New Article!

As most of you know, this summer I have been working as an editor for The College Tourist, gathering our weekly writer's roundup. But I've also had the opportunity to work on articles. My newest one went up earlier this week, and it's all about my trip to Korea! If you're not already sick and tired of me constantly talking about it, showing you pictures, or creating endless blog posts, then take a look!

So You're Going to South Korea...

South Korea Part 7

When I was thinking about blogging about our trip to the DMZ, I wanted to title this post "Run DMZ," in an attempt to be clever (get it? get it!?). But this ended up being a pretty serious trip. The DMZ wasn't something I had planned on visiting when I arrived but when the opportunity came around I couldn't say no.

North and South Korea have been divided since a cease-fire ended the Korean War in 1953. If you don't know much about the conflict (or just need to brush up on your history) you can find more information here. I'll skip the long history lecture here (I did, in fact, lecture to AP World History classes on both the Korean and Vietnam Wars in high school because I'm a nerd) and fill you in with a quick summary, and then move on to pictures!

The Demilitarized Zone was established after the war, and extends for 2 kilometers on either side of the border, or military demarcation line. The dark orange part on the map is the DMZ, with the gray line being the border. The little dots are the known tunnels dug under the border by North Korea to reach South Korea.

Within the DMZ is the JSA, or Joint Security Area, where the buildings used for negotiations are located. Soldiers from both sides used to be able to walk around the JSA freely but that has since changed.

Via Wikipedia

The entrance to the DMZ. This was after we had gone through the 2nd tunnel- if you are fairly tall like me, watch your head, they give you helmets for a reason!

The abandoned train station- the platform sign reads, "To Pyeongyang."

This is inside the Joint Security Area, a special zone within the DMZ. See where it's gravel and then suddenly changes to concrete between the blue buildings? That is the actual border between North and South Korea, or the Military Demarcation Line. If you cross over the big white line, you're in North Korea. The big concrete building is where North Korea sits and watches all the tourists, there are cameras all over the building and sometimes they come and take pictures! The soldiers standing are South Korean, and they have to stand in that position for hours at a time. 

The tour is very strict and guided, so you can only take pictures at certain times in certain places. After standing outside, we were lead into the main blue building, which is used for negotiations between the two countries. Since the building is built over the military demarcation line, when you stand in one half of the building you're technically in North Korea! Luckily there are only South Korean soldiers in the building, and it is not an official border crossing. But technically, I have stood in North Korea- now I certainly have a story to tell!

This is fake propaganda village just over the border, built by North Korea and completely uninhabited. 

The Bridge of No Return that runs over the border- this was used to swap prisoners at the end of the Korean War, and earned its name because once you crossed over to your side, you could never go back.

Selfies from North Korea! Sorry, we had to. 

While it takes almost an entire day and is very strict, the DMZ tour is worth it if you are in Korea for more than a week. You learn a lot about the history of conflict between the two countries, and it is more sad than scary. The entire Korean peninsula was cut in half over half a century ago after a bloody war, and many families were separated by the border. Reunions are rare, and getting a quick glimpse into a country as secretive as North Korea- even if that glimpse is through a telescope at a fake village and a barren countryside- is worth it for anyone who is interested in history, politics, or the conflict between the two Koreas.

While I was still in Korea for a few more days, I don't have many blog-worthy pictures. Needless to say, I absolutely LOVED my two and a half weeks in Korea. I am forever grateful to Lydia and her family for letting me tag along and see this beautiful and fascinating country. I really thought that I would never visit Asia, and now I can't wait to return.

Well, that concludes my Korean posts. I hope everyone enjoyed this little glimpse into my trip. I only shared probably a fraction of my photos and experiences, but I simply did and saw too much to write it all down in just a few blog posts. Just know that I had the most incredible and life-changing experience of my life thus far; I was placed into an entirely new culture, and while I was traveling with an American there were many times where I was a little lost because I couldn't speak Korean or I had to learn new customs. I believe everyone should spend time in a completely foreign country, learning new traditions and cultures. It gives you an entirely new perspective on life and I wouldn't trade this trip for anything!

My time in Korea has made me even more excited for Amsterdam. While The Netherlands isn't quite as exotic as South Korea, they still speak a different language and have many practices that are vastly different from the United States. But I am ready for this new experience and I can't wait, so stay tuned!

South Korea Part 6

I know, I know, I've been home for two weeks and I haven't finished my Korea posts. Summer makes me super lazy/a bad blogger but I'm getting through it!

Like I said last time, week 2 was a little less stressful (and I got lazy with my picture taking) so posts are getting shorter.

