South Korea: Cultural and Historical Experiences

Highlights of the Week

Meeting my Korean buddies was definitely  a highlight of the week. We were all assigned about 10 Korean buddies to help us adjust to life in Seoul. They are supposed to help us navigate the city, get to and from school, and just be our friends. I met about 6 of my buddies on Monday. We went to a traditional Korean meal and got to know each other better. Then we visited Gyeongbokgung Palace and the National Folk Museum of Korea with Yuri (one of my buddies). We had a great time and learned a lot about the history and culture of the Joseon Dynasty. The buildings are all well preserved and each of the historical sites has excellent resources for English speakers.

Lunch with buddy April

Gyeongbokgung Palace

National Folk Museum of Korea

Crystal and I with Yuri

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week was the Korean holiday Chuseok. It is their Thanksgiving. Many of the historical sites are open during this time for visitors. We went to the National Palace Museum of Korea and Jongmyo Shrine on Wednesday, the main day of Chuseok. There we saw more of the artifacts from the royalty and how life was inside the palace. The Jongmyo Shrine is a UNESCO site. Confucian memorial services for the Kings and Queens were held there.

Phoenix Design on Fabric National Palace Museum of Korea

Jongmyo Shrine

 On Thursday Professor Lee invited us to share a traditional Chuseok Meal with her and her sister's family for lunch. We ate a lot of delicious food and sat on the floor to eat.

Friday we visited Insadong a popular shopping area that is filled with small shops overflowing with traditional Korean crafts. There was a lot of pottery, paper goods, and inlaid boxes. There were also a lot of street food vendors selling all types of unique food items. It was a great place to shop for souvenirs.

Street Food

Street lined with Shops

Saturday we visited the Seoul Museum of Art, I happened to enjoy the art outside of the building more than what was inside.

High Points of the Week: spending time with my buddies, having a traditional Chuseok meal with Professor Lee, getting to see more of Seoul and learn more of the history of South Korea

Low Points of the Week: getting a cold

Challenges of the Week: finding vegetarian friendly food

I am looking forward to starting school tomorrow and meeting my students and teachers!