Today began at 10:30 am with a surprise: we were tasked with finding our program leader, Dr. Yun, using a set of clues and what we had learned about using Seoul’s public transportation the day before. By walking, taking the occasional wrong turn, catching buses, and using the subway, we made our way to Jogyesa, a Buddhist temple full of hundreds of colorful paper lanterns hanging overhead and lots of life, from people praying to admiring the general beauty to families bringing their kids for the activities of children’s day. Because it was Children’s Day in Korea, many places, like the temple, had lots of activities for kids, where they handed out food, toys, and other small gifts for free, which added to the overall allure.

After 30 minutes of searching for Dr. Yun, we received a message saying he had changed locations, even though he had originally given us a very vague picture. With Google’s reverse image search, we quickly identified where he was: the National Museum of Korea. It was filled with art, pottery, and other elements of Korean culture, such as calligraphy and the general history of Korea and the broader region. It was designed with an interesting architectural approach; you could really feel the scale of the museum upon entry, and it used natural light to its advantage, making the space feel tranquil and open. I also learned that it is actually the third most visited museum in the world, which shocked me, as I had never really heard of it before. My favorite exhibit I saw was the one about calligraphy and the history of the written and printed word. It was especially interesting to see very old written texts, carved stone tablets, and character stamps, which were essential to early printing. This and other exhibits made me realize just how much of Korean culture I had never been exposed to before this trip.

After exploring the surrounding area for the next hour, we went to the World K-pop Center, where we took a K-pop dance class. While I can’t say I was excited initially, it ended up being a super fun group experience that I probably would never have done without Plus3.

From there, we were given free time, and most of us explored the local area around our hotel in Myeong-dong. I went with some of my friends to the night market, a set of streets filled with heavy foot traffic, an unusual amount of conversation for Seoul, and filled with a variety of stores and street vendors. It was exciting walking through this part of town with the bright neon signs, interesting storefronts, and the smell of all sorts of street food. I ended up picking up a few pieces of clothing and getting some kimchi dumplings, so it was a great night overall.

I am especially looking forward to tomorrow, as we are going on the first of many company visits on this trip, and I am interested in seeing how engineering differs and what similarities it shares with engineering back in the States.