Day 3:
Today we started our day at 9 a.m. and took the trains to City Hall. Before our tour, we stopped at a Tim Hortons, which honestly felt crazy because they have a Tim Hortons in Seoul but not in Pittsburgh. We all ordered different drinks to try, and I ended up loving the ube latte and the Dirty Diana drink.
After that, we went into Seoul City Hall and split into two groups. My group got the older tour guide, and she was so tiny and cute, but somehow walked faster than all of us combined. City Hall itself was really interesting. There’s a vertical garden inside, a lot of history throughout the building, and so many seating areas, cafés, and relaxation spaces for people to use. I think the spaces were called “maeum” something, but the whole idea was creating areas where people could relax and recharge. One thing that really stood out to me was how disability-friendly everything was. They actually prioritize hiring disabled people and giving them jobs and opportunities, which I thought was really meaningful. We even got to see the mayor’s office and sit in his chair.
After City Hall, we went to the Arisu Water Treatment Plant. Honestly, I found the water treatment plant way cooler than I expected. Their 7-step filtration system that uses water from the Han River for drinking water seemed really advanced, and it was interesting seeing how everything worked on a larger scale through the miniature models of the plant. Even though we weren’t allowed to take pictures, the experience still felt really immersive. Unfortunately, on the way out of the plant, I rolled my ankle, which meant the rest of the day was kind of miserable because I had to limp around in heels.
After the plant, we ended the day at a Korean barbecue restaurant, where Dr. Yun taught us how to properly wrap the pork in lettuce and eat it the Korean way. Everything was really good, but the kimchi pancakes were definitely my favorite part of the meal.
