Lotte World indoor skating rink

Lotte World in the upper level

Air balloon ride from the ceiling

Lotte Department Store

Gangnam Station

Map of the area

Subway station map

Samsung Station Coex Mall

Samsung Station

Seoul Metro Map

The bus line

Inside the bus

View of part of Seoul crossing Han River

My bus number 1670

Times Square, Myeongdong and a Cat Cafe?

6-25-2012

Today, I went to Catholic University to meet 태윤 (Thommy) again as well as a friend who came from America the day before and was starting classes at the university. I met Thommy and went to where he was staying and hungout and met some of his friends while we were waiting to pick up Ruby from her class. When it came time to pick her up we went and met her at her classroom and then assisted her in exchanging money at the bank then went to lunch. After lunch we went back to campus where Ruby had a quick introduction to the university and her housing situation and then payed her dormitory fee and then parted from Thommy where I took her to 'Times Square', which is like the Mall of America in Korea. It is about eight stories high and stretches out about three blocks. Getting there was a little bit of a challenge but finally managed to find the place. Inside was huge and kept going up. I went to Kyobo Bookstore where I found a few notebooks and pens for school and then after we decided to leave for Myeongdong. At Myeongdong, I took Ruby to a really good noodle and dumpling restaurant, same place where I took my cousin, and had a plate of really good mandu.

After a filling dinner we wandered around Myeongdong for a little while enjoying the nightlife and shops. I bought a few things and then found a KPOP (Korean pop music) store where Ruby went on a spending frenzy buying a stack of CDs. I will never understand the reason why the music is so popular to foreigners but apparently it is that good where someone would spend almost $120 on CDs. Anyways, after the KPOP store we walked around a little bit longer and then saw an advertisement to a cat cafe. Curious of what it was Ruby and I went to it and discovered that is was a cafe where you drink coffee and play with cats. It seems a bit odd and it is but it seemed like a creative concept. After the cat cafe it was time to head back home so we go onto the subway and Ruby got off first and then I headed the rest of the way home.

Cat

 

Stack of CDs

Times Square

Last few days.....

The last few days have been busy running around Seoul meeting friends and touring as well. I have been eating lots of good food and constantly on the move exploring as much as I can. 

I met 현정선생님 who was my credit teacher at the Korean camp that I have been attending the last six summers and then later came 태윤 who has been studying at Catholic University since February. We met at 신도림역 where we were going to wait for the new staff who were going to go to the Korean camp this summer. We walked to near Cube Department Store (in Korea the subways are connected to huge department stores, convenient?) where we looked for a good place to eat lunch and a cafe where we could talk to the new staff about what to expect and information regarding Concordia procedure, etc... We found a cool traditional style restaurant that we would meet at (pictures below). The new staff showed up a few minutes after sitting down and we introduced ourselves and then had a good lunch. I had 돌솥 비빔밥 which was very tasty. 

After lunch, we went to a cafe where we had a meeting with the new staff about what to expect, visas, plane reservations, etc... They all seem like a good new group of staff and I think they will have a good new expereience teaching kids Korean. When the meeting concluded we planned another meeting in the coming week so that they can have a quick orientation before they head over to Bemidji.  

When we parted 태윤, 민성 and I went to 안양 (An-yang), where we played a few rounds of pool and then some ice cream at Baskin Robins.민성 then left us at Baskin Robins where we met 새아 who was a village at the Korean language camp last year who is studying as a high student in Korea for a year. She we went to have dinner where I had 돈가쓰 (pork cutlets). After dinner we walked around 안양 for a while then went to a cafe where we ate 팥빙수 (shaved ice desert w/fruit and ice cream). After desert 태윤 and I were escorted back to the subway station where we headed home. 

Traditional Style Restaurant

전(Korean style pancake)

돌솥 비빔밥 (Rice with an array of vegetables and raw egg in a hot stone bowl)

팥빙수 (Shaved Ice desert)

 

Adventure in Pictures

The subway station

탑골공원 near 인사동

Korean War Memorial Mural

A tree made of Korean flags

Mural at the entrance of 인사동 (Insadong)

Purple line subway station

용산역 (Yongsan Station)

Yongsan Electronic Market
Nine floors of electronics :O

강남 (Gangnam)

Interesting shaped building in Gangnam

First Week (첫번주)

The first week has gone by really fast and has been busy running all around Seoul. I have met many friends including a freshman from my high school and camp counselors from Korean camp. Despite the hot weather Korea is experiencing now, I find it refreshing that the subways are air conditioned and refreshing to step into after walking around outside for a long period of time.

I have now met my cousin, twice now, and have had a good visit each time. The first time (6-16) we met at Gangnam and had lunch and then I was able to see her tiny apartment and then show her Namdaemun Market. The second meeting (6-20) was at Myeong-dong where we went to 명동교자, a really good restaurant for noodles and dumplings, where we had a good dinner of 만두 (dumpling) and 갈국수 (beef noodle soup). After a filling dinner we walked around Myeong-dong window shopping and then buying a few things.

On Friday (6-17) I met a freshman from my high school, we arrived on the same day but on different flights, hers arriving just two hours earlier than mine. We met at Samseong subway station at 현대백화점 (Hyundai Department Store). We had a cup of coffee together and I was able to see her sister and meet her mother as well. We then had lunch in the food court of Hyundai Department Store. I had 돈까스 (pork cutlets) and 우동 (noodle soup). After lunch we wondered around COEX and looked in various shops. At three Lisa had to leave and so I went to 잠실(Jamsil) Lotte where I walked around 롯데백화점 (Lotte Deparetment Store) and Lotte Mart. I bought a few more clothes and then headed home. 

Tuseday (6-19), I met some counselors from the Korean camp that I have been attending for the last six years. I met 윤정 (Yun-jeong) and 은지 (Eun-ji), and we went to 인사동 (Insadong) where we had 불고기 (BBQ marinated beef). It was a really good dinner and after we walked around Insadong and the surrounding area. We walked past 청화대 (The Blue House), the equivelent of the White House in the US), where we noticed that it was actually really quite and wished we couls live near it because of all of the police security and quite environment. We walked past 경복궁 (Gyeong-buk gung) palace, which is famous for being the home of the king in ancient Korean times. I found it a coincidence of how close the palace is to where the president lives.^^ At around nine we parted ways and I headed back home. 

More to come soon (hopefully pictures too)...

Some Pictures

So I have not been doing a really good job of keeping up on taking pictures so I took a few of where I live and a little bit of the area where I live. 

Enjoy~~ 

Some delicious looking cakes I saw at Paris Braguette in COEX Mall

The road back to Kuk and Young-Sook's house

A mountain near the house

The address of the house

The house