Lotte World

Today we hit up Lotte World, which is an awesome indoor/outdoor amusement park. I really enjoyed today because we just rode a whole lot of rides, which is one of my personal favorites. It was kinda hot out, but luckily, it wasn't as bad as yesterday. I like how accomodating everyone at Lotte World is; you can hold onto your bags during rides, or store them in containers, so it's super convenient. Another thing I liked was the roller coasters, which are totally different from the ones we have. They go extremely fast, and I was so shocked by that. When we rode one ride that was similar to Drop Zone, it was so sudden that I screamed like a little girl, which I never do.

There was also this really cool parade inside; I actually shot a video if anyone's interested. It's kind of long, but I think it's neat, so check it out! I'm having technical difficultie, so I'll have to try and upload it again later. Sorry. Until then, here's a picture.

Since tomorrow is our last day in Incheon, we had dinner; I actually became "Rachel Ray" according to Corbin, because I was doing the cooking. We got gifts from everyone, and I really appreciate it, so I'd like to say thank you to Mr. Choi, Mrs. Song, EunJi, WanSeo, Ji Hyun, and Tae Eun for all the fun and help they've showed us. I don't want to go, I've had a blast and I'm really thankful for the time I've had here. I'm sad that I have to go; I'll have to stay in touch with everyone through facebook!

On a side note, I got an awesome gift: a 2010 Big Bang Concert DVD, complete with a photobook. It's safe to say that I am so, so happy! For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, it's a concert DVD of a group I like. Talk about an amazing gift!

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.