Study Trip to Seoul: Day 7

Our study trip finally came to a conclusion. Our flight was at 2+pm KST and we had to be at the airport at 12pm, therefore we only bought seaweed and snacks to bring back to Singapore.

Day 7 in Seoul - Saturday, 20 September 2014 

We saw YG Entertainment right in front of us when we alighted to buy seaweed! That was such a coincidence. YG Entertainment is one of the top 3 entertainment companies in the whole of South Korea which produces famous k-pop idols. 

After buying seaweed, we went for lunch. That was our last ever lunch in Korea and I'm missing Korea so badly. 

Of course, the next stop would be the airport! My first time to Korea has been very meaningful, especially with the company visits that people normally couldn't get to go. It made me aware of how Koreans are, and how efficient they can be through the company visits. In addition, 1 thing I really love about Korea's culture is that they have so many side dishes, a jug of water, and a box of tissue papers on the table in restaurants. Moreover,  it's free of charge unlike Singapore who charges us everything even for a cup of water sometimes. I'm really thankful for Ngee Ann Polytechnic for giving the students an opportunity to learn many new things. This trip made me love Korea even more, and I'll be back to visit Korea again in 2016. 

Study Trip to Seoul: Day 6

Today was the last day we could enjoy ourselves in Seoul because we were going back the next day noon. Sigh, I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't want to go back home.

Day 6 in Seoul - Friday, 19 September 2014

We only had 1 company to visit today, because the BIT students already went yesterday. It was ILSCM turn to visit SK T.um! It was really my favourite company visit because everything inside was so amazing.

We were given a phone, which contains our T.Me character. It was really cute, and this represents me! (The character above U.home in the below picture)

The area called U.home is really fascinating. There was a giant screen and you could do anything with it! For example, e-mailing, watching movies, video-calling could be done with the screen by just a snap of your wrist. I really need that sort of home, because it suits a lazy person like me! 

Next was U.driving. Although I didn't get to experience it, it was still very cool because you could share or sell electricity with other drivers on the road! 

There were a few other stations such as U.entertainment, U.shopping etc before the conclusion of our tour. To sum my experience at SK T.um, it was really entertaining and fun. If I hadn't been to SK T.um, I wouldn't know how advanced the world is becoming. Technology is really a fascinating thing and I wonder how much more convenience could technology bring for us. Nonetheless, I hope I live to see the implementation of the U.home in my own house in the future! 

We then had lunch at an Indian buffet restaurant. I wasn't expecting much because I don't really like Indian cuisine, but it turned out to be delicious especially the curry! It had a motherly taste to it, and it tasted exactly like how my mother cooked it. 

Next stop was a visit to the War Memorial Museum. It was a really sunny day and not to mention that the museum was an outdoor one. I walked around for a short while before sitting down under the shade to escape the heat. 

The last stop for the day was Myeongdong for shopping and the NANTA show! It was my first time watching the NANTA show as I have not watched the one in Singapore either, and it's so nice that I was sad when it came to an end. 

Lastly was of course shopping at Myeongdong again! I can never get enough of Myeongdong and I'm preparing to go back to Seoul in 2016 for a graduation trip. This study trip made me gain so much new friends and forged new bonds, and the 2 teachers were really fun to be with! If only I could rewind time to 13 September again. 

Study Trip to Seoul: Day 5

ILSCM had no company visits for this day, and therefore we were mainly visiting tourist spots.

Day 5 in Seoul - Thursday, 18 September 2014

To kick start the day, the first place we went to was Cheonggyecheon Stream. The stream has been there for a very long time, since the Joseon Dynasty. It was a very beautiful place and the cooling weather made it extremely enjoyable.

We then proceeded to the Seoul Museum of History while the BIT students went to SK.TUM. 

The pictures above shows an example of apartment building in Seoul. It's quite similar to the HDB flats in Singapore. Seoul is actually almost identical to Singapore, apart from the different languages and cultures, everything is mostly the same. After visiting the museum, me and my group of friends went to Caffe Bene for a drink before the meeting time.

 We had lunch at a buffet restaurant. However, the food there was so horrible. There were quite many choices but the quality of the food was really bad. I'll make a mental note to be sure not to visit the same restaurant when I go back to Korea in the future.

The next stop was Trick Eye Museum at Hongdae! I've been to the one in Singapore already, and about 90% of the things inside are the same. Thus, we quickly walked through the trick eye museum and went to the ice museum instead!

Afterwards was free time! We went to shop around Hongdae for a short while but the things sold there were really expensive and so we took a cab to Myeongdong! We ate Din Tai Fung for dinner and it was relatively cheaper and in bigger portion than the ones in Singapore.

