Today was our last full day of activities in Korea, and it was also the day of our final presentations. It honestly felt strange knowing the trip was coming to an end because it felt like we just arrived. We started the morning by visiting TOPIS at Seoul City Hall. TOPIS is the transportation management center for Seoul, and it was one of the most interesting visits of the trip. They showed us how they monitor and analyze transportation data across the entire city. There were screens everywhere displaying traffic conditions, bus routes, and live camera footage from roads all around Seoul. It was amazing to see how many layers of technology and coordination go into keeping such a huge city running smoothly.
One thing that stood out to me was how advanced Korea’s transportation systems are compared to America’s. They already have many self-driving cars implemented and are continuing to improve smart transportation technology. Seeing how efficient and organized everything was made me realize how far ahead Korea is in certain areas of innovation and infrastructure.
After TOPIS, we went back to Namdaemun Market and stopped to try hotteok. It was kind of like a pancake filled with honey and syrup inside. A lot of people really liked it, but personally it wasn’t my favorite. Even though I didn’t love it, I’m still glad I got to try another popular Korean street food. Afterwards, we visited a café and got dessert. We shared one bowl of ice cream covered in strawberries and another topped with chocolate and Oreos. Both desserts looked really pretty and tasted amazing.
Later, we headed back to the hotel to finish preparing for our final presentations. Thankfully, I wasn’t too stressed because my group had managed our time well and finished everything early enough that we could practice beforehand. During the presentations, it was really nice seeing everyone’s videos, pictures, and memories from throughout the trip. It reminded me of how much we experienced together in such a short amount of time. I know I’m definitely going to miss all the friends I made here.
Dr. Yun also gave us gifts after the presentations. He gave us mechanical pencils that he used when he was in college. I thought that was really thoughtful, and I liked that they all came in different colors.
To finish off the day, we attended a Korean cooking class where we learned how to make japchae and bibimbap. It was really fun getting to cook the dishes ourselves, and somehow the food tasted even better because we made it. After dinner, we returned to the hotel, packed our bags, and rested before our departure the next day.