South Korea Diary
Six Weeks Exploring the Exciting Scenery of South Korea
Back in 2018, I had the wonderful opportunity to live in Anyang, South Korea.
I was studying at Ewha Womens University and Seoul was my stomping ground. I will never forget Seoul, in the kindness of its people, the beauty of the city lights. I’ve been to many cities in my lifetime, but my favorites so far are Seoul and Washington D.C.. Even New York City is unmatched for the beauty in these cities in my poetic eye.
From cheap eats to the sound of BTS songs everywhere, I think upon this time of my life quite fondly. I can’t hear BTS without smiling, because it reminds me of the streets of Myeongdong, where they played the same five BTS songs on loop, or of my host family, who were collectively obsessed with Park Ji-min.
Here are some places that I found to be the most poetic, the most beautiful, of my snapshot experience in the country.
Gyeongbokgung Palace. My combined supporter group (when three supporter groups merged to do cultural activities) went to Gyeongbokgung as our cultural excursion. As a history-lover, I found this to be so poetic and beautiful, to have the ancient palace nestled in the middle of such a highly developed city. I’m fond of returning to our roots as human beings, and in cities we often look to the contemporary, so I loved this reminder of culture and history here.
Namsan Tower, at sunset. My host family and I went to Namsan right before the sunset and hiked to the top of the mountain. We ran into the Head of the UN there, Ban Ki-Moon, among all of the tourists, which was really cool. However, the sunset! It was so beautiful with the lights of Seoul glimmering in the background. It was a bit crowded because it was a tourist destination, but it was worth it.
Unknown KBBQ joint on the mountains of Anyang. My host family also took my roommate and I here. I wish I knew the name of this area, because it was so serene and beautiful. It was all-you-can-eat KBBQ, then next door there were traditional restaurants and cafes where you sat on the floor. There were fairy lights everywhere and lines with cute little Korean flags hanging from building to building. It was so cute, and the bingsoo we got after was delicious.
Guro Digital Station. Guro was the second leg of my two-hour commute, after riding a bus all the way there. I will never forget Guro, because it was always so crowded, but also because there was this waffle place that smelled so good on the way out. My roommate and I always talked about it but feared being broke by the end of the program, so, at the very end, we got waffles with chocolate in the middle. It was literally the best waffle I’ve ever had, and the lady complimented our Korean. 10/10.
Ewha Womens University. The architecture of Ewha was so beautiful, with a mix of the modern and the historical. The main building so interesting architecture wise (look up Ewha, there’s these hills with classrooms built into them), and there was a convenience store inside the university where I stuffed my face with cream bread every single day. Some of the steps in the older building had bullet holes from the Korean War in it, which made the history buff in me appreciate how they preserved it.
Bukchon Hanok Folk Village. They film a lot of K-dramas here, but I loved the architecture. Folk villages are the best place to discover traditional Korean homes, as they preserve the structures intentionally. We went to a textile dyeing plant here during our Hanmi Camp, with a world expert in traditional Korean dyeing, and the man taught us the process of Korean dyeing.
Hongdae, at dusk. The lights! The performances! The food! I can say no more.
Hangang. A classic destination to eat chicken with friends. Our supporter groups went here and rented bikes. I was stuck with Carolyn, who has now become a good friend of mine, because I didn’t know how to ride a bike. We had a couple’s bike and it almost went terribly (we thought we were going to die), but we survived. The entire experience was so fun! I went again with my host family, where we ran into a Seventeen event and lost my roommate for two hours to the depths of K-pop. This time we got chicken and enjoyed the breeze; it was such a peaceful experience.
We went to Myeongdong, but I honestly didn’t enjoy it as much as I should’ve. It was crowded, it was humid, and it gave me anxiety. It felt like a tourist trap. It seems nicer at night, however, so I recommend heading over at night for the street food if the crowds don’t make you anxious.
Soccer games! I recommend going to baseball over soccer, but the sports fan culture in Korea is so unique and I highly recommend witnessing it. My host family and I went to an Anyang F.C. game, and people have the little red sticks they wave around, as well as teams have their dedicated fanbase bringing in drums and singing. It was so, so cool to see in real life.
Seolbing. You have to go to Seolbing and try the Oreo bingsoo; I tried the Choco Monster, Oreo, and the Melon bingsoo, and hands-down the Oreo one is the best.
The sunsets at the top of Namsan Tower are A+
From Bukchon Hanok Village. Get your walking shoes ready because these hills are steep!
The crowded streets of Myeongdong.
