The first day of Plus 3 Korea was full of traveling and sightseeing. The journey started when my dad dropped me off at Benedum mid-day on Friday. We had a quick meeting and lunch before we were off to Pittsburgh International Airport. After two delays, we were flying to Atlanta. When we landed, we hurried across the airport to reach the next flight. We made it just in time and even found that the airline had complementary water and Korean snacks. And with that, the fifteen-hour flight had begun. Because Seoul is thirteen hours ahead of Pittsburgh, we basically skipped all of Saturday, landing at Incheon Airport at four in the morning. We hit a convenience store at the airport, and I used the opportunity to try banana milk. We were then headed to drop our bags off at our hotel.
After dropping off our bags, we got some breakfast at a nearby restaurant. They served traditional Korean stews and dishes. I got a spicy pork stew that came with rice and kimchi. Despite being a more selective eater, I was determined to try everything I could. I was pleasantly surprised with the kimchi, and the pork stew was delicious. The restaurant experience was definitely different than America, with the silverware being stored in a drawer on the side of the table and tipping not being a common custom in Korea. After our breakfast, we took the subway to Northern Seoul to do some sight-seeing the rest of the day. The subway was incredibly clean and organized. As our subway approached the terminal, a fun tune unique to that line rang in the station. Unlike the public transportation in Pittsburgh, people were very quiet and respectful on the subway.
Our first stop was the Gyeongbuk palace. The palace was built in the early 1300s during the Joseon Dynasty. After being mostly destroyed during Japanese occupation, the Korean government has worked to restore the palace. We got to watch the ceremonial changing of the guards and proceeded to explore the vast palace. After exploring the different buildings within the palace walls, we visited the Blue House, located behind the palace. The Blue House is the Korean equivalent of the White House in Washington DC. Because Korea is between a changing of presidencies, we got the pleasure to tour the Blue House. We saw the president’s residency as well as the main building where diplomatic activities take place. We ended the sight-seeing at the Tong-In Market where we got lunch. I got Tteokbokki (rice cakes in a spicy sauce), Sotteok Sotteok (Korean hot dog and rice cake skewers), and tempura shrimp. Lastly, to put our subway skills to the test, Dr. Yun challenged us to see which group would get back to the hotel first. We came in a commendable second place out of the four groups. It was a long series of traveling, sight-seeing, and food tasting, and I am so excited for what the rest the trip has to offer.
