SEPTEMBER 30- OCTOBER 6
DAY 43: CANADIAN EMBASSY
On Thursday the SNU International students hosted an 'International Day' where we presented to the student body of SNU dishes and games from the various international cultures on exchange at SNU! For the event we sought help from the embassy and they were so nice and gave us a bunch of promotional materials and flags of Canada. After being in Panama, and now being in Seoul I have realized that being a foreigner Canadian really does have a lot of perks. Not only is the general image of Canada quite favourable, international services of Canada are regarded quite well and positively! | |
DAY 44: YOUNHA AT SNU
| Though I am personally not a K-Pop enthusiast many of my classmates and fellow exchange students were big fans of the headlining star that came to SNU campus to close the SNU festival show. Her name is YounHa known best for her 'rock' style of singing to most of the Koreans. She performed a few songs but the most interesting thing (beyond her really good live performance and stunning face) was how the audience reacted to her! The crowds were way more massive than I could have expected and the people were rushing to the front just to be able to get close to her and take a good picture of her. After the show we did the most Korean thing possible and got some Bingsoo that was totally delicious! |
DAY 45: INTERNATIONAL DAY
| For the International Day we the Canadian team served up fluffy pancakes with Maple Syrup on top! Somehow I ended up doing quite a bit of the cooking (even though I'm admittedly not the best chef in the world) and for a period of time we started serving up pancakes with designs like hearts and stars in the middle! The other countries and booths served up some amazing foods too like crepes, pasta, quesedillas and soo much more, but overall despite our simple meal we managed to open up a great booth that was definitely well decorated and sported many many many maple leafs all over! GO CANADA GO! |
DAY 46: ANSAN SALT FARMS & MUD FLATS
Even though it was a Friday, since I had the day off I went on an organized trip to Ansan where we visited a swamp region that is a preserved habitat for certain wildlife, then we headed to a Salt Farm and saw how they harvested Salt and then lastly we went to a Mud Flat and got to collect some clams! While at the salt farm they gave us bags of salt that we could use for exfoliating our skin to make it soft! They also were nice enough to give us a bag of cooking sea salt. To end off the night we all celebrated the birthdays of September and early October people with some cake and snacks at the bar we always turn to: Joy Stone. | |
DAY 47: BUSAN, HEUNDAE & Busan international film festival
| Even though most of us stayed out to celebrate birthdays the night before, I still had to wake up crazily early in the morning to get on another bus (this time to go further away) on its way to BUSAN. This is one of the destinations you cannot miss if you come to Korea. Though the city is on the other side of the country and almost closer to Japan than it is to Seoul, the city quickly became one of my favourites. After the 5.5 hour bus ride, we arrived in Busan and went directly to the famous Haeundae Beach which reminded me a lot of the beaches in Waikiki, Hawaii. Next we headed down the 'boardwalk' area and stumbled upon some booths they had set up to promote the Busan International Film Festival. |
We had tickets to see 'The Gate' which was a French film about an Expat in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge. The rest of the day we really spent walking around and taking in some of the truly breathtaking views.
DAY 48: Igidae coastal walk & jagalchi FISH MARKETS
Last night we went bar hopping and stopped and drank at many of the different bars in the 'drinking district' in Busan. Instead of a hotel or hostel, however, we were staying at a 'Jimjimbang' which is a sauna/bath house. But I think we stayed there not for the bath experience but for the incredible view! In the morning we woke up to a full city view that was spectacular! We later went to the fish markets and walked along the Igdae Coastal Walk that was really at the end of the coast. In general I think I have fallen in love with Busan and even though I only got to spend 2 days there I think I like it more than Seoul. Not only is it beautiful but the food was great and really reminded me of my home, Vancouver. | |
DAY 49: GANGNAM
| For some reason, all my professors for Monday classes decided to cancel so I spent my Monday relaxing after such an eventful weekend. I ended up going drinking with a friend from Vancouver and we had some amazing Korean cocktails: #1: Mango Pineapple Soju #2: Melon Soju #3: Chestnut Makeoli #4: Plum Wine By the end of the night (even though it was a weekday) I got to taste the best drinks that I'd had in Korea so far and I hope to try more cool mixes again soon! |