A weekend in 서울!

서울= Seoul, Korea's capital

[This is a week in retroscpect; I apologize.]

Before we were all scattered across Korea, we (the ETAs) had the weekend to relax in Seoul. No more language classes, no more workshops, no more meetings...just freedom in the heart of Korea.

Friday: We checked out of the dorms early (8am) to get on the bus and on the road to Seoul. We had a couple hours off before a medical briefing (*no immodium for diarrhea*) and then a "BBQ" at the ambassador's residence. At the BBQ, we several staff from the embassy as well as the ambassador, Kathleen Stephens, who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Korea during the 70s. Life in Korea was much different then than now: the North's GDP was greater than the South's, no plumbing, ...essentially third world conditions. As for the food, all the essentials were there: hot dogs, burgers, chips, veggies, even s'mores!

Saturday: I spent most of the day hanging out with Kyunghwa, my mother's former graduate student. It was good to see a familiar face in Korea! Along with her brother and two middle school Korean girls, we went to see Seoul University (one of the best in Korea), ate lunch, visited her friend's clothing store, went shopping, and (I) got a haircut. She's one more reason I'll be visiting Seoul often!

Sunday: By far the most fun and touristy day. I spent the day with my hotel roommate, Amy. We first went to Myong-dong, (one of) Seoul's shopping districts, to find running shoes for Amy (she's runner, very particular about type). Also in Myong-dong is South Korea's one and only Apple store (Macs aren't so popular in Korea). We then went to the Seoul Tower on Namsan, located near Myong-Dong. At the top of Namsan (san=mountain), we arrived in time to see a short weapons demonstration (very neat), and then went up the tower, where we had a great 360 view of the entire city (Seoul is huge!).

After the tower, we headed back to Myong-dong to pick up some final small gifts for our host families. We ran into a street magic show (a preview or teaser for a bigger magic show performance coming to Seoul), got a demonstration of how to make Kkul Tarae (a Korean candy wrapped of honey strands wrapped around ground nuts) plus the cute English sales pitch, and tried street food. Dinner was in two parts: (1) a waffle with honey butter and (2) a small wrap (maybe an attempt at a burrito) that had chicken, cabbage, and the 3 great American condiments (mayo, mustard, and ketchup). After all that, we headed back to the hotel to pack for moving day.

Monday: Yonsei Day and moving to Seogwipo, more later!

First Impressions of Seoul: I was expecting Seoul to be extremely dense and crowded, like New York City. However, it was quite the opposite; there were few skyscrapers, the streets were wide, and the subway was very clean. I knew there was much more in Seoul than I could do in one weekend and that I'd be back, so I didn't try to cram a lot of activities into this weekend. I'll definitely be back!

Most interesting: Apparently, the Seoul tower is a couples' place. Somehow, it became custom for couples to signify their love by placing a lock (i.e. combo lock) on the fence at the top of Namsan. There were so many love locks! Locks locked on locks. Imagine all the metal weight and the force on the fence. Amy and I, both anti-chickflicks, were amused, especially when we saw the signs "Don't throw away your key!" (pictures: Amy in front of one of the fences filled with locks, and key sign hidden among locks).

More to come! About Seogwipo, my host family, starting to teach...