big enough for me to stay in. Everyone in Seoul lives in what they call "mansions", which are really just small apartments stacked on top of each other. They were all I could see when we first landed in Gimpo! The hotel itself was very nice, except for the fact that the bathroom was made of glass. Literally, you could see into the shower from the outside. ...Awkward to say the least.
Once we ate dinner, we went to a little coffee shop next door to meet up with some more people Yoonkyung knew. Speaking of which, I think I met over 20 of Yoonkyung's friends during my short stay in Korea. Every day we hung out with different people, and each time I instantly bonded with them. It was a lot different from Japan in that everyone was outgoing and eager to invite us places, immediately adding me on facebook via their smartphones (which everyone seemed to have). I really felt like part of the family, so to speak, even though I couldn't speak the same language. Luckily, everyone we met was able to speak either Japanese or English. Convenient, right?
Anyway, after coffee Yoonkyung and I went with her friends to a park that runs alongside Han River, the largest river in Korea, which goes directly through Seoul. Even though it was extremely late (after midnight) when we went, people were everywhere, which was another major difference I noted. In Japan, no one seems to be outside after 10 pm, but in Seoul, that's just when the city started to come alive. We all sat and ate chicken and beer, something that is apparently a Korean tradition (I'm assuming among college students). It was nice to talk to everyone and pick up some Korean phrases. I really enjoyed listening to Korean because it's a lot more "musical" than Japanese. Japanese is very "flat", almost monotone in its sound, but Korean goes up and down all the time. It makes it seem more expressive and lively. Even though I didn't always understand the words, I could sometimes pick up on what was being said just by the intonation. Pretty neat!
Yoonkyung and I got back to the hotel and were in bed by 3 am. Not a bad way to start off our trip!
08.03 (水)
Wednesday morning we met Jieun for breakfast at Starbucks. We had met her the night before and I really enjoyed talking with her because she could speak Japanese and quite a bit of English. Also, side note: there are a MILLION coffee shops in Seoul. I am not exaggerating. Almost every other store was a cafe of some sort! I couldn't believe it. I don't know why they need so many, but as a coffee lover I wasn't about to complain.
At one point it began to downpour so we quickly bought umbrellas and slipped into Smoothie King for a break. We continued our adventure once the rain let up a bit and ended up eating again not soon after. (I think Koreans like to eat just as much as Americans do.) We had topokki, something I love. Not exactly sure what they are, but they are spicy and bit sized. Basically, the perfect college student snack food.
The rain was getting bad at this point, but we kept on until we came to a nail salon. I had made a comment to Yoonkyung on how all of the girls I saw in Korea had really nice nails. Apparently, getting your nails done is cheap in Korea so we decided to get ours done too. Yoonkyung got a pedicure and I got a manicure-- both of them turned out really nice!
After our girly activity of the day, we all met up with Yoonkyung's sister Yuni for dinner. We had samgyopsal, which is my absolute favorite Korean food. Basically, you fry pork belly and a bunch of other things (like kimchi) on a skillet and wrap it all up in lettuce. It's basically the Korean equivalent of tacos. Yoonkyung made it for me once before, but this was even better than that (which means it was pretty damn good). When we finished eating dinner I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to move, but we managed to walk down the street to get dessert and then we all went to karaoke.
08.04 (木)
08.05 (金)
08.06 (土)
I slept in as much as possible on Tuesday since I stayed up late on Monday night. Then I packed my bags in preparation for Korea! Around noon Bea and I went to meet Yoonkyung and Hana chan for lunch at a nice Japanese style restaurant that I had never been to. Then, Yoonkyung and I said goodbye and left for the KIX airport via limosine bus. It felt strange going back to the airport since I hadn't been there since I first arrived in Japan. It reminded me that I would be going home soon, which evoked a lot of bittersweet feelings in me. But that's neither here nor there...
We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare so we walked around for a bit and relaxed in some massage chairs until it was time to board our plane. The flight to Korea was extremely fast (about an hour and half) so it wasn't long before we were arriving in Gimpo, which is an area just outside of Seoul. Yoonkyung's sister and mother came to pick us up. It was nice to see Yoonkyung's family even though I couldn't speak any Korean. At least her sister could speak fluent Japanese so we were able to talk.
The first night we arrived we didn't stop to rest. As soon as we dropped off our stuff we went to meet some of Yoonkyung's friends for dinner at a restaurant down the road. We ate dak galbi which is basically just spicy chicken. I immediately noticed some differences between Korean and Japanese food (other than the fact that Koreans use metal chopsticks while Japanese use wooden ones). I noticed that in Korea people tend to order one or two big dishes, which are cooked in a large frying pan in the middle of the table. Everyone just takes what they want from the same big plate. In Japan, everything is so small-- it was actually really surprising to be eating such huge portions again!
