Oh boy... I guess I'll have to start with what I did on Friday July 2, 2010. I went on a fabulous tour with my host-sister's friend, Bong! (That's what my host-mom and host-sister always calls him, so I got used to calling him that too lol). He goes to Sogang University (where I'm supposed to also go for the Korean classes), so he showed me around Sogang and Sinchon (the surrounding area around Sogang - Ewha and Yonsei are also very close!). Also, thankfully, since he lives nearby, he showed me how to get to Sogang and how to come back.
^ in the elevator
^ the room that I think we'll be taking the placement test in lol
^ the library! it's really big, but I guess that's to be expected of a university library
^ a painting in the law school section of the library
^ I think he said it was the foreigners' dormitory
^ the plaza directly opposite of the above picture. lots of food and there's even a campus store there
^ lecture room from the business department lol .. what we had to do to find an empty one!
^ I think it was the lobby of one of the business / economics buildings
^ what you see when you enter Sogang (but we got to this quite a bit later lol came in from a different way)
^ the wall of the restaurant we went to (can you spot where I made my mark lol?)
^ I had bulgogi soup? it was 4500 won. it was good.
^ the streets of Sinchon! (I really want to go to Red Mango one day...hopefully soon!)
^ first ever Korean arcade that I've been in (it was very rainy, so we wanted to go inside)
played DDR first...which I SUCKED at. (different format from the one I have at home lol)_
^ awesome game ! hahaha so fun
^ a lot of gaming machines (played streetfighter)
^ when I got home, host-sister's other friend came over and I ate duck for the first time. it tasted like pork...
host-sister also makes an awesome onion salad.
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Saturday July 3, 2010. Met my aunt, uncle, and cousin who live here. Went on an awesome tour of Insadong, Samchungdong, Gyungbok Palace, Myungdong, and Jongno-gu overall (including going around the area where the Blue House is).
^ very famous samgyetang restaurant that we went to for lunch
^ it's a combination of a bunch of hanoks (traditional Korean house)
^ samgyetang for all! it was very good, with traditional medicine / herbs inside
^ the courtyard of the hanoks (aka restaurant)
^ gomo's refrigerator is really pretty and the two huge cabinets next to it is actually another refrigerator / freezer
^ krissy unni's delicious expresso coffee (if it wasnt expresso then I think she may have said americano? idk not very good with coffee names...)
^ in the middle of the apartments
^ there are tadpoles inside that water and those people are looking to catch some o__o
^ Insadong with Krissy unni
^ a lot of cool little objects
^ more
^ inside another store in Insadong where I bought some bookmarks
^ cute place with a lot of tea houses
^ amazing! I love this place. there's a lot of traditional / artsy things being sold here (basically like all of Insadong lol)
^ freaky.. they're having a mini-demonstration I think where they want to spread awareness about the horrible things North Koreans have to go through... if you cant see, it's a north korean soldier putting a gun to a young woman for public execution because she tried to escape North Korea and got caught
^ Korean High School
^ Korean Middle School (opposite to the high school shown above lol)
^ hanok house that is meant to serve as a gallery
^ hanoks <3
^ scary stairs.. it may not seem like it in this picture, but these are crazy steep!
^ cute coffee shops in Samchungdong (omg.. this crazy ..begger..grandpa chased me around and almost hit me with his long umbrella! I didnt do anything, but I was kind of on the sidewalk away from others and he just went crazy! definitely the scariest experience in Korea I've had so far...Krissy unni was like she's never seen that before, even if she lived here for a long time. we told the police, but the grandpa most likely disappeared before they could find him)
^ very pretty! on the grounds of Gyungbok Palace
^ patbingsoo at a cute cafe
^ clocks at the Artbox in Myungdong
^ on our way back to gomo's apartment, we walked past the Lee Soon Shin (very great admiral who made turtle boats that were incredibly strong and well built) statue
^ walked a little further and King Sejong the Great comes out! wow to think I would be able to see this statue in person! I did my National History Day project on him and made a documentary in his honor.
^ where many performances are held. it's named after King Sejong and is located right across from the King Sejong Statue
Sunday July 4, 2010. Went shopping with host-sister in Myungdong and also saw Namsan Tower up close!
^ one of my favorite foods! Donkatsu is delicious
^ host-sister + me = too much shopping...
^ kwon sang woo's gelato shop in Myungdong
^ cool figure of a flying person in front of Namsan Tower
^ Namsan Tower (aka Seoul Tower)
^ locks at Namsan Tower. supposedly you bring a lock there and write a little message on it with you and your significant other and you'll be together forever lol you're supposed to toss the key into the mountains after you lock the lock.. there are so many !!
^ closeup on locks
^ the view from the ledge where all the locks are. you're supposed to toss the key into those trees right there
^ there's also tiles that are kind of similar to the locks
^ more locks.. so cute
^ cold stone. green tea icecream
