Fun and Excitement, Bittersweet Ends

This is my last week here in Korea (for this trip). I think I can safely say that I am satisfied with all that I've experienced. There is no regret for what I've done, but thoughts and wishes that I had done MORE.
On that note, this is the last post, as I will no longer be on an adventure IN Korea... until I return! (muahahaha)

Ivana's mom's friends were gracious enough to take us in, house us, and feed us for the past week. They are so nice and very generous and hospitable. They were truly a blessing this week.


On Monday, Ivana, Michael, and I went to a dog cafe. Basically, it's a cafe and there are lots of dogs, big and small, that you can play with as you enjoy your somewhat overpriced drinks. (I suppose this makes sense, since the cafe needs to fund for the care of the dogs.) There were sooo many dogs!! There were dogs in all sizes, from new born puppies to dogs that could pass as horses and lions!

On Tuesday, I ventured off to 남대문 and 명동. It was actually really easy to get around, since basically all the shopping districts in that area are connected underground.
Compared to 동대문, 남대문 has fewer things people my age would want to buy. For one, while 동대문 is full of stores selling clothes and shoes and accessories, 남대문 has stores selling antiques, like old records, old stereo equipment, and pottery. This was window shopping at its best.

In the area, I saw the store FUBU. I had heard of FUBU in the States, thanks to the tv show "Shark Tank" and Daymond John, the founder and CEO of FUBU. I knew what it was (a clothing line geared towards the African American community) but I had never seen a store, let alone a piece of clothing with its label on it. Well, on Tuesday, I found a whole store just for FUBU! I had to check on the spot that this was a legit Daymond John FUBU store (turns out it was). I was almost tempted to ask the workers if they knew who Daymond John was, just to see what they would say ^^ (I guess, depending on the remarks of the employees, this could have been an epic troll moment). It was even funnier to know that, in Korea, FUBU is endorsed by TOP from Big Bang.

On my way out of the shopping district, I saw this nasty crowd of people blocking off an entire street. My curiosity caused me to join the mosh pit. Noticing that the crowd stood in front of the Missha Makeup store, I knew it could only be one thing: a signing by 동방신기. (They are the models for the store). I wanted to get a signature, but I heard from the guards that only the first 100 or so would be able to get signatures. I knew it would be impossible, as I was towards the back of a mosh pit that consisted of nearly 400 people. .. soo no signature T.T but honestly, I don't know if I would have had the patience to wait...

Afterwards, I headed to 63 빌딩, a tower once known for its great height. While it has been surpassed as the tallest tower, it is still beautiful. At the top of the tower is an art gallery. Wanting to go to the top, I purchased a ticket and rode the elevator to the 60th floor. (You'd think that since it's called 63 빌딩 it has 63 floors, but according to the pamphlet, the art gallery IS on the highest floor... Is it possible that, when naming the building, the people included the basement levels to the number of stories the building had? (If you are curious, yes, there are 3 levels of the basement, so technically the math would add up.)
The artwork was quite interesting. There were 3 artists whose works were on display. All three used an ancient Korean form of artwork with very contemporary themes to create their works.

The view from the top of the building wasn't bad at all...

On Wednesay, Ivana and I went out to watch "Chicago" the musical. I think this cast was somewhat better than the cast of "La Cage" which we saw last week.

Then, on Thursday, Ivana, Grace, and I went to watch "Jack the Ripper" the musical. Of the three musicals I watched in Korea, this cast was by far the strongest.

Friday was an all-day reunion for me and 박찬규, one of the many students I have had the pleasure of tutoring. When we first saw each other, I could hardly recognize him. I seriously thought he was someone else. He's soo tall now. (I think I've said this about every student I met up with in Korea. Maybe it's just that I'm short, but all these kids seem so tall!) We went to Lotte World and made sure to ride all the scary rides that were listed.

On Saturday, I met up with Liam one last time. Honestly, every time I interact with these students, I'm just so blown away by the things he knows. He is so ambitious and so well-informed about what is going on in the world. I know he will be very successful someday ^^ It's truly a blessing to say that I know and have in some small way affected their lives (hopefully for the better).
For dinner, Liam and I went to TGIF's. In America, this would be an average, no-particular-reason dinner, but in Korea, it's a very fancy place that people do not go to often. It's so funny how something I take for granted in the States is seen as a luxury in other countries.

On Sunday, I ventured down to 대전 (Daejeon) all by myself! I took the train, which was very convenient. In Daejeon I went to 새로남교회  (Saeronam Church) where Pastor Tim serves at. The church is so big and there are so many foreigners that there are 3 different international services: one in english, chinese, and japanese. The people there are so warm and welcoming. I honestly didn't feel very out-of-place.

