WELCOME TO KOREA!
When we first landed in Inchon airport, I confess… I still didn't really believe that I was actually in korea. I fully expected to step off the plane and end right back up at MSP, and a very small part of me probably wanted that to be true. Fortunately the plane didn't make a wrong turn, and the flight followed the natural laws of the world. I stepped off the plane into Korea, breathed in the micro dust and smog (migrates over from China), and passed through customs.
This is the view from my window from the guesthouse that we stayed in the first night. This is in the Edae area (Area around EWA Womens University).
Surprisingly it only took me one or two day's to adjust to the time change, a plus I definitely hadn't expected!
This is a pretty typical street, although this street is much wider than most of the alleyways that string the city together. And each ally is bursts with shops, restaurants, and convenience stores!
Surprisingly it only took me one or two day's to adjust to the time change, a plus I definitely hadn't expected!
This is a pretty typical street, although this street is much wider than most of the alleyways that string the city together. And each ally is bursts with shops, restaurants, and convenience stores!
I'd have to say that the biggest shock was the true isolation from english. Having never been outside of any english speaking country, this trip is my first true experience with all conversations and street signs, store fronts, etc. fading into the background as white noise. I can definitely understand how it would be possible to live in Korea as a foreigner and feel extremely alone. Without language, it is nearly impossible to communicate and connect intimately with the city. However, Seoul has a bit of a rhythm, a heartbeat that is easy to understand.
I believe that, officially, over 10 million people live within the city limits, and consequently Seoul is a huge, sprawling life force. Even if I lived here my entire life it would be impossible to walk down every street, and visit every shop in the city.
I believe that, officially, over 10 million people live within the city limits, and consequently Seoul is a huge, sprawling life force. Even if I lived here my entire life it would be impossible to walk down every street, and visit every shop in the city.
This is the view from EWA Womens University, a all female university located in the middle of Seoul. The giant staircase in the picture is a six story high building housing a movie theater, library, etc. The city scape behind the staircase is part of Edae.
The spaces between the shelves in most convenience stores is quite narrow… My large handbag and I nearly wrecked havoc through this isle. One of the most common store in Korea is the convenience store, there are at least two or three on every block. I've already been a few times simply to buy ice cream… As a result of the bus system, subway it is incredibly easy to get around the city relatively quickly, although stores like this could essentially make it possible for me never to leave my street.
One of the best things about Korea, besides the culture and the language, has got to be the food. This is what you would call a Korean Barbecue of sorts. The meat is cooked in the middle of the table, and you add onions, kimchi, bean sprouts etc to a lettuce wrap, place the meat in and enjoy! This is one of my favorite foods so far, not only because of the taste but the atmosphere of the restaurant was very relaxed. We were surrounded by college sports teams out for a celebration, and a lot of families with their children.
Christiana and I realized that we should probably buy a bit of food while we live here, so we sought out any kind of store that would have a larger selection than the convenience store down our street. aka any store that would sell cereal basically.
Hence, we found E Mart. This is comparable to a WalMart or a Target but I'd say a better quality, and 85,000 times more crowded. It was like playing shopping cart bumper cars for an hour. However, even worse than the cars was trying to figure out what was what. Buying milk was a struggle (what even is calcium enriched, low fat, whole milk?), and there was only one option for whole grain bread in the entire store (no wheat was available). We did, however, discover the best cereal that I have ever tasted, some papaya, coconut granola crunch cereal.
Hence, we found E Mart. This is comparable to a WalMart or a Target but I'd say a better quality, and 85,000 times more crowded. It was like playing shopping cart bumper cars for an hour. However, even worse than the cars was trying to figure out what was what. Buying milk was a struggle (what even is calcium enriched, low fat, whole milk?), and there was only one option for whole grain bread in the entire store (no wheat was available). We did, however, discover the best cereal that I have ever tasted, some papaya, coconut granola crunch cereal.
I also tried on a traditional korean dress called a Hanbok when we were touring the palaces (old part of Seoul). I expected it to be hot and heavy, but I was pleasantly surprised. The fabric was very light and airy!
This is the view of Seoul from Namasn Tower. The air was a bit smoggy, but this picture helps you understand the sheer size of Seoul. A nearly identical picture to this surrounded the entire tower.
I'd like to end this post with something that surprised me about Korea and Korean culture. I like to think that I know a fair about about Korean culture, and I pretty much do. What I wasn't prepared for was the couple culture here. I knew about matching couple outfits - often boyfriends and girlfriends will buy identical clothing, all the way down to the shoes and go out on a date. Yet, there is a large amount of public affection between couples. The guy always has his arm around the girl's shoulders, or they are holding hands, or she is avoiding his kisses on the subway. I haven't quite decided how I feel about this yet, but I think it is kind of funny. Also, couples are everywhere.
I haven't really had any problems adjusting to the time change, food, or crowds. But the couple culture will take a bit of getting used to I think :)
I haven't really had any problems adjusting to the time change, food, or crowds. But the couple culture will take a bit of getting used to I think :)
I know that it is impossible to talk about everything that i've seen over the past week, and I'm probably forgetting a lot. But I'll have three more months to fill these pages with memories and information! Happy reading!