The palace was amazing to walk through. I couldn’t help but imagine what it would have looked like hundreds of years ago when it was filled with Korean statesmen and imperial guards. The colours of the palace were very vivid, and the ornate walls and even the roofs show just how detail-oriented ancient Koreans were. The palace was even more beautiful because of the cloud-covered mountain in the background; the sight of the mountain seemed to transport the palace even further back in time.
At the palace, I saw this old man who owned a small shop. Even though it was raining, he seemed determined to keep his shop clean and he began to sweep out the rain! I thought his actions were just so symbolic of the Asian ethic: keep things clean, even if it's pouring outside.
After walking through the palace, we had a do-it-yourself Korean lunch, and a bunch of us went into a Korean restaurant because I saw it served bibimbap. Whereas we sat on chairs in most of the Korean restaurants we ate at, this restaurant had us sitting on the ground, which is the traditional Korean way of eating. The bibimbap was even better than the ones I ate in K-town in LA.
As we were walking, we passed by this building with lots of policemen and surrounded by barbed fences. What was this building? The American embassy. It was highly guarded to keep out North Korean refugees. If a North Korean was able to escape and make it onto "American" land, he or she could claim asylum. What I didn't understand was why the American government doesn't want to help these people and why it was taking such extreme measures to keep them out.
We then toured the ubiquitous dream home, where we saw a prototype of an ideal technological home. There were robots that greeted us when we walked into the room, coaches that “woofed” like dogs, bus stops that gave the ETA and temperature of destinations, and fridges that allowed us to order grocery items and that gave composites of items inside. There was also a game that projected cars and fish on the ground and just by the stepping on them or waving your hand, you could block them or grab them. Another incredible thing was a tree with lights that turned on and snapped whenever it detected any sound. The house was incredible to see because it brought up the possibility of using technology to the fullest: do to your chores, do provide you with any kind of information possible, to amuse you, etc. But it was also a little intimidating to see that technology could replace a human and it could potentially prevent someone from leaving his or her house.
On our way out, we passed by city hall, which is site of the beef protests. It was amazing to see the place where the famous Reuters picture of the vigil was taken, but it was interesting to see it during the day when it was empty and had few people. There were still some hard-core protestors who set up tents and posters and who were very vocal about the beef issue, but it had a different feel than at night when thousands would gather to chant and protest the import of American beef by the Korean government.
Then we made out way toward Myun Dong, which is a popular shopping district. It reminded me very much of Mong Kok in Hong Kong; it just had streets and streets filled with clothing vendors, shoe vendors, and different food vendors. Even though prices were moderate in comparison to the United States, I still didn’t buy anything that was more than 9,900 won. Style in Korea is definitely different; people are dressed much more elegantly and much more stylish in a way. The styles are very unique and one-of-a-king, and English shirts are worn proudly even if they are written with poor grammar.
I had a Korean pancake filled with carrots, radish, onions, and octopus for a snack.
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