Well, today started odd. After waking up at 4, we ate breakfast like usual, but then when we were called down, Dr. Yun was nowhere to be found. We eventually got a text saying we had to find him with the hints he gave us. Our group was smart and took a taxi to the location, but then apparently, they were outlawed (they never said that). After going to the first location, he had already moved, and we had to find him at the next. However, he gave us 30 minutes to explore the Jogyesa Temple and all the activities that were happening for Buddhism and Children’s Day.

After we explored the Temple, I wish I had gone in, he sent another hint that my group member Sophie knew instantly, it was the National Museum of Korea. So, we took the bus to the museum. That was the worst mistake possible. Compared to the subway, the bus was about 3x slower, and we were the last group to find Dr. Yun. So, we didn’t get the reward of free lunch. However, we had a reward from one of the pre-departure meetings, so we all went to the Museum restaurant, where I had black bean noodles with 3 dumplings. I really enjoyed both as the black bean sauce was very savory and somehow tasted a little like marinara sauce, and the dumplings had rice noodles inside, which was a great twist to what I am used to. After exploring the exhibits in the museum, we went to the gift shop where I got a model Turtle Ship to build when I get home for only $6 or 10000 Won. It was the first ironclad ship to be used that destroyed Japan’s Navy in the late 1500’s. It was also led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, whom we took a picture of yesterday.

Then, to the best part of the day, we went to a K-Pop dance class. Once we went in, we were greeted by the super nice instructor and started to stretch and warm up. It was actually way more preparation than I ever did in musical theater. After warming up, he went through a few songs with us, where we learned the simple K-Pop moves we would use in the dance. Finally, our class went exactly how usual rehearsals work in musicals, but he didn’t name the moves, so I found it much harder to memorize. We ended the class with two groups of two people, one of which I was in with Sophie, and then one final full group routine. I could have totally kept going and learned more songs, as it was so much fun. We even got completion certificates after the class ended!

Now, after busing and subwaying back to the hotel, a group of us went shopping in the Myeong-dong shopping district. Michael and I went to a fried chicken place, which was amazing! I ended the night by buying a bucket hat that is all about Korea, and walked back to the hotel. On to the next day where we will visit a water purification plant!