Updating all friends and family, here I go! There is so much to tell about the past two weeks since I returned from Japan. But I will work backward starting with tonight, an early Friday morning in Seoul. Tonight, I went with some great guy friends to a place in Mapo called Burgerholic, that some people are bold enough to compare to In 'N Out. "The Holic Set" was wonderful, but not so delicious as to warrant that comparison in my Californian opinion. The burger was made well with tender beef, topped with lettuce, jalepenos, thousand island "secret sauce," and a crisp, fried egg (my personal favorite being the sunny-side up egg). After that, we came back to Yonsei to hang out & I had my guitar lesson which I'm really enjoying. I've been practicing a lot & have learned ten chords thus far. My fingers have even started to build some calluses which I am happy about so I can practice longer. Can't wait until I can play actual songs...Oh another fun item to report is that I submitted a photo I took in Korea to the dormitory photo contest, and it's displayed in the lobby with five sticker votes as of now :)
My Dad's visit to Korea was really wonderful, and I am excited to say that my Mom will also be visiting me in just two weeks (December 2-5). I feel blessed that they can travel here and experience Korea like I have these past four months. My Dad arrived on a Friday evening and I picked him up from Incheon Airport. We took a luxury bus to the Ramada Hotel in Dongdaemun, settled in, then explored the famous shopping town for some authentic food. That night was my dad's first stab at the bibimbap and soju combo! The next morning, my Dad and I walking towards Namsan Tower attempting to reach it by foot, but we finally reached the peak by cab after we took a wrong turn. The tree leaves were so beautiful & the weather was surprisingly perfect and clear even with the forecasters predicting rain into the early afternoon. We called my mom once we got to the top and then my Dad decided he wanted to take the cable car down, and I agreed, but once the car got going and I looked down...well, the entire ride down, let's just say I was staring at the floor. Next, we walked around Gyeongbokyun Palace and Gwanghamun general square. I took my dad to Yonsei campus and showed him SK house. We had lunch at Dalgi "strawberry" restaurant where my favorite dish is bulgogi in a hot pot with rice and raw egg. After a rejuvenating nap, we went out to dinner with my Korean friend for the best samgyetang in Seoul then had coffee and cake dessert. The finale event of my Dad's stay and the best time of the day was karaoke together. My dad even stole my beer! Needless to say, we had a fun time & he left for Jakarta that Sunday morning :(
Japan is perhaps the trip I've wanted to update you all on most of all, but just haven't had the time. I still really don't have time, but I am wide awake at 2:30am kst because of this great milk tea drink called Tejava, so...The picture above is from our night tour of Kyoto. We were walking back to meet the bus after walking about six hours that day and I saw this great sunset as we were coming out of the Korea town. It was really neat to have an experience in Japan, but it was more culturally shocking than my entire time in Korea has been because I don't have much knowledge about Japanese culture or language. My favorite parts of our trip were the visiting the temples, eating the food and people-watching. I indulged in a kobe beef steak, tried authentic Japanese sushi, shabu shabu and other fresh seafood. The temples, especially King Todajii's Golden Temple, were impressive and intricate creations. The people were so interesting to observe and were very kind. The youth culture there is so different from anything I've seen~the dress and styles so unique. Things in Japan were very expensive and it was a pain to use yen given its high inflation. Next post, I can write the specific names of the places we visited, just don't have them with me now.
I'm sad this experience will be over in one month because I have made many good friends and really love the Korean language. In basically a months' time, I will home for Christmas with my family in warm California, but I will be leaving behind the best time of my life. This study abroad experience has taught me so much & I am grateful to God for being with me each step of the way. I will write again soon after my Mom's visit if I have time before finals. I hope everyone is doing really well and staying safe.
