Today was the most exhausted I have been in a while, but it was a good kind of exhausted. You know that feeling after you have completed a ton in one day, where you are tired but also satisfied at the same time? That is exactly how I feel right now.
Today started bright and early when we hopped on the bus to go to the DMZ. This is probably the most well-known DMZ in the world, even though there are many others. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures throughout most of it because of rising military tensions, but honestly, that made the experience feel even more serious and real. It was one of those places where you could really feel the weight of history and understand that the conflict is not just something from the past, but something that still affects people today.
One thing I learned was that many people in Korea still consider the Korean War to be ongoing. Even though most of the explosive “battle” people might imagine has not happened in many years, there was never an official peace treaty, so the tension is still very present. Being there helped me understand that this is not just history in a textbook. It is something that continues to shape Korea today.
One really random thing that happened was that we were there at the same time as the host of Jeopardy, Ken Jennings. That was extremely unexpected, but also kind of funny because it was such a random celebrity sighting in such a serious place. At the DMZ visitor area, there was also a fighter jet display, which I was really excited about. Fighter jets are one of the most interesting things in the world to me, so getting to see one up close was really cool. It added another part to the experience that connected to the military history and tension of the area, but in a way that also matched one of my personal interests.
After the DMZ, we went to a baseball game. It was the KT Wiz against the Kiwoom Heroes. It was the top team versus the bottom team, so unsurprisingly, it was a blowout. Even though the game itself was not super close, the experience was still really fun. I will say that baseball games here are so much more fun than the ones back in the States. There are cheerleaders who lead chants that everyone seems to know, and the whole stadium is constantly full of energy.
It was such an energetic environment, and I would absolutely go again if I had the chance. The crowd made the game feel exciting the entire time, even when the score was not close. Another great thing about the games here is that you can leave the stadium and come back in as many times as you want, which made the experience feel a lot more relaxed. Overall, it was a really fun way to end such a long and meaningful day. I went from standing in one of the most tense and historically important places in Korea to cheering at a baseball game with a huge crowd, which was a pretty wild contrast.