Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Post trip reflection
Upon returning to Kansas City, post a trip reflection (minimum of two paragraphs) summarizing your thoughts on the trip: What did you learn? What had the most impact? What surprised you both about the trip and yourself? etc. You do not need to post a classmate response for the last day but you are certainly encouraged to read each others reflections.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I’m so glad I decided to travel to South Korea. The flights were long and a little rough, but worth it in the end. I had never been out of the country, so I didn’t know what to expect. Arriving in Seoul was a little bit of a culture shock, but I quickly learned to navigate the subways and streets. Though using chopsticks for a week straight was a task, it was well worth it. The food was amazing and each dish had its own spice. My absolute favorite was the rice cakes in any form, no matter the seasoning. I could actually eat it for days, in fact, I actually did. Korean BBQ may be a contender with KC BBQ, gosh dang, its good and surprisingly not messy.
ReplyDeleteGeyongbukgon was my favorite place, even in the pouring rain. I hadn’t anticipated how ornate and huge the palace would actually be. I definitely got some cool pictures here! Somehow, the rain made it even more beautiful. I’m so glad we made it to the temple on a sunny day. The lanterns for Buddha’s birthday were incredible. Another place I highly enjoyed was Insa-dong. I bought so many traditional items here such as hand painted silks and pottery. This place was the real deal, everything was so beautiful and this was the kind of shopping I was looking for. I also really enjoyed the moon village and the murals. I loved the character of the old buildings against the sharp view of the city. It really had a different feel, which I appreciated. Definitely an oddly beautiful place and well worth the climb.
I had an amazing experience, and just as I learned to navigate the subways, I had to leave. I would definitely go back, though I might be more inclined to take a taxi every once in a while, no wonder Koreans are so tiny! Their culture is beautiful, and for some odd reason really loved Americans! I felt relaxed there and had a once in a lifetime experience. I really wanted to go to all the different animal café’s around, but sadly didn’t get to any in time. Maybe that’s part of a reason for a second trip! Thanks everyone for being so fun. I really enjoyed traveling with all of you.
I was surprised on how comfortable I was walking around the city. It felt safe by myself and even in the more run-down sections of Seoul. Although I wish I brought better shoes, I loved waking around and seeing the culture firsthand. I would love to go back and expirence it more. I would also love the chance to see the countryside of korea and more of the mountains. It was sort of a risk to bring my nice camera but it was well worth it. The stories I can tell from this trip are endless. Like the time I almost said yes and got married by a cult. :)
ReplyDeleteThe food was fantastic. Tteokbokki was my favorite street food. I also learned that zucchini is incredible. I got used to using chopsticks very fast and I will really miss them. Forks and knifes are going to be weird now. My favorite meal on the trip was probably having bibimbap at the design plaza with Keegun and Sultan.
I loved the city. The sky garden next to Seoul station had a wonderful view of the restless city. The norebang was extremely fun. The palace and Buddhist temple was breathtakingly beautiful. The street food was cheap and delicious. The long plane ride is well worth it. I’m excited to come back some day but also go and travel more outside the country!
My experience in Seoul was absolutely spectacular! I have so many memories from this trip that will live with me forever (being called handsome specifically). Taking the time to travel across the world was well worth it. As I patiently waited for our flight to take off in San Francisco I had this great surge of uncertainty hit me. I was instantly unsure of the trip. As we took off I knew there was no turning back, and I told myself to just make the most out of everything. As we landed I knew I was supposed to be there with everyone.
ReplyDeleteI quickly grasped my surroundings of Hongdae and was extremely comfortable with walking around on my own. It is hard for me to rank my experiences from the trip, but I know two of my favorite times were at the baseball game (Go Eagles!) and partaking in our festivities at the norebang. From sneaking in soju, and singing Hey Jude by The Beatles our hour long time slot went by so fast. I think this is a great analogy for our whole trip. We got there, started singing and as soon as we were finally getting the hang of everything we had to go home.
The food in Korea was incredible and I specifically loved chowing down on some fish with Susan. Some of the most impactful experiences for me was talking to the locals in Korean and visiting the comfort women statue. It was very sad to learn more deeply about the sorrows these poor women endured.
