Ridin' down Seoul city, black on black lamborghini...

Just kidding, we did ride and walk throughout Seoul, but no lamborghini. It rained on and off, and it was super hot out, even though it was overcast. I think it was because of all the people crowding in tight areas. We did a lot of things today, like go to the Korean History museum, street shop, and visit an artificial stream. We did get to see how some traditional Korean sweets are made, which was interesting and funny, because they showed us through singing in English. One of the highlights of our day was finally finding an ATM that would actually give us money. We're all extremely tired, and I think I'm about to call it a night, and it's only 8:30.

 

We're in Korea Times!

If anybody's interested, here's a picture and a blurb about us in Korea Times: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/06/115_89741.html.

Transformers 3!

Like I said earlier, we decided to go to the movies because it was raining, and what did we see? That's right, we saw Transformers 3. It's really funny because I actually joked about seeing it in Korea since I knew I'd be away from home, and what do you know, I did. While we were waiting for the movie, everybody got some popcorn, and I got to snap this picture of the container. For those of you who don't know (which is most of you), the picture is a caricature of Hyun Bin, a very famous Korean actor.

I also picked up some little posters for Transformers, White (a Korean horror movie), and X-MEN First Class (for Logan). The movie was great, especially since it was in 3D; this was actually the first time I think I've seen a 3D movie in theaters.

We didn't go to the sauna, which I for one was glad about; heat and I don't mix well. Tomorrow we are going to Seoul and Friday we're going to an indoor amusement park. Stay tuned for more updates!





Another Rainy Day

It's pouring today, and we planned on going to the DMZ (demilitarized zone), but now that's pretty much impossible. We decided to just go see a movie, have lunch, and go to the sauna. Heh, I don't know how I'm going to hold up in the sauna, but I guess we'll see.

The Beach and Barbecue

Yay, I'm back on schedule! Today was the first day that it didn't rain here, which had me a bit worried. Lucky for me, it was sunny, but it wasn't really hot, and there was a good breeze.

We started our day off by going to EMART, a store that EunJi described as being the Korean Walmart. She was wrong. EMART is like a mall; it has two floors, a food court, and escalators. It was super nice, and huge! We met EunJi's mom, who works there, and we got to see how kimchi is made. For lunch we had Chinese in EMART, and it was completely different from Chinese food we have in America, but it was good.

After having lunch, we went to the house we are staying in, and got ready for the beach. The beach was fun, and EunJi wrote our Korean names in the sand. There was this cute little boy that kept crying and calling for his dad whenever he got into the water, which was priceless.

We eventually came back to the house, where we swam (besides Corbin, Allie, and myself). For dinner we had barbecue and Mr. Choi made each of us tell the group about ourselves in more detail. It was a good idea because before I came here, I didn't know anyone, so it was really a learning experience for everyone. The party just wound down, and now it's time for bed; I'm exhausted...until tomorrow.

Making Tea and Being A Queen

Sorry again for not updating yesterday, I fell asleep at 10 pm! Yesterday we went to the University of Incheon where we met some more students, who took us on a tour. Unfortunately, the weather forecast was still rainy, so we saw most of the campus from the top of the school's tower. Either way, Incheon is nice and big; the campus is fairly new and it was actually built in 2009. When you look down at it, it looks like it's own little town, and it even has underground parking , as well as walkways connected to all the buildings. Of course, I forgot my camera yesterday, so sorry, no picture from the top of the tower.

After the tour, we had a meeting with President Ahn, who gave us gifts. After taking some pictures, we had lunch with the president. Funny side fact, at home, I am hungry 24/7, but here, they feed us so much, that by the time the next meal comes around, I'm still full. It's pretty funny, actually, I never thought I would be full all the time.

After lunch we went to the Korea Cultural House where we made rice cakes. It was fun because it was my first time really making something. We got to make our own rice cakes, and we made flowers to decorate them with while they cooked. Next, we had a tea ceremony, where we got to try our cakes, and served a guest our tea. This was followed by us wearing hanbok, traditional Korean costumes. I was the first to try one on, and wearing a red skirt and a yellow jacket signifies that you're a virgin, which is what I wore. After everyone got their own hanbok on, I got to become the queen. It was a lot of fun, especially since I've only seen hanbok worn on holidays and Korean dramas.