Once we ate dinner, we went to a little coffee shop next door to meet up with some more people Yoonkyung knew. Speaking of which, I think I met over 20 of Yoonkyung's friends during my short stay in Korea. Every day we hung out with different people, and each time I instantly bonded with them. It was a lot different from Japan in that everyone was outgoing and eager to invite us places, immediately adding me on facebook via their smartphones (which everyone seemed to have). I really felt like part of the family, so to speak, even though I couldn't speak the same language. Luckily, everyone we met was able to speak either Japanese or English. Convenient, right?
Anyway, after coffee Yoonkyung and I went with her friends to a park that runs alongside Han River, the largest river in Korea, which goes directly through Seoul. Even though it was extremely late (after midnight) when we went, people were everywhere, which was another major difference I noted. In Japan, no one seems to be outside after 10 pm, but in Seoul, that's just when the city started to come alive. We all sat and ate chicken and beer, something that is apparently a Korean tradition (I'm assuming among college students). It was nice to talk to everyone and pick up some Korean phrases. I really enjoyed listening to Korean because it's a lot more "musical" than Japanese. Japanese is very "flat", almost monotone in its sound, but Korean goes up and down all the time. It makes it seem more expressive and lively. Even though I didn't always understand the words, I could sometimes pick up on what was being said just by the intonation. Pretty neat!
Yoonkyung and I got back to the hotel and were in bed by 3 am. Not a bad way to start off our trip!
08.03 (水)
Wednesday morning we met Jieun for breakfast at Starbucks. We had met her the night before and I really enjoyed talking with her because she could speak Japanese and quite a bit of English. Also, side note: there are a MILLION coffee shops in Seoul. I am not exaggerating. Almost every other store was a cafe of some sort! I couldn't believe it. I don't know why they need so many, but as a coffee lover I wasn't about to complain.
After breakfast, Jieun showed us her mother's office in a nearby building where we sat and talked. Her mom does traditional Korean paintings so we got to see some of her work. It was pretty impressive. From there, we went to Kangnam and ate shabu shabu (great name, I know). Yeonju, one of Yoonkyung's friends who had visited us in Japan, came to meet us for lunch. Afterwards, we walked around the area. Kangnam was a fun place to be because it had a lot of shops and restaurants. Everyone seemed to be out and about, in spite of the fact that it was raining on and off all day.
At one point it began to downpour so we quickly bought umbrellas and slipped into Smoothie King for a break. We continued our adventure once the rain let up a bit and ended up eating again not soon after. (I think Koreans like to eat just as much as Americans do.) We had topokki, something I love. Not exactly sure what they are, but they are spicy and bit sized. Basically, the perfect college student snack food.
After our girly activity of the day, we all met up with Yoonkyung's sister Yuni for dinner. We had samgyopsal, which is my absolute favorite Korean food. Basically, you fry pork belly and a bunch of other things (like kimchi) on a skillet and wrap it all up in lettuce. It's basically the Korean equivalent of tacos. Yoonkyung made it for me once before, but this was even better than that (which means it was pretty damn good). When we finished eating dinner I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to move, but we managed to walk down the street to get dessert and then we all went to karaoke.
Karaoke in Korea is a bit different than in Japan. For one thing, the rooms are about ten times bigger, as is the screen where you read off the lyrics. They have more space for dancing (which some people managed to do), and the method of picking songs is a lot more annoying because you have to look through a huge book instead of just searching on a machine. Even though it wasn't exactly what I was used to, I still managed to have fun. I think I enjoyed watching Yoonkyung and her sister sing together more than I enjoyed singing by myself. She looked happy and comfortable, and I think I understood exactly what she was feeling. It's that feeling you get when you are home and surrounded by close friends. Soon that will be me!
When we finished karaoke, Yoonkyung and I said goodbye to everyone and went to a cafe to meet Hyoen, a girl who was an exchange student at Nara last semester. It was nice to finally meet her since I had heard a lot about her from everyone. Also, her Japanese was really nice and easy to follow so we were able to have good conversation. Hooray for making even more international friends!
