The past two days in Seoul have been amazing and making it bittersweet to be leaving for the school tomorrow. I am beyond excited to see the school and meet the students/staff, but will miss staying in Seoul! To start off day 4 a group of us went to a local restaurant in our neighborhood and ate a dish called Naengmyeon (a cold noodle bowl). You are able to season the broth however you like with the various dishes of ingredients they give you and this was delicious! After our morning meal I went out to get iced blended green tea with a friend before heading out with a group of us girls to go to Myeongdong. This was an amazing outdoor market with everything you could ever think of needing! After a long day of shopping we stopped at a tea shop and drank fresh tea (I had my new favorite JuJube tea). I also stopped by a local food vendor and picked up a sausage on a stick wrapped in a spiraled fried potato (it is as good as it looks). We later met up with the rest of the group for a meal at a local Korean inspired Chinese restaurant which was as good as it sounds! To end the night we went to a Noraebang (a karaoke bar) and had a blast singing our favorite songs!
Day 5 was a national holiday, Buddha's birthday! I am so excited that we were able to experience this while we were here, because it was an amazing day! To start the day we had a class period to discuss TESOL strategies and vocabulary activities. After class we grabbed some Kimbap for lunch before going to the Seoul Tower. Once we arrived at the bottom of the Seoul tower we took a cable car to the top to explore the area. There were lots of vendors and restaurants once we arrived at the top. The Seoul tower had the most beautiful views of the entire city. Lining the rails of the lookouts were padlocks that symbolized "Love is eternal" with writing on every single padlock that you could purchase at the top. It was amazing to see the many different languages that were on the padlocks and to see how many people had come to the top to leave their special mark on Seoul. As a group we ate at the top overlooking the entire city while eating delicious Korean food. After leaving the Seoul Tower we headed to the Jogyesa Temple to attend a ceremony for Buddha's birthday. This was an amazing cultural experience that I will never forget. When you arrive to the temple there are lanterns as far as the eye can see with a prayer hanging from each one that people had put up there. The ceremony featured traditional songs and dances all in traditional dress. We were also given the opportunity to enter into the temple where people were praying. The temple was more than I could ever have imagined (the pictures do no justice for this breathtaking temple). After the ceremony was over I decided to end the night early due to a sore throat, but it is nothing a little green tea ice cream and fresh strawberries can't fix (their strawberries are the best strawberries I have ever tasted)! I am very excited to head to the school tomorrow and meet the principal that founded the all girls school we will be teaching at the remainder of our study abroad!
Day 5 was a national holiday, Buddha's birthday! I am so excited that we were able to experience this while we were here, because it was an amazing day! To start the day we had a class period to discuss TESOL strategies and vocabulary activities. After class we grabbed some Kimbap for lunch before going to the Seoul Tower. Once we arrived at the bottom of the Seoul tower we took a cable car to the top to explore the area. There were lots of vendors and restaurants once we arrived at the top. The Seoul tower had the most beautiful views of the entire city. Lining the rails of the lookouts were padlocks that symbolized "Love is eternal" with writing on every single padlock that you could purchase at the top. It was amazing to see the many different languages that were on the padlocks and to see how many people had come to the top to leave their special mark on Seoul. As a group we ate at the top overlooking the entire city while eating delicious Korean food. After leaving the Seoul Tower we headed to the Jogyesa Temple to attend a ceremony for Buddha's birthday. This was an amazing cultural experience that I will never forget. When you arrive to the temple there are lanterns as far as the eye can see with a prayer hanging from each one that people had put up there. The ceremony featured traditional songs and dances all in traditional dress. We were also given the opportunity to enter into the temple where people were praying. The temple was more than I could ever have imagined (the pictures do no justice for this breathtaking temple). After the ceremony was over I decided to end the night early due to a sore throat, but it is nothing a little green tea ice cream and fresh strawberries can't fix (their strawberries are the best strawberries I have ever tasted)! I am very excited to head to the school tomorrow and meet the principal that founded the all girls school we will be teaching at the remainder of our study abroad!