Today felt very long. We went from the plane to the hotel to shower and sleep, but with the sun up, sleep was a hopeful dream. I guess I’m going through the day powered by my 4 hour nap on the flight.

Today was a long day filled with walking. We all had to use the subway for the first time, which was terrifying. It was packed to the brim and very confusing to me. People are quiet in Korea, unlike America. I felt like the loudest one in the room often, which I have to be more mindful of.

We first went to the Gyeongbokgung palace. It was so beautiful. We were on a guided tour and learned about the history along the way. From there we walked all around the center of Seoul. Another comparison I noticed is the cleanliness of the city. There is no trash, no gum on the streets and hardly any trash cans. People have enough respect for their city that they will carry their trash, even if there is no trash cans around.

We walked through to these very old houses. The group split and we all traveled our separate ways to explore the neighborhood. We quickly got lost. It was a labyrinth of twists and turns. I tried banana milk at a local shop. Eventually we found our way and were back with the group.

We ended our scheduled events at a food market. They showed us live octopus to eat. I did NOT eat the octopus. I just watched all my friends eat it in horror.

We all did our separate things after that. There are many shops near our hotel. There are also many places to eat. I bought some press on nails and ate dinner with my group. It was an amazing and exhausting first day. I am excited for what the rest of the trip has in store!