Gwanghwamun Square & other happenings

The day after Jeju, Minho and Sungmin took me to Gwanghwamun Square for lunch. The plan was to visit a bookstore, but it was closed for construction. Many buildings in the area had been torn down and "officetels" (office hotels, where you live and work in the same building. Yuck.) constructed in their place. Our lunch destination had been relocated to the first floor of one of these buildings. We walked through the Square on our way there, passing by a statue of King Sejong. In the stream running alongside the square, each brick had a date and event etched onto it. After taking some shots, we walked past the US Embassy and a display of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. For some reason 60 years of anything is a big deal here, so murals and thank-you posters were all over the area (put up by the Korean government, as evidenced by their somewhat shaky use of English). The Embassy was protected by police due to some recent protests about the American presence in Korea. I also got to see the line for American visas--I'm glad they let me in here on a free 90-day visa.

Arrival at the Square.

The Seoul Playwright is on this block, too.

King Sejong, credited with the creation of written Hangul.

Sungmin inspects a non-functioning astrolabe.

The US Embassy, guarded with lots of Korean police.

Just in case things get unruly.

We had a cold noodle dish (whose name I forget, but will discover and update here). You were given a bowl with broth to add frappe'd radish and green onion. Then a stack of cold buckwheat noodles came out, and you mixed them in the broth together to eat. It was quite refreshing, and this particular had a wait out in to the street. Korean people tend to eat quickly, so the wait wasn't bad at all.

Enjoying me some noodles.

Probably the ugliest statue I've seen in awhile.

I dropped a package off at DHL (for my Chinese Visa--thanks Philippe!), then returned to the square to take a few more shots. This time I posed with Admiral Yi, who famously defeated a giant Japanese armada with his custom-built turtle ships.

Admiral Yi, you're alright.

His famous turtle ship.

I had been feeling a little sick since the morning and it got worse as the day went on. After this little daytrip I went home and just slept, not eating or drinking anything else. I later learned that seven of the ten people who went to Jeju with me were also sick. Our best guess is that something in the water got to us, as we all ate at different places throughout the weekend.

By Tuesday evening I was feeling much better though my appetite had decreased significantly. Minho had invited me to his parent's house for dinner, so we continued with that plan. He lives near Gimpo airport, in a suburb of Seoul. His mother prepared bosahm, steamed pork. There was a mess of other foods, all delicious, but it was the first real food I had had in a day so I wasn't able to eat nearly as much as I wanted. Afterwards, I left to meet some of the other American students and confirmed my full recovery with a Belgian waffle smothered in gelato, fruits, and whipped cream.

I love home cooked Korean meals.

On Thursday night Minho and Sungmin took me out to a PS room (PlayStation 3 room). They play a soccer video game there (FIFA Winning 11, I think) and the loser pays for everything. We split into teams, rock-paper-scissor winner joining me, and Sungmin and I managed to lose every game. It was more fun to have a penalty at stake, but I was never much for sports games on consoles. I'd rather do something completely fictional in my video games and actually play football, but maybe I'm just bitter because I lost even when I switched to be on Minho's team. Believe it or not, this is my first time to play video games since I've come to Korea. True story.

They had some nice gear. It was cool and comfortable, too.

My Pocari Sweat and wet wipe to get my gaming started.

Professor Lee was out of town for the week, so I used the opportunity to sleep in and "recover" from my illness. In the end it hardly mattered because I would stay at lab until 11 pm or later anyways. I am told that my last chemical will arrive next Tuesday, then I can finally try my hydroxyproline assay. Which, I suppose, is the whole reason I'm even in Korea. I'm just trying to be efficient in the meantime.

Random shot of a fried octopus lunch.

Annabelle, this one's for you.

I will return to taste their waffles, just for you Bear.