hello Seoul

A four-day tour

Our team joined a tour company and traveled to various historical and cultural cities for four days. This was a very educational part of our trip and we saw many historical and social aspects of the country.

The biggest Buddhist temple in S. Korea. We were not allowed to take pictures of the actual buddahs, but below are some pictures of buddahs in the gift shop.

Seeing the ocean: from coast to coast.

this is Prof. Chang

Visited Korea's Prisoners of War (POW) museum. Very interesting stuff! Another fav. on the trip.

A very interesting museum to see. It definitely leaves an impact. For me, it gave me a deeper appreciation for what freedom really means.

This is "Philip," a tour guide in training. He shared his experience serving in the Korean army, which all men are required to do. He also told me about some of his friends' experiences in the military.

We also got an inside tour of the Hyundai ship-making industry. Their property looks like a garden of cars, instead of flowers. This was probably one of the coolest things we saw. I was not able to take pictures inside of the industry either, sorry. An interesting fact: they make about 100 ships/year. Crazy, right?

Folk Village

An over 600-year-old tree

Our Trip lasted for four days. We traveled by bus, sleeping in five star hotels and eating traditional Korean meals.One of our hotels had a Hot Spring on the roof. A Hot Spring is similar to a hot tub, but in a stream-looking form. After a day in the freezing cold, we were excited when our tour guide said that we could go in the hot springs. The minor detail he left out: hot springs are normally outside. After dinner and exploring the city, our team jumped into our swimwear, tightly wrapped ourselves in a towel, and ran quickly to the hot spring. We definitely had second thoughts before leaving the building and running outside to the hot spring, but we enjoyed it so much, later concluding that it was totally worth it.

One of the four resorts we stayed at. This hotel gives guests the opportunity to order a specific type of pillow and/or blanket for free. The guys took advantage of this, accidentally ordering pillows that were not fluffy at all.

Karaoke . . . nuff said

Reserving a private karaoke room = A great end to a great night.

A Korean church (Check out this beautiful cathedral).

You can see a rapid spread of Christianity during trying times in Korean history. As countries invaded and strict laws effected the Korean people, many ran to churches or enrolled in Christian schools to gain a new perspective. In addition to providing a safe and comfortable place providing education, the passionate missionaries and preachers also contributed to the rapid spread Christianity. Today, Korea is one of the top countries to send missionaries to other countries.

In comparison to the church in America, there are many similarities to Christianity in Korea. In Korea, many people may label themselves as "Christians" because they want "to be associated with a group." Its a connection, something people wish to be identified with, I read in one of our class articles. However, although labeled as a Christian, some people may not diligently practice the faith. This can be found, easily, through the American Church as well.

Currently, Korea has the biggest church in the world. It is a pentecostal church that has over 300 pastors. The pentecostal church is not simply one single building; this church extends to many random areas around the city. This has dramatically effected the pentecostal movement in Korea, which is quickly growing. In America, the church is not necessarily moving into a pentecostal direction, but it is definitely swinging toward a charismatic route. Also, both Korean and American churches face liberal movement challenges.

This church is located on a tall hill just outside of one of Seoul's busiest shopping streets. The architecture was beautifully designed. I just had to take pictures of this cathedral. Here's a few:

Tea, anybody?

No big deal, just sipping a cup of tea. This shop was the perfect place to relax in the midst of a crazy, busy city. In some ways, this shop was similar to a coffee shop, but it was, again, just more relaxed. It was a tea shop. No one was working or getting their daily caffeine intake; customers slowly drank their tea, sitting and calmly catching up with friends. This was my highlight of the day, but I'm sure I am not the only one on my team with this opinion. .

Seriously, one of the most chill places I have ever been.

Wooden sculpture outside the tea place.

Our tea and sweet rice dessert.

Visiting Namsan Seoul Tower

We had another great Korean traditional dinner, which I, unfortunately, did not eat much of. Yes, it was the chopsticks' fault. I struggled to pick up the food because my grip "was not strong enough," according to one Korean. I have to admit that I, eventually, gave up. I patiently waited for others to finish and focused on the next plan for the night, more sight-seeing. Our team was off to see another landmark: Namsan Seoul Tower. The tower overlooks the city of Seoul and it's surrounding mountains. (I'm sorry that my pictures cannot show you how beautiful it truly is, but hopefully you can still enjoy the photos.)

Hello beautiful Seoul!

First, we took a cable car to a surface near the top of the tower. Then, we walked the rest of the way to the top, which was so worth it, despite the cold. You could not see a star in the sky. The city lights were vibrant, neon blues and greens, mustang-red and had many specks of golden yellows and florescent whites. It was quite the sight. My classmates and I spent most of the day walking through the streets of Seoul. From the top of this tower, we tried to find places we recognized from earlier in the day, but we were distracted. I kept thinking how beautiful cities can really be.

The top of this tower is not only one of the best sight seeing platforms; it is a popular romantic place where many couples come to secure their love. The couples may write love notes or simply names on their lock and attach it to other locks. The wire-fenced railings that are used to keep people from falling off the deck, also support these LocksofLove. Predictably, the girls in my group were impressed with the story behind this wall of locks. The guys, were not as impressed, but still read some of the love notes on the locks with us. Names and middle initials were written in a heart, and "forever" and "amor" were commonly used.

We continued to read different locks and stumbled upon an interesting cluster of locks which, unfortunately, fell on the floor. We tried to balance the cluster back on the fence with the rest, but the bundle of locks kept falling down . . . So much for "security" in those relationships.