Sleeping On the Toilet Made Easier

That's right~ heated toilet seats! I'm still hesitant to sit on the seat because of the germs. But wouldn't the heat kill them?? Hmmm~~~ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ!

No Trashcans, NO TRASH

All that trash with many people eating in the restaurant, and a little tiny trashcan. I'll bet the workers have to empty it every 20 minutes.

This country has strategy! If you come here, you'll realize that there are barely no trashcans around. It will be once in a blue moon. People carry the trash with them. A friend of mine jokingly put her hand in my coat pocket and a bunch of wrappers (My Chews) fell out! Hahaha! You'd think less cans would mean more garbage, but Nope! Very clever~

Tension of the DMZ!

Now I didn't know much about the North & South Korean tension until I visited the DMZ.

Hollywood is really exaggerated. Not a surprise. Thought the demilitarized zone was a very thin strip of land separating the two. Also that it was easy to escape. Boy was I wrong! I got this idea from the korean movie Poosang Gae~~
It's basically about a mysterious man that crosses between the South and North Korean border as a courier for hire. He makes it look so easy!

Take a look at this film, BUT educate yourself as well. Don't be a gullible dummy like me! Hehe!



Back on topic. Once we took an hour shuttle bus there, they told us to leave all phones and cameras on the bus. We ended up walking through a long (and I mean looonnnnng) small tunnel into North Korea. YES I WENT TO NORTH KOREA! Seriously, the North Koreans must have been malnourished shorties because I even had to duck my head. This is coming from a person who is 5'3''! By the way, that tunnel is not for the claustrophobic. Sorry, no pictures -__- But I did meet a nice korean man that was escorting us! He allowed us to take one picture outside of the tunnel site.

Next some military men escorted us around the DMZ. There were only certain areas we could take pictures in. It's funny because the guy was smiling the entire time he talked to us, but he had to be on duty in the picture.

Fact: Korean men have to serve in the military for 2 years. Usually the men go into their service after high school. So most of them are in my age range.





Here's the SERIOUS TENSION! One of the American military officials told us that we will go to see the part that separates NK from SK. He strictly told us that if North Korean men approach us to not talk, look them in the eye, or make physical gestures. In my mind, I was so nervous. I was afraid this was gonna happen------>

What we saw of the DMZ itself wasn't that bad... or at least in the room. The guards had to be ready in their Taekwondo stance at all times. Just in case, ya know.

BUT once we got outside, the guides were telling us all about the tension and everything that has went on.  I felt all that tension to the point that it was a little scary! I know at one point I saw one of the North Korean guards looking at us through binoculars from an open window. Thanks to my 18x optical zoom on the camera, I got an extremely good picture of a North Korean guard. Uniform and all! It was cool but kind of creepy!
We traveled all around the DMZ and took pictures into North Korea and Pyongyang.







I have amazing pictures of the capital (including the North K. soldier) because of the zoom capability. However I will not post them on the internet. I don't wanna be abducted or in trouble with the government. Call me paranoid, but I trust my intuition!

Overall, it was an amazing and educational experience! It opened my eyes to the issues of unification, as well as all the citizens that are starving and desire freedom. However they live under their government. So if you could, join me in providing aid to the North Korean citizens.

Hanbok Ettiquite

We went to an event which taught us how to wear a hanbok and learn about it's ettiquite. Jeol 절 is where you bow down on knees, and it's a way of acknowledging families and colleagues (teachers, professors, bosses, etc.)

Bowing to a professor. I hope we all get A's now!

Keun-jeol 큰절 is a deep bow” used during birthdays and banquets, takes place during the coming-of-age ceremonies, marriage, funerals and ancestral blessings.

This is mostly used for special holidays such as the new year, and family occasions.

Who Needs Cigarettes When You Have...

I swear these can replace cigarettes! My Chew 마이츄 is  korean candy that my friend Suzie brought back to the U.S. I've been addicted ever since! My program-mates see me popping 마이츄 all the time. Who needs cigarettes when I can go through these packs a day? I have earned the title of chain candy eater.

If Only Prisons Had This...

You know the famous inappropriate prison joke "Don't drop the soap?" Well I think the criminal justice system in America should invest in magnetic soap bars! Just imagine how much profit they would make by selling it to the inmates! Okay, let me stop hahahahahaha!

Plastic Surgery is NOT a Big Deal

If you go to South Korea, don't be surprised if plastic surgery comes up in your everyday life. I mean conversations, jokes, advertisements, entertainment, etc. Now this may seem similar to the U.S., but it's much more common. For example, it is used as a graduation present from parents or grandparents. As a matter of fact, I have a story that relates to this topic.

My friends and I were hanging out with a few korean men and he asked me to guess their age., and I said 25 years old. He told me that he is 30 years old and that I need to get my eyes checked. Usually people see that as a compliment you know. But he then said I needed to get plastic surgery on them to make them wider. Even though I knew he didn't mean any harm, it still offended me! Of course you can understand. I'm not use to being in a country where plastic surgery is considered easy as putting on make-up.

Ads in all subway stations and trains

I guess at the end of the day individuality is key. Beauty is attitude. Point made.

Odd Tasks to Explore Seoul

Random Pics of the Day:

The program sent us on a scavenger hunt in Seoul giving us a bunch of tasks. I was assigned with a group that knew little or no Korean, so it only made the game funnier! Plus, it was freezing!  The tasks were so randomly selected in my opinion, but it was a great way to explore the city. Yeah we got turned around on the subway a couple of times, however I believe we did a nice job without having any koreans with us (all the other teams did) *cough cough*.

