Hey guess what - you've been treated to a bonus blog! I just wanted to put up a few quick pictures from my weekend in Seoul, as this is now officially the end of my winter season in Korea.
We wandered around the small network of streets filled with Chinese shops, restaurants, and grocery stores. It was fun to note the difference between Chinese goods and
Korean goods, and it was strange to see neon Chinese signs instead of Korean as well! There were also lots of Moon Cakes on display for sale, a staple for any special Chinese holiday, to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year. After walking around for a bit we ate a fantastic Chinese dinner - a great end to a long day.
Although I crashed on Friday night when I got to Steve and Mary's, I jumped right back into the swing of things on Saturday. I met up with my friends Sam, Erik, and Aaron, who were departing for Thailand from Incheon International Airport the next day. They decided to stay the night in Incheon, so I went along with them on the subway line to Incheon to check things out. After a few hours of subway mishaps, we finally reached our destination...and ended up right in front of the entrance gate to Chinatown, one of the places we wanted to see.
We wandered around the small network of streets filled with Chinese shops, restaurants, and grocery stores. It was fun to note the difference between Chinese goods and
Korean goods, and it was strange to see neon Chinese signs instead of Korean as well! There were also lots of Moon Cakes on display for sale, a staple for any special Chinese holiday, to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year. After walking around for a bit we ate a fantastic Chinese dinner - a great end to a long day.
The next day I spent a lovely morning relaxing at Steve and Mary's before attending church. After church I headed out to downtown Seoul, hop
ing to see some New Year's celebrations or events. I wasn't disappointed - the National Folk Museum had lots of outdoor booths, performances, and displays to celebrate the New Yea
r. Though the four day holiday is mostly spent celebrating at home with family, much like our Christmas and Th
anksgiving, I was happy to see there were still some traditional events going on. I watched some drum performances, wandered the booths, which included food, craft making, and fortune telling, and then enjoyed taking pictures in the bright afternoon sunlight. Notice the awesome dragon pictures on the steps of the museum, to commemorate the year of the dragon.
ing to see some New Year's celebrations or events. I wasn't disappointed - the National Folk Museum had lots of outdoor booths, performances, and displays to celebrate the New Yea
r. Though the four day holiday is mostly spent celebrating at home with family, much like our Christmas and Thanksgiving, I was happy to see there were still some traditional events going on. I watched some drum performances, wandered the booths, which included food, craft making, and fortune telling, and then enjoyed taking pictures in the bright afternoon sunlight. Notice the awesome dragon pictures on the steps of the museum, to commemorate the year of the dragon.
So, after my very Korean first half of the afternoon...I transitioned to a very un-Korean second half. A family at Steve and Mary's church, the Bensons, (his father is from St. Peter, MN, and his brother works at UM-Moorhead...small world indeed) invited a few of us from church to join them for some bowling on the US military base, right in the middle of the city. To get onto the base, you have to be with someone who has clearance, and you have to show your passport and ID. I had heard a lot about the base and how it's basically like it's own mini-American city, with everything you could ever need, complete with shops, restaurants, and coffee shops.
Though I didn't get to tour around much of the base, it was still neat to
be inside of it - we headed straight for the bowling alley, and sure enough, it felt like we were back in America. Watching American music videos and cheering for strikes and spares felt like a blast from the past - unfortunately, I discovered that my bowling game has deteriorated a bit since mo
ving overseas. It was a ton of fun, and we even had some good old fashioned bowling alley junk food for dinner - hamburgers, pizza, and chicken strips all the way. After bowling we went over to the Benson's apartment, which was situated high up on one of the hills overlooking the city - here is a view from their balcony.
be inside of it - we headed straight for the bowling alley, and sure enough, it felt like we were back in America. Watching American music videos and cheering for strikes and spares felt like a blast from the past - unfortunately, I discovered that my bowling game has deteriorated a bit since mo
ving overseas. It was a ton of fun, and we even had some good old fashioned bowling alley junk food for dinner - hamburgers, pizza, and chicken strips all the way. After bowling we went over to the Benson's apartment, which was situated high up on one of the hills overlooking the city - here is a view from their balcony. |
| Seoul by Night |
After some brownie ice cream sundaes, chatting, and playing Wii-Fit, we headed back home - funny how afternoons like that can make you forget you're in the middle of a foreign country. Now I'm just about to turn in for the night, before I take off on my trip tomorrow! Once again, I hope you all have a great rest of the month, and a Happy Lunar New Year! Talk to you next month!
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