Day 11 and Departure
Today was my final day in Korea, which honestly feels crazy to say. I can’t believe we’ve been here for almost two weeks already. It feels like we just got here, but at the same time it also feels like we’ve done enough in the last two weeks to fill an entire month.
We started our last day by visiting TOPIS, which is Seoul’s transportation and traffic control center that monitors things like traffic flow, accidents, buses, and environmental data across the city. It was honestly so cool seeing how Seoul is able to monitor carbon gas emissions, car accidents, and traffic all from one place underneath City Hall. I truly think Seoul is one of the most futuristic cities I’ve ever seen. Everything here feels so efficient and advanced.
After TOPIS, we had some free time, so I grabbed some flavored peanuts, which apparently are really popular in Korea. Then I spent some time finishing editing my group’s video for the final presentations. Watching everyone’s videos during the presentations honestly felt really wholesome but also kind of sad because it made me realize the trip is actually ending. Seeing everyone’s memories from the past two weeks all put together made everything feel very real.
After our presentations, we headed to a cooking class. I partnered up with Emily, and together we made gimbap and japchae. Honestly, I was kind of surprised by my gimbap rolling skills because mine actually came out pretty circular and compact instead of falling apart. It was a really fun way to end the trip, especially getting to learn how to make foods we’ve been eating almost every day here.
The next day, we got up and had a little bit of time before our flight. I just used that time to pack up, and roam around to grab breakfast at a bakery nearby. After that we headed off to the airport, which I expected to be like any other normal airport except there was a martial arts show gooing on that we got to watch. I think that just speaks to how active and busy Korea has been, our trip has been filled to the brim with activities and culture. It’s so sad to say goodbye to this city, but I am so glad to have the memories I made here as well. So, seoul long Seoul, and I hope to be back.
