Day 3:

We started off today with a trip to Hanyang University. It is a private university located in the city of Seoul, similar to how Pitt is inside Pittsburgh. It is the third ranked college in all of Korea, and is known for its great engineering program. Our visit began with us being given a couple presentations about their school, and then an interesting presentation all about the history of Korea and South Korean culture. After this, we were given a short campus tour, led by students at the university. We ended the tour at one of their dining halls, where we got to have lunch and socialize with the students there. It was cool to talk to the students and learn about the similarities and differences between schooling in the US and in Korea. After lunch, we were given a tour of the school’s museum, where we learned about the history of the school and its many prestigious alumni.

In the afternoon I went on the optional activity of a Korean cooking class. We were assisted by real chefs in making a dish consisting of vegetables, egg, a kind of hot chili sauce, and a type of rice cakes. It was simple enough that I was able to cook it, and it turned out pretty well too.

After we finished the cooking class we took the subway and headed to an area where a lot of college kids in Seoul hang out, called Hongdae. There we had a great dinner, which although it looked intimidating since it was lots of food I have not tried, turned out to be really good. The featured picture for this blog is one of the dishes we had, which had cow intestine in it. Later we all had a chance to explore the area, and I used that time to check out the many shops and street performers in the area. In all, it was a busy and eventful day. Tomorrow is the first company visit, which I am looking forward to because it will be a great way to learn about smart systems in Korea, which is the focus of this trip.