New Discoveries in Seoul
During the days of unpredictable weather, I learned to have backup plans in mind. A sunny or cloudy day indicates that I can explore scenic places outdoors, whereas stormy weather would mean that it’s a day for indoor shopping.
My friend and I planned a day to catch up on our life abroad after not seeing each other for two weeks. While there was not a single droplet of rain in the sky, we decided at the last minute to explore insa-dong and ikseon-dong after we visited Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Previously, we bumped into a Tim Burton pop-up at the design plaza and it was a surprise to spontaneously find interesting exhibits by chance. The design plaza is also where Seoul Fashion Week is held!
🌱 Insa-dong
Close to Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insa-dong is a vibrant area filled with souvenirs, shops, and restaurants for tourists and locals. There is an outdoor mall called Ssamziegil with small boutiques! I was happy to find two music box shops in this area that had studio ghibli tunes. There was a variety of songs ranging from classics such as “fly me to the moon” and a couple of Korean pop songs.
🌷Ikseon-dong
A short walk from Insa-dong is a small maze-like street filled with cafes. While lunch and dessert can be found in this area, the lines get extremely long during lunch hour and the wait can range from 30 minutes to two hours. My friend and I looked for places with few lines, which was a restaurant that served Mexican food! I never ate Mexican food in Hawai'i so I ended up exploring the food of various cultures in South Korea. While walking, I noticed plenty of posters regarding movie scenes that were filmed in particular areas, especially at the small retro arcade. If you love cafe hopping, Ikseon-dong is not to miss during your stay in South Korea!
Yonsei Club Week
During the second to third week of school, Yonsei's campus was buzzing with chatter for the first time in a while. The main entrance was lined with several, distinctive club booths to recruit future members.
A couple of clubs that I saw were focused on international/exchange, performing arts, culture, social activities, religion, creative arts, sports, and academics.
Besides clubs, I joined a taekwondo class for exchange students every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the late afternoon! This class was not academically related (meaning I won't be graded on performance), rather it’s an extracurricular at the end of the day. However, there’s a belt test every month to move upwards. Learning martial arts has always been a goal of mine, but I never had the urge to learn in Hawai'i. The taekwondo class offered at Yonsei is a great opportunity to not only meet students outside of my academic classes, but also challenge myself physically and mentally.
Vietnamese food
After eating the delicious food in South Korea, I found myself searching for Vietnamese food. Surprisingly, there are many restaurants that I walk by coincidentally since there is also a big Vietnamese community in Seoul. I am usually on the lookout for Phở with flat rice noodles because it would give me nostalgia from my summer visits to my grandma. I was thrilled to find a couple of places that were decent.
Here are a couple of restaurants that I recommend:
Bánh Mì Phượng (This restaurant is originally from Vietnam but there’s also a branch in Seoul)
Măm Măm Table
From Hanoi
Trying out new Vietnamese places always fascinate me because they all have their own interior and exterior design! It's quite different from Hawai'i in a way where the environment mimics the places in Vietnam.
Overall
I learned how important it is to save locations on Google Maps (or any map). Before the trip abroad, I would have a list of places to visit but they would all be clustered together. With saved places, I found that it was much more convenient to stop by cafes or shops because I would already be in the area. I'm extremely grateful for all the experiences I've had these past few days!
