Today started at 5 am for me. Jetlag has not yet gone away. Breakfast at the hotel was delicious with fried pork, melted cheese, and jelly. An unusual breakfast for me.
The first stop on the bus was at a fortress. We all got to practice archery. I did not hit a single target. (I am not good at archery) It was fun nonetheless. The green dragons shown below were the targets. We saw where the soldiers shot out of.
After that, we went to a temple. A king once lived there and we learned about their family. We had time before our tour of the Samsung meseum and thought we would go for lunch. A group of us went to get chicken. We were given a glove to eat with and a towel for after. They gave us about a full chicken and we ate it with out hands. It was a fun experiance and is a very custom dish in Korea for after work or a long day. I also had tteokbokki, which I have been wanting to try. It was spicier than I expected.
From there, we went to the Samsung Innovation Museum. It was so interesting to me to learn more about the origins of electricity. I learned more about the progressions of color TV and Samsung itself. The company origionally had nothing to do with electronics. We later went into the current Samsung technologies. We saw a 3D gaming screen. We also say recordings that stay steady dispite the movement of your hand. It was very insightful and inspiring as someone interested in electronics and their manufactoring.
It was a long drive back, but we ended at a night market. My friends and I wanted to change out of business casual- very uncomfortable- so we went home and planned to come back after. On our way back to the hotel we found an underground city. The subways have huge markets as far as the eye can see all under their city. I knew I had to shop there. We also saw shaved flavored ice, a Korean dessert. I got Totoro socks, gifts for my best friend, earrings, clothes, and more from the underground shopping center. It was very cheep! We went to what we thought was the night market. It was full of designer brands. We were very confused. I did not want to buy from American brands in Korea, neither did I have the funds to. We left.
We went to dinner shortly after. I had such a great time with friends and tried bulgogi. It was so delicious. At this point we were so exhausted, but had more time in Seoul that we did not want to waste. We went to Olive Young, which I have been dying to go to. While walking back, we found the same shaved ice place and decided to stop by and try it. It was delicious.
It was a delicious and exhausting day. I am falling more and more in love with this country every day I am here. More old ladies laugh at my attempts at Korean, but I think I am getting better at it. I have so much respect and admiration being here, and I am excited for tomorrow’s baseball game most of all!