It was then time to say goodbye to Gabby and friends. We saw Ally off pretty early in the morning to the airport, and the rest of the gang split from me at the subway station. I saw Gabby and her friends as we traveled opposite directions at the subway station, and we of course took some pictures.
Then it was time to meet with Kristen and Nadia. I got to sit and people watch for a while at the station while waiting to meet up, which by the way was also a humungous shopping mall which I explored (and awkwardly tried to blend in and sit and read with all my junk with me) and then they finally arrived. We got a locker to put our stuff in, and got ready to go to; Nadia had other plans, but Kristen and I went to see the National museum.
The National Museum was pretty big.
And a had a lot of old things.
Pretty cool old things.
Like ducks...
...and some tombs and coffins...
Royal jewelry
And little statues
And something from Pohang!
Some pretty cool tapestries and books
A really fancy marble seat
And a statue from southeast Asia
Some Armor
And we of course had to pose like this picture
Once we finished at the National Museum, we walked back to the subway station. Kristin and I had a delicious meal of namyeong, a cold noodle dish, at a small Korean restaurant. It was perfect for such a hot day!
Then it was time to meet my friend Kyeongshin once more to stay with her in Incheon. Our first stop was a Lotte store with a garden at the top, complete with "trick" paintings.
Pretty cool, eh?
In the evening after we had dinner, Kyeongshin took me to a park full of Roses. It was beautiful and once I finally got the camera figured out, there were some pretty good pictures.
And if that doesn't prove how well presented most everything in Korea tends to look, here are some pretty lights we saw on the trail.
Everything was very well lit and well taken care of. When I asked Kyeongshin why, she told me it was partially to prevent crime. If you keep things well lit and taken care of, those dark places under the bridge are less likely to become places for crime, both because they look more public and because it encourages more traffic, making it more public. Smart idea, South Korea. I'd also guess it's partly because of the emphasis on appearance in Korea. Probably both, and maybe they go together--you know, dressing for the job you want kind of idea, except dressing for the society you want.
Speaking of society, the next stop was... CHINATOWN! I've never been to a Chinatown before, and my first trip there was in Korea. Go figure.
Well, here we are...
Well, here we are...
Bright colors, pretty streets...
A street devoted to Chinese history with illustrations
While we didn't see a whole lot going on (perhaps because it Monday when a lot of shops are closed), Chinatown did have some pretty trails and parks, with nice views of Incheon.
And, of course, I took a LOT of pictures.
This picture's not the greatest, but this tree had some cool fan like seeds. (I'm guessing they're seeds?)
I want to say, if I remember right, that this is General Douglas McArthur, an American famous for his role in the Korean War.
My beautiful guide to Chinatown
To experience a particular, unusual eating situation, we spent an outrageous amount on coffee.
But it sure was a nice place.
A pretty room for sitting...
Traditional Korean dolls...
...Um, did I mention there was a glass cage full of animals in the middle of the room?
But, the coffee was delicious. Even if it was only 4,000won for an Americano.
Don't quote me on this, but if I remember right these are for tying wishes? But I could be wrong and just making this up. Maybe they're just for decoration.
Chinatown wouldn't be complete, though, without a giant bowl of jajangmyeon (black bean sauce on udon noodles)
...and a dumpling.
After Chinatown, it was time for dinner! Kyeongshin took me to get some Shinpo Dalkangjeong (spicy fried chicken that is famous).
Yum!
The next day (Tuesday), it was time for the return trip. I can't believe how fast it went (the trip, not the plane ride). And now (I'm writing this in December), it's soon going to be a year since I left for Handong. So without further ado, I leave you with some lessons learned, and of course, more pictures.
The value of home.
Here's a little something I wrote while in Korea, after having studied Tolkien's Lord of the Rings for my senior seminar paper.
It's been a good semester, but at the same time, I feel like going home will feel a bit like when Sam and Frodo return to the Shire at the end of the Lord of the Rings (thanks to my friend Hannah for the reference). Not just in the case of studying abroad, but college in general. We've gone on this great big adventure and learned so much, but it's hard to let other people who haven't been there understand.
But I think I'm ready to go home. Because, like Sam and Frodo (or Bilbo in The Hobbit), we've learned a lot on this adventure, but it is not where we belong.
A fourth age of middle-earth began. And the fellowship of the ring... though eternally bound by friendship and love... was ended. Thirteen months to the day since Gandalf sent us on our long journey... we found ourselves looking upon a familiar sight. We were home. How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? ...each of us must come and go in the telling. Bilbo's story was now over. There would be no more journeys for him... save one. My dear Sam. You cannot always be torn in two. You will have to be one and whole for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be and to do. Your part in the story will go on.
I've developed a definite love of adventure over the past few years, meeting so many new people and having so many new experiences. But I've also really begun to see the value of home. We adventure for the lessons we can bring home. Of course, sometimes, our adventures become home.
Home is where it is enough to have people who love you and know you.
How to make mistakes.
There's something about being thrown into a something where you don't know all the rules that makes you realize how little you have control over. And that even what you do have control over won't always succeed. You can only control your own actions and reactions, and you can't help but make mistakes in another culture.
The simplicity of "stuff."
I still packed quite a bit for college, but it seemed so much simpler. I knew what I probably would need, and the rest was surplus or stuff I could live without.
Perception overrules Experience.
I did a lot of great things in Korea, but they usually didn't feel THAT much more WOW than others. But the more those things become memories instead of experiences, the dearer they become. And even though I "experienced" a lot of things Koreans experience every day, I saw them differently because my background and previous ideas coming into the experience were different. It has been really interesting to get to know some of the Korean students at my own college this semester, comparing experiences and seeing a U.S. private Christian college and American life through their eyes.
Where you were born matters.
It is a part of who you are. But even the greatest adventure doesn't change who you are. It's not the wheres, or the whats, it's the whos. The where matters because that's where the whos are (not Dr. Seuss's Whos). I think most of us romanticize travel, thinking that a place has the power to make us happy. And they do, partly because of what the land itself can offer, but mostly because of the people who live there. Because it's the people, wherever you are, that you travel with through life. Traveling alone can be exciting and enlightening, but so can traveling with others. It's a balance. Where you've come from matters, and so does where you're going. But what matters most of all, is where you are.
Be where you are.
This one kind of connects back to the value of home. Because, as they say, "home is where the heart it." Most of our homes are in ourselves, though. Our heart, our thoughts, are devoted to our own peace of mind and comfort. But when you learn to understand others unlike yourself, and you have to really work for a moment by moment conversation just to get some mutual understanding, you begin to realize how much else is going on in the world besides you. Be with those people. Really exist there and not just observe. Invest. Include. Inquire. Be there.
It's amazing what a change in perspective can allow you to see.