After our visit to the cultural house, we had dinner at a place called Kraze Burger. Of course, I'm not really into fast food, so it was funny because I don't eat burgers that often. Although, I was happy to finally eat a burger with an egg on it. 

Highlights from yesterday

Sorry, I didn't update everybody yesterday, it's because I was so exhausted. I woke up at 7:30 am; I got ready while I watched tv, which for me is like a dream come true. At home I rarely watch tv, but here, all of the shows I watch on my computer, are actually on tv.



After watching some tv, we met EunJi, who will show us around this week. We went to the fish market, where we saw so many different types of fish, and other sea critters. What's great about the fish market is that everything's so fresh, and most of it is still alive.

After the fish market, we went down the street, and had some seafood for lunch. What's great about this is you get to cook it yourself, and your options are endless. Yesterday we tried so many different types of seafood, but it was my first and last time trying an oyster.





After lunch, we took the subway to the underground shop, where we hung out for a few hours. It was really cool because there were so many different things for really good prices.

 

At about 6 pm, we met WanSeo, another student from Incheon, and Michael, another American. Together we went to eat bulgogi for the first time; like lunch, we were able to cook it ourselves. I was so full afterwards, and we decided to go to a karaoke bar. It was a lot of fun, just because I've only seen most of the things we did yesterday on my computer, and now I get to actually experience it! Also, I'd like to say thank you to Eunji for everything she's helped us with so far!

Our amazing view from our snazzy room

At about midnight last night, we finally got into our hotel room, which overlooks Incheon. Luckily, I was finally able to get some sleep! I'd like to give a shoutout to Mr. Choi for picking us up from the airport, and bringing us to our hotel. I really appreciate you setting all of this up for us!

On a side note, it took me about 20 minutes to log on to facebook. According to the site, my account had been temporarily shut down, because quote, "you are either using a new device, or you are in a strange place." All of this makes sense when this shows up as your facebook page; lucky for me, I'm very skilled.

My Lucky Sister

My sister better love me when I get back. While we continue to wait for our flight tonight, I stopped by a book store and picked up a few magazines. Of course, being the kind person that I am, I got one for my dearest sister, Abby. She'll be super psyched when she sees it. I got three different magazines, all having to do with Japanese music and tv shows, which is our "thing." Even though not a lot of people know about our strange addictions, I thought I'd share.

We're sweaty, tired, hungry, and bored...

The title pretty much sums it up...we're pretty miserbable right now, but thank God, it will pay off! It's safe to say, I feel like doing this (see picture below), and I'm sure Allie, Corbin, and Lane are too. By the way, it's only 10:30 am right now, and our flight doesn't leave until 7:30ish. We have a long wait ahead of us.

Finally off the 13 hour long flight!

So, our flight from Detroit to Haneda was brutal...I got zero sleep, but I surprisingly feel energized, although I do have a few sore spots. It's almost 2 am here, and we're waiting to go to Narita Airport. Hopefully we can check in our bags early, that way we can explore without having to lug all of our stuff around. Luckily, we have gotten creative with ways to spend our time, like coloring cute little cats.

Intro

Hi!  This is my first blog, so I'm new to this.  Basically, I'm writing this to share my experiences during my trip to Korea this summer.  Allie Beebe, Corbin Childs, Lane Riley, and I are all going to be studying Korean at Dong-A University in Busan.  I'm a sophomore English Education major, and I'm also minoring in International Studies at Lander University.  I plan on teaching English somewhere in Asia, although I'm not sure where I want to teach yet.  I'm pretty much into everything Asian: entertainment, food, culture. This will be my first time leaving the country, and I'm super excited for this trip!

Getting ready to leave!

So, I'm leaving in one day, and I'm still not done packing. I still can't believe that I'm going to Korea for five weeks!