We had to take the best jumping photo in front of the Seoul City Building. Now imagine how people in the business suits thought of us. THOSE DARN KIDS!

Picture of the creature of Hangul King Sejong

Group photo in front of the National History Museum of South Korea

B-Boys in Korea DOMINATE!

Now this subject has fascinated me for a long time! I don't mean to be a hater on my own country, but South Korea has the crown when it comes to b-boying. FYI B-boying is a form of dancing worldwide (breakdancing). I feel that the Koreans have the most astounding power moves that would probably take others many years to perfect! Plus, the entire performance was non-verbal. Such originality! Thank GOD my program paid to take us to a performance. I had the time of my life watching them!!!

$55 was worth spending!

SJ B-boy Theatre in Hongdae sponsored by Hongik University

GORILLAZ CREW!

The star of the show!

Phenomenal b-boy by far! p.s. he has braids in his hair! Who thought!

Co-star of the performance

First Meal in Korea and We Eat Japanese Food! WHAT?!

The program rented out a restaurant for our "first meal" in Seoul, and this is what we ate...
                                                           SHABU SHABU!

                               The only thing korean we ate was kimchi.

                                         It was good but still...

Funny Story: Seoul-mates Get Too Close~

The CIEE program set up a  Seoul-mate program (get it?? soul...mate...whatever), and it's basically a a buddy system with Yonsei. In a group, we toured around the campus briefly, ate delicious food, and hung out in Hongdae which is one stop away from Shinchon (residency).

This sweet girl in the group is handicapped, so we had to use elevators and such. I've realized that South Korea isn't really organized for the disabled unfortunately :/ So along with the scooter chair, about eight of us were packed into an elevator. Going up to the next floor, it got stuck and the lights flickered on and off! As you can imagine we were freaking out, especially our Seoul-mates! However, that interesting experience brought us closer...literally! However, since this country is technologically advanced, the problem was fixed within a few minutes.

Either way, that experience made my day and we got to connect with the other Seoul-mates that way. Now if I see one of them on campus we'll already have a funny story to laugh about! Just imagine, "Hey remember when we were stuck on that subway elevator together? Remember when your elbow was in my arm and face was imprinting my back as we tried to move around looking for a calling phone?? Ahh, good times!"

You Enjoy Life More When in a Foreign Country

It's only been a day and I've been out from dusk until dawn. I live in a hostel and even the other people living here are out all day. I remember back home I would mindlessly surf the web and read Facebook updates for hours. But I've realized one thing while staying here...

You enjoy the abundance of life more~~~
That is if you already haven't before~~

My week is absolutely booked! I'm at a point where I can't see myself slowing down at this point because I am having such a blast here! And you will too, once you get off your butt and start preparing for the experience of your life!

FYI: If you're new to South Korea, I recommend staying in a hostel instead of a hotel. Since it's my very first time on my own in an international territory, I needed help big time! The hostels are filled with travelers such as yourself and they are pretty fun to hang out with. Plus, if you're passionate about traveling there's already a common thread. Plus, they're cheap here.

Only in Korea...?

This is a coffee shop! See, in America someone would sue them so fast! I imagined a person walking with two cups of hot coffee, and whoops the dude trips on that cord! I would smell a lawsuit, but not here!

My Love for Graffiti Oceans Away

I had no clue the Hongdae area of Seoul had this kind of graffiti! This is art! Actually, This is a picture of a playground. Talk about hyped up!

Advertisement at its Best

What can I say, I do it for the fans!


T.O.P. & GD (Big Band) Subway Station

K-Pop fangirls that is.

I Will Rep Korean Airlines

Do you desire to travel to either South Korea or Japan? This is the first time I traveled by myself internationally, so it's important that I briefly share my experience. 

Korean Airlines is the best foreign airlines I have ever taken, seriously! A couple of my friends recommended it to me. Not to mention the ticket was kind of cheap because I only had +1 stop through San Francisco.

Employee Uniform and Behavior- Extremely polite and the uniforms are so class.

Entertainment- In front of every seat is a video screen. There are movies, music, games, news, and flight trackers. By the way, the movies and music are recent! I watched hollywood hits and asian movies, and there is music of all genres!

Food: Where to begin? I started off with a Korean beer (careful drinking at high altitudes) which tasted pretty good. For lunch I had Bimbimbap and fish for dinner. The attendants fed us snacks and multiple drinks in-between. 너무 DELICIOUS!

Shopping- Yeah, shopping on the airlines. You can buy perfumes, cologne, and etc. Hooray for airline prices!!

Nuff Said!

Up, Up, and Away to Seoul!

I should have done this earlier, but I was doing some last minute things. I have made it safely to Seoul, South Korea, and very jet lagged. Oh well. It's 10am here and I still woke up "early." Plenty of time to sleep later, let's take advantage of the time here. There will be more posts and PICTURES later because I haven't taken many yet.

SHOUT-OUTS:

Thank you to all of you that have sent me their prayers and good blessings. It has only been one night and I already think it is needed. But special shout-outs to the UC Denver Office of Global Education!! Meghan, Daniel, Samantha, and EVERYONE ELSE because without them this experience wouldn't be possible!