We left Seoul and headed out to Oak Valley resort, which coincidentally is near where the Winter Olympics will be held in 2018! The resort is home to a museum that hosts a really impressive art collection (but Lydia and I will take any excuse to visit a museum!), where some of James Turrell's artwork was exhibited (it's completely sold out in L.A. even after it ends!). I had never heard of Turrell, but let's just say, it was AMAZING. Since no pictures were allowed inside, here's a few shots of the museum grounds, which are equally impressive.

My view for lunch. Can you believe this??

Remember those mounds from Gyeongju? These stone sculptures are inspired by the ancient graves, and wind down the path that leads to the Turrell exhibit. 

I really loved visiting the museum, even if we did have to sprint back to Seoul as soon as we were finished. Sorry for the quick post, next we'll head up to the border for our trip to the Demilitarized Zone!

South Korea Part 5

Our second weekend we were back in Suwon, and decided to visit Minsokchon, a Korean folk village on the outskirts of the city. It's sort of like a Korean version of colonial Williamsburg, with people dressed up in period outfits, traditional demonstrations and performances, and loads of touristy souvenirs. 

I'm not really cut out for farm work. Also note my Lilly shorts, I had to celebrate National Wear Your Lilly Day all the way from Korea!

This man was making shoes out of straw! You can see a few examples of this work on the shelves behind him. I have no idea how he did it, but we watched him for a good five minutes or so as he wound pieces of straw around these three poles that were attached by a bigger rope around his waist. 

Lydia and I happened to stumble across these guys while trying to find our way to the Nobleman's Palace. Lydia has been an equestrian for a long time so we had to stop and watch. These performers were insane. They jumped from galloping horse to galloping horse like it was nothing, doing flips and tricks the entire time.  Then...

There were five guys on two horses. I got nervous just watching, expecting someone to fall off, but they went through the entire show without a problem. 

Someone bail me out!

This was really cool: the village puts on a traditional wedding every afternoon. It was interesting to see what a wedding from another culture looks like, even though weddings like this aren't as common nowadays. The bride and groom never spoke, and the bride kept her eyes lowered for most of the ceremony. The first ten minutes was just the groom performing ceremonial duties, until the bride comes out covered by her attendants. Lydia told me the two attendants were originally placed into the ceremony in case the bride fainted, and they stayed by her side the entire time. 

At the end, the bride is carried out in a little sedan while the groom rides in front on a horse. The entire crowd followed the wedding procession, which coincidentally ended right in the middle of all the souvenir shops. Well played, guys, well played. It worked, however, as I ended up buying several souvenirs, including one of the little hats worn above as a present for my brother. 

Apparently I'm 5 years old and had to jump on the swing. It's harder than it looks!

Don't fall in!

We had a pretty fun day at the village, if you like history, culture, or just people dressed up in period costume it's worth a visit if you're in Korea!

South Korea Part 4

Hello! I've wrapped up our first week in Korea. Our second week was mostly spent in Seoul bookended by weekends in Suwon. Week 2 was just as crazy a little less stressful and without as much traveling, so here is our first day in Seoul. Enjoy!

Crazy murals like this are painted all over the city, but surprisingly I didn't see any graffiti, just real art!

This is dak galbi- it's basically an entire chicken with glass noodles (new obsession), vegetables, and a lot of spice! It looks like a single serving but this was actually a massive bowl- there were four of us and we could barely finish it!

Making new friends in Hongdae. 

Our first full day in Seoul we ventured out to Deoksugung, one of the five main palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty. The palace is smack dab in the middle of Seoul, across the street from city hall!

I love all the little figurines on top of the buildings- they remind me of the gargoyles in Paris. They are placed on the roof to ward off evil spirits. 

I told you it was in the middle of the city! But I love the mixing of old and new. 

What's that big European looking building? Let's investigate...

This is Seokjojeon, which means stone house. If it looks a little out of place, here's why: the building was designed by British architect G.R. Harding, but was used by the Japanese after their invasion and colonization of Korea in the early part of the 20th century. After Korean independence it was used for talks between Americans and Soviets, and eventually became the National Museum of Korea after the war. The building was under construction but I would love to visit the museum on my next trip. 

The garden in front of the stone house. 

"People are going to think we went to Europe!"

The yellow ribbons, which can be seen all over Korea, but particularly in Seoul, are to remember the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster. The sign on the older part of the city hall building (the newer half can be seen right behind it) reads, "We are sorry."

I wish we had something like this is the states! This is Cheonggyecheon; in 2003 the mayor of Seoul (who later become president) wanted to revamp the old stream that had run through the city and encourage more eco-friendly spaces. The result is this half-natural, half-man-made stream that runs through the city, where people can relax, hang out, or walk up and down. It's sort of like the High Line in New York.

This was our first full day in Seoul! That night we headed back to Suwon for the weekend, which you can expect on the blog tomorrow, so stay tuned!