Yesterday, my last full day in Korea, I kept a busy schedule. First, I met up with 경호 (Kingsley) one more time. Let's just say that this time around, he seemed much more friendly heehee. It was nice having him be nice to me for once! Just kidding! He's a great kid. He showed me his test results from a few weeks prior, and I was just so proud! He received high marks in basically every subject, including 100% in english! While he might act like a trouble-maker at times, he is truly a bright kid.
We went to Black'Smith for lunch. It's a very Americanized restaurant with pizza and pasta, and the food actually tasted like something I would eat in the States!

After lunch, I met up with Jackie 언니. I love talking with her because we are so similar that there seems to be an endless list of things to talk about. We met up at 고속터미널 (Express Bus Terminal). I basically got lost at the subway station because it was so big. Just for a short while ^^ We went to "Dean & Deluca" a cafe which apparently originated in New York. I tried a very experimental "Blueberry & Mint Ade." It was actually really good! I can't recall if America has fusion drinks like this. I might need to search for a place...

Then I headed to 장승배기, which is where my 숙모 and baby cousin Jacob are staying. I had a great home-cooked meal and got to play lots with the baby! He's walking now!!! He was just all smiles.

Now, it is Tuesday morning, and while I am excited to go home and see my family, I will miss Korea so much. I will miss the people I leave behind and the fun I had learning about the culture on a daily basis.
There are serious thoughts on coming back.

Last week of school!

Wow, what a week it's been! With the summer session coming to a close, there seemed to be more schoolwork to complete, including two essays. Coming from someone who hasn't had to write a research paper since fall quarter, the paper's took longer than anticipated T.T
No matter; I got to enjoy cute cafe's around campus, including "Cafe La Lee." I've seen the cafe everyday, walking to/from the bus stops and subway stops and always wanted to go in. I finally got the opportunity this week. The cafe is quite adorable. Everything about it reminded me of a doll-house. For coffee-lovers, this place is pretty nice; the coffees were well-brewed and you get unlimited refills on coffees and teas. My first day there, I think I drank 5 cups of Americano ^^ I can say that those 5 cups got me through a good chunk of my writing. My second day there, I ordered an Iced Coffee. I think I got through 4 of these....

Day 1: Americano and Tiramisu 

Day 2: Iced Coffee

Last Thursday (8/2) was the Farewell Banquet for the UCEAP program. There was a buffet, which included sushi! All I can say is that I enjoyed the free food, though I didn't eat as much as I anticipated.

That's just a mountain of sushi!

On Friday (8/3) I met up with my students Liam and Ted! It was so nice to see them. I made my way down to 강남 (Gangnam), which took longer than I had anticipated, but it was worth it to see those two guys. I couldn't believe how much they grew in the last 6 months! They were tall to begin with, but they seemed to have grown even taller! (I'm sad I didn't get to take pictures with them, but hopefully I get to see them again before I leave ^^)
It was such a blessing to see them. While we were talking, they mentioned how grateful they were to have had me as a tutor and for how much I helped them improve, not just with English and English grammar, but also with Korean grammar. These moments truly reveal how much you can add to a person's life, even though it seems like very little at the time of interaction. It's in these moments I know how passionate I truly am about teaching and how important teacher-student relationships can be.

During the weekend, I could not step out of the dorm. It was just TOO HOT! The temperatures were in the 90s-100s; there was no way I could go out in that weather. So the weekend was somewhat uneventful, with me sitting in my room with the AC on, working on my term papers.

On Tuesday, I met up with my 외숙모 (aunt) and my little cousin Jacob! He got sooo big in the last few months I saw him. He's just too cute! We went out for lunch and dessert. Jacob is laughing more now than I remember from a few months back. He was just having a great time being out and about. He is seriously a very curious kid. During lunch, he wanted to touch everything.

Look at the angel sleeping! 

I should have taken pictures of him while he was awake and full of smiles and laughter...

Look what I got in the mail! It's a letter from my mom!

On Wednesday, Ivana and I went to see the musical 라카지 (La Cage). I went in with very little expectation and ended up enjoying it very much. It was an all-star cast that night, with big-name actors and actresses and singers performing.
I was a little slow this day and forgot to take my camera T.T


Thursday was the last day of classes. I thought it would be a more reminiscent day, with me reflecting on my undergraduate career. I think that because I didn't really take this summer session as a requirement for my academia and considered it an opportunity to study Korean culture more for myself, I didn't feel so nostalgic. Plus, I (somewhat) experienced that during the spring.
With so many friends leaving this weekend, our group decided to have dinner together and then go out to play (considering this would be our last opportunity to do something all together as a group, since we have people from all over the world, including the US, England, and Malaysia).
For dinner, we went to 삼진복집, a restaurant that specializes in 아구, a very ugly fish. Still, the food was good. With 11 people, we ordered 3 dishes, thinking that would be enough, ending up with a whole lot of leftovers. Instead of the largest sizes, we should have picked the medium size...

