Day 9 Blog

 DAY 9 

Lunch 

Dinner & Dessert 

Overall: 

Today was a nice round up I feel. I didn't have any photos of it as photos were kind of prohibited, but talking to the North Korean escapees was very interesting. I thought the girl's story was very engaging and compelling to listen to, and even though the man didn't speak much about his escape I still thought his views on how North Koreans are slaves was very intresting. Other than that though the day was very chill, I just went back to the hotel and relaxed for a bit, even trying the hot bath which was very lovely. Then me and some girls went out for Korean BBQ which was good and I finally got to try the fluffy pancakes which were underwhelming. Overall I think this chill day was just what I needed to get ready for the trip back even if I'm sad to leave. 

Day 8 Blog

 DAY 8 

Starfield Coex Mall

Business Visit to Communication Agency (Cheil)

Dinner

Overall: 

Today was a slower day. It wasn't in the photos but today we went to see Hallyu K-Star Road, which featured GangamDols, which are like these bear figures along the roads representing different K-pop groups. They sort of reminded me of the Great Falls painted baffalos which were a bunch of buffalos painted by various artists you could go see. I thought they were cool but nothing noteworthy, thus no photos. I thought the library was cool and the mall was neat although we didn't get to explore much of it. Cheil was a very intresting place to visit and I liked their interactive tour, definetly a place I would love to to into working for. For dinner I was able to try Bibmbap which was very nice. Overall a very chill day and a nice starting to wrap up of our trip. 

Day 7 Blog

 DAY 7 

Hanbok Experience 

Lunch Break 

Bukchon Hanok Villiage Tour 

Dinner & Trying Desserts 

Overall Day: 

Today was very enjoyable. We wore the hanboks today, which was honestly the part of the trip I was most excited for, however I do wish it was a bit cooler out as I know everyone was sweating very badly in them. Regardless it was still a highlight in this trip and I'm happy to of interacted with Korean history in that way. Another way was seeing the village buildings, I thought they were very interesting. I found it fun how some were turned into businesses and became sort of hidden gems of the area, like the wine tasting place.  The food I tried today was also very good, with the bingsu and the pancake thing I tried being in particular very delicious and things I hope I can fond recreations of in the US. Overall this day was full of new experiences surrounding Korean culture and it was a joy to experience. 

DAY 6

 DAY 6 

Seoul Tower

Myeongdong Underground Shopping Center 

Overall Day: 

Today was a pretty quick day considering what we did. Seoul tower was a trek and a half to get up to, but the view was gorgeous, made the climb up there worth it for sure. Seoul towers is one of the highest places in Seoul and I believe it because I'm pretty sure we could see anywhere in the city from it. We then went to the underground shopping center which personally I didn't explore much of the actual underground part of but the group I was with went around the luxury stores more and I was surprised how many they had there, though even more so by the random grocery store on one of the floors. Overall the day went by quick and it was nice to just have time to walk around and explore 

Day 4 Blog

 DAY 4

Visited National museum of Korean history 

Seoul Plaza & City Hall 

Overall: 

Today felt more of a chill day, but definitely still had some good moment in it. We got to see the history of not only Korea and it's war but also a look into how K-pop came into play in later years. We then got to see the Seoul Plaza & City Hall, which I was surprised by what it offered. I think the fact they moved buildings because the Japanese had  built the original one is fitting for the country based off of the history with that country but they fact they have still kept the original one and repurposed it is a nice way to keep they history around. I also thought the Seoul Plaza was a very fun place for not only tourist but potentially locals and especially kids to learn and interact with their city. 

Day 3 Blog

 DAY 3

Breakfast

Dance Class 

Walking Downtown and Subway 

Visited Hika + A Snack

Overall: 

This day was very fun. I thought the dance class was challanging but very fun, maybe with one more hour I could have gotten it. I was suprised we had to take off our shoes for the whole experience though. I also lobed going to Hika and seeing all their cool sets, very interesting to see how idols make their music videos. I was also surprised to see how many locals were on there. 

Day 2 Blog

 DAY 2

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War Memorial of Korea Museum 

One thing learned: there were a lot of Koreans in Hiroshima when the bombs went off during WW2  

Visited Sejong University and Met With Students 

Dinner

Fun Fact: Koreans serve scissors instead of a knife as it is more efficient 

Visited Shops 

Overall Day: 

The day over all was very informative, especially with the museum. The guide we had gave personal insights and views that made the whole experience feel very engaging and interesting to listen to. The students were also very nice to meet, they were all very kind and helped us make hwachae, which was very good. Dinner was very big, I am suprised with how big the proportions are here, though I know sharing culture is big here. Overall very fun day. 

Day 1 Blog

 Day 1 Blog 

Landed and Got Snacks 

Visted Changdeokgong Palace and the Palace Secret Gardens.

Got lunch at Insadong Tofu Village

Visted Temple 

Explored Seoul