08.04 (木)
Thursday morning, Yoonkyung and I had breakfast a Korean "toast" restaurant. Except, this toast is really more like a delicious breakfast sandwich. Probably the best one I've ever had, too. From there, the two of us went to meet Dabin, the sister of Darae, and her father. Darae, or Sarah, was the girl I met last month when she came to Japan on vacation-- the one who went to high school in North Carolina and is friends with one of my friends at UNCG. Dabin and her father were both extremely nice to us. They treated us to lunch at a buffet and asked that if (when) I come back to Korea we meet again. I've already been invited on vacation with their family! Sweet deal.
From the restaurant, Yoonkyung and I went to visit Ewha Women's University, which is where she was an undergraduate student. Apparently, it is a very famous university in Korea. She showed me around and we met up with her friends Jungmin and Hyerim.We spent a lot of time browsing the nearby shops in the area and went to Myungdong, which is a huge shopping district that seems to be pretty famous in Seoul. There were a lot of people out and about just like us. Eventually, we stopped for a break at O'sulrock, a tea house. I had some delicious mint green tea before we set out again.
In the evening, Yoonkyung and I met two more of her friends for dinner at a Korean-Chinese restaurant. We ate tangsooyook, chajangmyun, and jjampong with Ray and Sojung, two Koreans who also studied in Seattle, Washington where Yoonkyung studied abroad in the USA. It was great talking to people who could speak English fluently.
The night was still young when we left Ray and Sojung so we took the bus to Seoul's famous N Tower to meet Hyoeun. The tower reminded me of the time when I went to the Osaka Floating Garden Observatory because you could see all of Seoul from the balcony. All I could think of was how the city looked like a sea of stars, and that I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life living in a place with such an amazing view. Of course, couples were there in excess so we didn't hang around for very long, but it was a nice way to spend the rest of the evening. We stopped for some food and drinks on the way home and then Yoonkyung and I took a taxi back to the hotel.
08.05 (金)
Friday was my last full day in Seoul, and I was determined to make the most of it. We started the day out right with breakfast at Starbucks (again), this time meeting (you guessed it) another friend of Yoonkyung's. How many friends does this girl have, really?! Together, the three of us went to visit Insadong, which is a major art street. The place we went to is famous for all of the crafts sold there, so we spent some time weaving in and out of the stores and taking in the scenery. Some of the designs were very fun and interesting to look at. My brain was on visual overload!
Then we went to greatest work of art in Seoul-- Kyungbokgoong, Korea's ancient palace. It was pretty impressive, especially the colorfully dressed castle guards. They still do the changing of the guards ceremony there! Since we were admiring Korea's history, we had to stop by the Korean folk museum, which was a short walk away. (We're nerds like that.) Walking around in the heat all day tired us out, so we took a break at a little cafe called Samchungdong where we ate dessert and had drinks before saying goodbye to Yoonkyung's friend.
We had some time to kill before our next appointment of the day, so Yoonkyung and I wandered around Coex mall. At first we had the intention of seeing a movie, but none of the times fit our schedule so we did some shopping and ended up eating dinner at Bennigans (random, I know). Then it was time to see Darae (Sarah). We wandered around Kangnam together, which was completely different at night than it was in the day. Young people were everywhere (not to mention drunk people), and every shop had glaring neon lights and music with the loudest bass possible. The three of us made our way to karaoke and stayed there until four in the morning. Not too shabby for our last night in Seoul, I'd think! Darae came to stay with us in the hotel and we made a slumber party out of it. It was an amazing way to end the week <3
08.06 (土)
The last day was bitter in Seoul was too short. Since we stayed out so late, we slept in. We only had time to pack before Yoonkyung's father picked us up in order to take me to the airport. At the airport, Mr. Choi treated us to lunch. Of course, I had to eat traditional Korean food my last day in Korea! We had budae chige, a mix of sausage, ham, red beans, and noodles in a type of soup (apparently, this was created by American soldiers-- go figure) and bulgogi. Then it was time for the worst part of the trip-- saying goodbye. Of course, I knew that I would see Yoonkyung again before leaving Japan, but it made me think of how much harder it would be to say farewell on the 17th. At least I would have Tokyo to look forward to, and that would keep me distracted for some time.
My flight and bus ride back to Nara went smoothly, but I arrived much later than I expected so I couldn't go to ESS like I had planned. It really was a shame because I had wanted to see Rina one last time before leaving Japan, but it just wasn't possible because I had to pack and do laundry before leaving for Tokyo. While I was making preparations, Hana chan came by to say hello and ask how my trip went. Then, I had to rush off with Bea to Kyoto so we could take an overnight bus to Tokyo. Crazy, right? I had just returned to Nara, and it was already time to get back on the road again.
I didn't know it then, but the following week would be the most exhausting week of my life. It feels good to be back in Nara now!
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