Afterwards, we headed to 홍대 (the area around Hongik University). This is supposed to be the "it" place for college aged people to hang out and play.

Living, learning, and having fun in Korea!

Much fun at HaHa's

Yesterday, Ivana and I ventured off to 홍대 (Hongdae) to eat at 팔자막창, a restaurant owned singer/MC 하하 (HaHa). (This is the reference for my title today, just in case you didn't get it ^^)

In case you don't know who 하하 is... THAT is 하하 ^^

The main dish at this Korean bbq place is 막창 (pig intestine). I love food and am not very picky when it comes to trying new things, so I was adventurous and wanted to try it. After all, that is the main dish at this restaurant. Ivana was a bit more hesitant. But after trying a piece of mine, she really liked it. We ended up ordering more ^^ 

This place was relatively expensive, but I guess I shouldn't have expected more from a meat place in Korea. We made the exception, since we were craving meat and this would not become a daily regimen.
Along one of the walls of the restaurant are placards all signed by other celebrities that have been to the restaurant!

So many signatures!

강호동!

이선균! (the one in the middle ^^)

김종국!!

With the thought of doing things we would normally not be able to do in the States, Ivana and I are planning on seeing plenty of musicals. This will be interesting since it will be in Korean ^^

Look at all our tickets!!! Now this is my kind of fun ^^

Jack the Ripper

Chicago

La Cage

Kyungho, Lotte World, and Baseball!

On Thursday, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Kyungho, one of my old students from about 3 years ago. He grew up so much! I almost didn't recognize him. Still, his manner of talking to me hasn't changed. In a way I was a little disappointed, because I had hoped he did some maturing over the last 3 years, but I was also so relived that it had stayed the same. I could joke with him and talk with him as if nothing had changed.

He's a man now!

We went out for lunch/dinner at a restaurant called Ashley Gill and Salad. The restaurant was quite fancy. There is a wine bar, where you can just choose a brand and a server will pour you a glass! (not that I had any... ^^) The food was pretty good. There was a steak option, but Kyungho and I both opted for the salad bar/buffet choice instead. The buffet was not something out of the ordinary, but it still tasted pretty good.

I was able to enjoy so many fruits and vegetables!! 

Afterwards, Kyungho and I walked around and did some shopping until we met up with Jennifer. The three of us did some more walking, then decided to watch a movie. We went to 홍대 and watched "The Dark Knight Rises." There were other movies we wanted to see but the tickets were already sold out. I enjoyed my second time of watching the movie. This time around, I was able to do some more analyzing from the beginning of the film, rather than just sit and take it all in as I did the first time through.

On Friday, many of us headed out to Lotte World!

뽀로로!!! The little girl just stayed there, so I included her in my picture ^^

"Coney Island, Miracle on miracle!!!"

"Hello! Welcome to Lotte World!"

Aren't they cute??!!

Tran needs some air!!

Walking around, I realized more and more not only that Korea was a very small country (compared to America, where the amusement parks seem to be endless) but also that Korean's were smart in how they fit so much in so little space. There were rides on top of rides. The indoor area has 4 floors with rides and attractions on each floor. This is so different compared to Six Flags and Disneyland and how everything seems to be just laid out on the ground.

We got to ride the Hot Air Balloon around Lotte World ^^

The view from the air balloon!!

We rode plenty of rides. We even did the bumper cars! It felt nice being able to steer, since I haven't had the opportunity for a month.
Walking around, I was so reminded of the drama 천국의 계단 (Stairway to Heaven).

It's just like in the drama!!!!

On Saturday, there was a baseball game: Lotte Giants vs Doosan Bears. Apparently it was a very important/big game. While the ball game was itself very entertaining, I think I had more fun watching the crowds. 

 At first, we were sitting in the Giants section, but because the sun was out and it was just so hot, we moved to the Bears section. In the back of the audience seats, people had set up for picnics! Everyone had brought blankets, tons of food, and lots of beer. It seemed as if those people were there not for the game, but just to hang out with their friends.

The audience environment/participation was so different compared to American baseball games (not that I can compare from first hand experience...) They were constantly chanting and singing. The teams had specific chants and songs for specific players! This really took me by surprise. 

Compared to the American baseball fields, the Korean fields seem to be much smaller. Perhaps this has to do with the level of athleticism and that American players can hit balls much farther than Korean players can. 

Still, there were some amazing plays.