During my time in South Korea, I got to see a whole new part of the world and experience unique cultures. I got the pleasure of visiting palaces and temples, eating traditional Korean foods, and even hiking among the gorgeous Bukhansan mountains, but more importantly, I developed as an engineer and grew professionally through my…
Tag: Nicolas Bove
Park Installation and Water Purification: Day 11
This morning, we took the public bus to the Oil Tank Culture Park. During the 1970’s, when the world was going through a petroleum shortage, Korea built up Oil Tanks to store and preserve the valuable resource. In 2017, the city turned the unutilized oil tanks into a green space as an initiative towards more…
Borders and Baseball: Day 10
The morning started with a long drive back towards the northern border between North and South Korea. This time, we visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which is a 2.5 mile wide and 150 mile long region that acts as a buffer between the countries where military presence is restricted. Before arriving, we ate at a…
Soldiers and Soyosan: Day 9
We started the day with a long drive in the charter bus to the US Army Base Camp Casey, which is only around twelve miles from the northern border. We were given a tour by Grace, a Pitt chemical engineering alumnus, and Will, a Pitt business alumnus, who have both been stationed at Camp Casey…
Hiking in Bukhansan and Homemade Bibimbap: Day 8
This morning started especially early because we were going on a hike. When I learned I was going to Seoul, I knew that I had to go hiking in the Bukhansan National Park before I left. A group of us left at 6:30 in the morning to meet some Pitt Alumni from Camp Casey who…
Bukchon Hanok Village, Cheonggyecheon, and Freaky Food: Day 7
We started the day by taking the bus to the Bukchon Hanok Village. The residential area turned tourist attraction is a neighborhood that preserved the traditional Korean homes and architecture of the past. Though people still live in these homes, the beautiful craftsmanship of the homes has attracted lots of visitors. In order to not…
Raining and Research Labs: Day 6
This morning, we had an even later start, as by this time many people were starting to feel worn out and exhausted. On top of the low energy, it was going to be an all-day soaker. Around 10:00, we rolled out and took public transportation to Yonsei University. The prestigious school is part of the…
Breaking Boards and Building Tours: Day 5
We got a slightly later start this morning, giving us the chance to sleep in a little longer. After eating breakfast at the hotel, we took a bus to a Taekwondo dojo in Seoul. We got suited in up in uniforms and prepared for a class in the traditional Korean martial art. We started by…
Robotic Arms and River Cruises: Day 4
We started particularly early today because the Hyundai car factory was around two hours away. Because of this, we got a boxed breakfast containing a sandwich, mixed nuts, assorted fruit, red bean mochi, and juice. We also got Yakult from a yogurt drink cart that was outside of the hotel. After arriving to the Hyundai…
Probiotics and People-Moving: Day 3
The day started off pretty standard with breakfast at the hotel. Soon after, we were off to visit the HY company and bottling facility. HY, now part of the Fredit Company, is one of the biggest yogurt drink and probiotic producers in Korea. The drinks are only around 65 mL but are some of the…
Suwon, Samsung, and So Many Sides: Day 2
We started the day with breakfast at the hotel. Unlike any other hotel breakfast I’ve had, the food was great and there were so many options. Never before have I had chicken wings, tiramisu, and orange juice all with the same meal. After breakfast, we took the bus to Suwon to see the Hwaseong Fortress….
Annyeong Haseyo Seoul: Day 1
The first day of Plus 3 Korea was full of traveling and sightseeing. The journey started when my dad dropped me off at Benedum mid-day on Friday. We had a quick meeting and lunch before we were off to Pittsburgh International Airport. After two delays, we were flying to Atlanta. When we landed, we hurried…
Nicolas Bove: Plus3 South Korea Introduction
Hello! I am Nicolas Bove. I am from South Park Pennsylvania, just half an hour south of Pittsburgh. I am a rising sophomore mechanical engineering student and am pursuing a certificate in sustainability. At Pitt, I am involved in several student organizations. I participate in food recoveries with Food Recovery Heroes, play for Pitt’s club…