Okay so I know that this is a LONG overdue post. I apologize. Life here seems to run at a completely different pace. I have class, exchanges, and meetings every day of the week and then I just NEED to get outside when I can to clear my head of Korean language. :)
I have been to Seoul (twice), Cheonan, and Onyang since I last wrote. I will have to skip over some of the details right now and fill you all in later. :) BUT I have been having a great time. We went clubbing in Seoul twice and I got to shake my "groove thang." It was sooo much fun. I love dancing in groups because eventually it becomes like wedding dancing and you don't care what the people around you think and you just dance like crazy people. Those of you who have been at weddings with me, know exactly what I mean. I love the Chicken Dance!
So today's post is just going to cover my first trip to Seoul with a few pictures and commentary.
My First Trip to Seoul in fast forward. A group of us headed to Seoul our first weekend here. We had a guide for the bus ride and hunting down a hotel (Thank you Deon!) [My suitemate from Singapore] and then we were on our own. We split into a shopping and sightseeing group. You can guess which one I was in.... I AM a travel geek. Alissa and I spent the first day visiting Folk Villages and authentic "Korean Houses." That night we just walked the city soaking all of it in. We thought we would sit down and have a beer after our day of walking.... Please note the third picture posted in this blog. We were shocked to find that 1000cc is nowhere near a pint of beer! Had I only paid closer attention in Chemistry when we talked about the metric system. OOPS! Then we walked some more and decided we should climb a mountain! There is this awesome tower in Seoul called the Nam Sam Tower and normally you can catch a tram up to the top BUT it was late so we hiked up. It took quite awhile and we were both sweaty and tired by the time we reached the top but it was worth every drop of sweat. The view was breathtaking! AND we met two "forever friends" along the way. We weren't sure which trail to take around mid-mountain and had received broken directions from quite a few Koreans (all telling us multiple ways to get there in opposite directions) when we met our friends. They said "together, go together?" and Alissa and I said "YES PLEASE!!!" We headed up the hill and tried to talk about life and Korea... We struggled, but it was lovely!!!
The next morning we took the shoppers on a cultural tour of Seoul and then walked around in the pouring rain. We loved it! The last two pictures are at a large palace in Seoul. I am not going to type the names of things that you probably won't remember and I will probably spell wrong. ;) BUT it is beautiful and we really enjoyed it. The last picture is of the cutest girls!!! They were hiding in a fort of umbrellas. I walked up the hill to take a picture of them and then the reporters who were there covering a cultural show followed me up the hill and took pictures of me taking pictures of the umbrella protected girls. It was hysterical and my first introduction to the fame I have found here in South Korea. There are more stories to come, but let it just be noted that I have been on television here and people are starting to ask for my autograph... Well at least I HAVE been on TV. :)
I have to head out now for our mandatory field trip. We are going to be bussed and ferried to an island, where we will have "team building" activities... Like drinking and a "babeque" (we think that means barbeque). So it should be an interesting weekend to say the least. I hope that we can find something lovely to do! Maybe a hike to the top of a mountain. :)
Picture #1 - KimChi Pots at Korea House in Seoul. I LOVE Kim Chi and basically ALL Korean food. I get excited to see kimchi pots, because I KNOW what they make and I love to eat it. :)
Picture #2 - Alissa and the Blues Brothers in the shopping district. Alissa is my buddy here. She is from Northern California and a child of hippies. You can see how we would be friends. :)
Picture #3 - Me and the two beers we ordered.... Please note the tears in my eyes. I am crying at the thought of finishing them. We REALLY need to learn the metric system in the USA. 1000cc is a LOT of beer. I could NOT finish mine. I was laughing so hard... We made a little bit of a scene. OKAY to be honest, we ALWAYS make a little bit of a scene. We both have these lovely LOUD laughs and find EVERYTHING hysterical. People fight to hang out with us because we are so fun. One girl, Mi Jeong, says we have a virus... And that she hopes it is highly contagious.
Picture #4 - My "forever friend" and I at the Anime museum just down the hill from Nam Sam Tower. We climbed to the tower late at night. This dear friend and another guy helped us when we were lost and tired of climbing. :)
Picture #5 - Me and my palace... So beautiful!!! (and the palace was nice too)
Picture #6 (picture numbers are out of order.... look for the umbrella. :) I will learn to fix them soon.)- Alissa, Shawnna and two girls who were hiding from us in a fort of umbrellas. See the note above. They were adorable... Giggling children = my favorite things!!!
Okay I really do have to go!!! I love you all very much!!!
Melissa


No comments:
Post a Comment