The daily routine after our continuous shopping at Myeongdong would be to go back to the hotel before the curfew time. That marks the end of Day 5 in Korea! (✿◠‿◠) 

Study Trip to Seoul: Day 4

Day 4 in Seoul - Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Half of the trip has already passed by. Me and my roommate woke up for breakfast at the hotel again, and by this time we were already tired of eating the exact same food and I was contemplating on buying my own breakfast the following day.

Anyway, the first stop for the day was SISUL. Here we get to see the daily operation of Seoul's traffic and learn how they manage the traffic accidents and control traffic flow. It's really eye-opening for me because there were so many screens which show the different CCTV footages of the current traffic condition in Seoul. 

Next up after lunch was Samsung Innovation Museum! We get to learn the history of Samsung as well as the different products they have launched since it was founded. The tour around the museum made me realise that technology have changed so much since I was born till now, and I've not even turned 18 yet! I wonder if technology could fully replace humans one day. That would be pretty scary right? A robotic world. Nevertheless, from the tour, I've learnt how the discovery and advancement of new technology have helped many people. For example, we were shown a video of how electrical appliances helped a woman save a lot of time, compared to a woman who has no electrical appliances at all and has to do everything manually. I'm grateful for getting brought into this world in this era where many things can be done so conveniently these days.

The evolution of mobile phones produced by Samsung

This is the first television produced by Samsung. The screen is so tiny!

We were given a souvenir to keep at the end of the visit, which was a mousepad that was printed with our faces! 

The last visit for the day was Pyeongtaek Port. It was located out of the city thus the journey was quite long and everyone fell asleep in the bus. Upon opening my eyes, this was the first thing I saw. 

It translates to "Ngee Ann Polytechnic, welcome to Pyeongtaek Port Information Center" That was so nice of them! We went to the port and took a ferry ride of about 30 mins. The view was really great, although it wasn't as busy as the port in Singapore. I even saw 2 pure car carriers there! 

We then proceeded for a tour around the information center after the ferry ride.

Our dinner for the day was Korean BBQ! The place was located near Everland, which was in Yongin, slightly out of Seoul. The meat was so juicy and it was  a totally different taste from the Korean BBQ in Singapore. The authentic one in Korea is just so delicious and I'll be sure to be back for more next time! We've gotten our clothes smelly due to the strong BBQ smell, and went back to the hotel to wash up and rest. This was the end of Day 4! It was a simple day and the most relaxed day so far, perhaps because the amount of walking was so minimal. (✿◠‿◠) 

Study Trip to Seoul: Day 3

Today marks the start of company visits!

Day 3 in Seoul - Tuesday, 16 September 2014

The first stop was KIA motors. It was located relatively far from the city and we were actually 30 minutes late, and it appears that the hosts were quite unhappy about it as I learnt that the Koreans treated punctuality as a very important aspect. However, we still managed to finish the tour around the factory within the remaining time left. Photo-taking wasn't allowed, thus I have no pictures to share. However, I was really amazed by the robot machines in the factory. It actually looks like I am at a Transformers movie set. I always thought that the parts of the cars were put together by people and perhaps a few machines, but I realised that the whole procedure could be done more than 90% by machines alone. At the end of the tour, we received a cool toy car model. I was so happy because I've loved playing with toy cars during my childhood.

Next, we went to Pungmi Food for a 2nd company visit as well as to have lunch there. Can I just say that I am so in love with the pork there? I wish I could go back there to eat more. It's also weird how the pork we had at lunch taste nicer than their kimchi since they are one of the biggest producers of Kimchi in Korea.

After lunch, there was a short introduction and Q&A session by the person in-charge. Followed by that was a tour around the place to see how the kimchi was made! 

Kimchi making is a really tedious process, and every step counts into making the most delicious kimchi in Korea. The one thing that impacted me the most was how well both companies operate, especially KIA motors who can operate as usual even with workers going on strikes. 

After we were done visiting Pungmi Food, it was time for my most anticipated company for the day!! (Even though it wasn't an ILSCM company) It was KBS (Korean Broadcasting Systems)! First off, we visiting the indoor filming set for a drama. It was really cool as I haven't seen one before in real life, and I was amazed at how actors could film well in such small and narrow areas. 

We then proceeded to the room whereby weather forecasts are being done! I have seen such scenes before on television, but haven't seen one in real life before, so I felt really fortunate as not everyone could actually get to see this and experience how it feels like to stand in front of the screen.

Picture of my friends experiencing how it's like

Before the end of the KBS visit was the tour around outdoor filming sets. I was really so excited because I've always thought that outdoor filming were done at actual outdoor places and not at a set. 

Me and the super fun to be with tour guide!

Dinner for the night was supposed to be settled on our own. Therefore, we were brought to Dongdaemun! I didn't really like Dongdaemun area, so after a short walk, me and my friends took a cab to Myeongdong for dinner as well as shopping. I really miss the shopping times so much, even though my money was flowing away like water. 

We cabbed back to the hotel at 10pm before our curfew starts and that concludes the end of Day 3!  (✿◠‿◠)