Well, Seoul was a blast. The three of us (Laura, Andy, and I) managed to fit, into a span of three days and two nights, a visit to Deoksugung (a palace from the 17th century), a trip to the World Cup Stadium where we attempted to obtain tickets to the match between Korea and Kuwait that was to take place the next night (we failed), two nights out drinking in Itaewon (the designated "foreigner district" in Seoul), a long and memorable journey through the Seoul Contemporary Art Museum where there was an exhibit of digital art and its ubiquitous presence in the world (especially Korea) and how that effects the way people think, look, feel, etc. (it was pretty great), meeting up with some of Andy's friends as well as my friend Dave, shopping for clothing and gadgets, numerous subway trips, a trip up Seoul Tower (Laura and I did that, Andy went off on his own having done that before), and just an all around good time. Many pictures were taken by Andy and Laura (a few by me, but nothing all that memorable). Laura is busily sorting out the good ones and will likely post some up here soon enough. I'll send a notice when she does so that those of you interested can take a peek. My one regret is that we weren't able to meet up with my other friend, Myza, despite repeated attempts. Worst of all was that we had arranged to meet at Seoul Station for dinner before we hopped on our train home but somehow didn't see each other. I'm not exactly sure what happened and haven't heard from her since, but I hope all is well and that we'll be able to meet up in the future.
Hmm, that paragraph contains what may be the longest sentence I have ever written. Hurray for bad grammar!
Anyway, now it's time to concentrate on the arrival of Jon, Laura's brother, and our subsequent trip to Japan. As well, we're still waiting on notice from SFU whether we are in or not.
That's about all from me today. Oh yeah, just so you know, blogger has made it a bit easier to comment on stuff now, so please feel free to do so. The comment posting window now is a pop-up, so for those of you who block those, be aware.
Guy
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3 comments:
Yay! Comments are fun, and you are right that they work much better now.
I'm studying at UCC (http://www.cariboo.bc.ca/) and hope to go on exchange to Tainjin, China for one or two semesters. I'm very excited and wondering if you might offer some advice for someone who's only spent a few weeks in touristy Thailand and never lived in Asia.
Can't wait to hear about Japan... :-)
Hey Justin,
Thanks for stopping in on the blog and commenting. That is a surprisingly rare occurrence.
I'm not sure what kind of advice you might be looking for or how much of what I say could be applied to life in China. I haven't set foot in the country yet and don't really know how different things will be there than they are here. All I can really think of is to not let anybody hustle you into a taxi immediately upon leaving the plane. They are up to no good and just want your money, but they are also pretty universal and you have likely encountered a similar situation in the past. Is there anything specific you would like advice about? Perhaps I can help, and if not I promise not to try to bullshit my way through.
UCC, you say? I lived in Kamloops for 9 years (grades 2-11) and came back after high school for a year and was enrolled in UCC (I would say I attended, but that would be a lie). I still have some good friends living there. Are you originally from the area?
Guy
No, I grew up in East Vancouver, and moved towards Langley as I moved through school. I've only been in Kamloops since September, and while I miss the energy of the large city, Kamloops is big enough to not be boring and still have the small-town benefits. I still can't get over being warned about Kamloops 'rush-hour'. On a 'bad' day, it'll add an extra 5 minutes to your trip. And if you live and work on opposite ends of the city, you have to budget a whopping 15 minutes travel time, at most. You must remember that, but it's a far cry from Vancouver, or other larger cities. Bangkok was pretty crazy.
UCC has an amazing study abroad program. What makes my head spin is that they have more positions than applicants. I guess so much of the student population is either from a foreign country or just not that interested in the world outside their borders. I dunno, whatever the reason, I can't understand it.
When you mention the throng of taxi's it immediately brings back memories of Bangkok's airport. They had a booth just outside the airport that another traveller told me wasn't a rip off. Apparently I'll have to take a train from Beijing to Tainjin, so that will be an interesting start to a new adventure.
Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself, as I won't know for another week or so whether I'm accepted to the study abroad program, but I'm excited enough to start assembling info.
Thanks, and lets keep in touch!
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