I can not wait to back to Korea, and show others around. This trip will forever go down as one of the best experiences in my life. I am glad that I was with all of you for my first time out of the country.
This trip was amazing! I love how there was constant excitement. Immediately upon arrival I started people watching. Observing how others dressed, behaved, etc.
ReplyDeleteI loved the street food night tour, where we tried pigs feet and chicken feet. That might be the highlight of my trip for trying the pigs feet. I felt like I could do anything after that.
I truly enjoyed going to the Buddhist temple. It couldn’t have been timed any better, since it was Buddha’s birthday.
Visiting the comfort women’s statue and museum was very emotional. I think it’s important to see the different struggles Korea has faced but also the success they have had.
I will miss the food, especially hotteok.
As I was flying home, I sat to a lady who had lived in Korea for 2 years, she told me to never move there, but I have to disagree with her, it’s somewhere I would enjoy living.
I thought this trip would be amazing and it met my every expectations. I never dreamed I would get to travel like this at such a young age, I thought I would have to be old before I could afford and experience like this. I was especially excited because my father was in Korea for a short time while he was in the military so that made this trip extra special. Preparing for the trip I could not wait for the day to come for us to get on that plane and fly away. I did not however realize how long it would take for us to get there or maybe it was the excitement of going that made it feel like it took so long. You know like when you are going to Grandma’s house and you can’t wait to get there it feel like it takes forever, but yet coming home, when you would rather stay at grandma’s it feels like it takes no time at all. But yet you traveled the same distance both ways.
ReplyDeleteI think the thing I learned most was that the Korean people are very resilient. I admire them for showing both sides of their history. The good, bad and the ugly. They were willing to be transparent about their history. Even admitting the wrong they have done.The Women’s Rights Museum brought tears to my eyes knowing what all they had been through made me admire the people of Korea even more. This had the most impact on me seeing woman withstand what they went through made me feel like if they can do that, I can do anything.
I appreciated the modern and old parts of the city and how they wanted to progress but at the same time keep the history of where they have been. From the shanty towns, to the corridors of the market places, alleyways, street vendors, as well as the sights, sounds and smells, it was a whole new world and made me appreciate where they have come from. I was not in Johnson County anymore and I loved it.
Something that surprised me about the trip was the language barrier I mean I knew there was going to be one. I realized I would not be able to speak the language. But I think the reality of it hit me of just how hard it is from someone from another country to start over in a whole new world. It made me have more compassion for people who come here to start a new life.
Seoul, South Korea was an interesting place, every street had different themes and cultures, the terrain was just as different as the people that inhabited the land. The food ranged in spices and quantities everywhere we went; I was amazed at all the sights and taste of Seoul. I was intimidated by some of the conversations we had during class about how difficult the subway could be to navigate or the agonizing 10 hour flight to and from Korea. But the idea of an adventure in Seoul outweighed the negative notions of travel; I observed many things while in Korea and had fun comparing cultures.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how much English was displayed in Seoul, you could get anywhere through the subway system because of the signs and announcements. I couldn’t stop laughing at some of the merchandize in Hongdae because their English translations were terrible, some being “Gangster are is”, and their interpretation of popular American clothing. But this became a problem when I wanted merchandize with Korean writing; it was much easier finding traditional gifts in Insadong or Dongdaemun. The influence of American branding was everywhere, something I was shocked to see, and there was a lot of Japanese pop culture as well. I know I want to revisit Seoul and explore many more streets and landmarks within the city and I would love to visit the South Korean countryside to see the differences between the two.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe trip from America to South Korea was long, but it was worth it.
ReplyDeleteI have never visited any country living in a spectacular development. Which is concerned with recycling instead of waste for everything even food. It was a great experience. I learned a lot during this trip. I learned that some of US movies were developed by the Korean such as “Chicken Run” movie. I experienced Korean weather and terrain.
I got surprised by the Korean old buildings. I never thought that would be stand until these days. Also, I shopped from Korean since they have some goods that are not in the USA. The amazing thing is most of theses are made in Korea. During this trip, I really walked for long distance that I never thought that I can make it.
In short, South Korea is amazing country’s. It is worth to visit again. Next time I will travel with my family.
Sultan