My time in South Korea, though it has now ended, was endlessly educational and will continue to impact me in countless ways moving forward. Throughout this blog, I’ve detailed my many experiences overseas, but in this post, I hope to establish a continuity between them all and highlight the true value this experience had for…
Tag: Jacob Franks
Experiencing the DMZ and Dancing our Way Through Baseball
Today, Plus3 Korea lived up to its name as we visited the Korean DMZ (demilitarized zone) and saw the other half of Korea first-hand. The funny thing about a post on the DMZ is that you can’t really take pictures in the DMZ, though. That said, we started off by bussing out to the DMZ…
Touring TOPIS and Cooking with Too Many Toppings
On our final planned-out day in South Korea, we’ve returned to Seoul to learn about Seoul’s widest-reaching smart system: its transport systems. The Seoul Transport Operation & Information Service (TOPIS) is a collection of countless cameras, sensors, and servers, all communicating in tandem to keep Seoul’s streets safe, swift, and efficient. From the TOPIS offices…
A Hankering for a Hyundai
Checking out of our hotel in Pohang, we begin to file onto the bus to Ulsan where we will see Hyundai museum and their base of operations in South Korea. Today was another long day of travel, but after the temple stay, we’ve luckily gotten much more used to it. After arriving in Ulsan, we…
POSTECH, POSCO, and Pohang Nights
Today we returned to POSTECH, given a guided tour by students. My group, led by Hyoeun, consisted of Emily, Ben, Madeleine, Chris, Noah, and myself. The first place we visited in the university was the library, which extended into a small exhibit which showcased the history of POSTECH. We found it interesting walking around and…
From Traditional Temples to Futuristic Universities
Today was the dreaded 5 AM wake-up call. Fun fact: I got up at 6:50. My bad. Basically, we were told that there would be drums over the bedroom intercoms to wake us up for the morning meditations, but after speaking with others, I guess that didn’t happen. That said, my entire room missed the…
A Temple a Day Keeps the Wild Boars Away
Admittedly, this was a tough day. We got up early just to immediately bus out an hour to the Seoul KTX (Korean Train Express) Station where we spent another two hours on the train, after which we spent another two hours bussing to Golgulsa Temple. It was rough on all of us, and unfortunately, not…
Shopping ‘Til My Checkbook’s Dropping
Despite what the title implies, today wasn’t entirely shopping. We actually started the day by visiting the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress to fire some bows and visit a historic fortress from Dynastic Korea, after which we visited the Samsung Innovation Museum (SIM). At SIM, we were given a guided tour by one of the guides there,…
City Halls and City Views
Yesterday was a very tour-heavy day. We started with a visit to Seoul City Hall where we were debriefed on the history of the building and surrounding area by our tour guide. Over the course of the tour, she also provided insight as to how the City Hall acts as a safe haven for the…
K-Popping and Locking (and a Public Transit Scavenger Hunt)
As I post this, another day in South Korea comes to a close. Today was another eventful one. It started with us all innocently walking down to the lobby as usual, but once we all arrived, we noticed Dr. Yun wasn’t there. Lo and behold, we look at the trip group chat and see Dr….
A Journey’s Beginning
Today marks the first complete day of the trip. After a 4am arrival in Incheon International Airport, we loaded onto the touring company’s bus for an hour and a half drive to our hotel in Seoul. Before I continue, I have to rave about the bus ride. It was honestly one of my favorite moments…
Inches to Incheon
I lie back and relax, music blasting in my ears. Finals are over. I’m just waiting for grades. Then it sets in: I leave for South Korea tomorrow. The trip that got me through all those endless classes and soul-crushing exams is finally here, and I couldn’t be more excited! Honestly, with our departure so…
Plus 3 South Korea, Plus Me!
Hi, I’m Jacob Franks, a first-year engineering student with Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering. A lifelong resident of suburban western Pennsylvania, I’m eager to explore the world and experience life outside of my small town, be it in the Steel City or across the world in South Korea! With roots in a small school, I’ve…