Study Trip to Seoul: Day 2

This was finally the day that we were going to visit 2 universities in Seoul. The purpose of our study trip was to visit companies/universities.

Day 2 in Seoul - Monday, 15 September 2014

The first destination for the day after breakfast at the hotel was Chung-Ang University. It is one of the top 10 universities in Korea. Their school was really big and the buildings were all designed so beautifully, I was so amazed. We were given an introduction of the school in the lecture room and also had small talks with the student ambassadors who were really friendly and keen to answer our never-ending questions.

The picture above is a big globe that is being wrapped around the dragon, and it is said that the globe contains a secret that has been kept for many decades. The school was preparing to open it in 2018, in conjunction with the school's 100th anniversary. This was a really interesting fact to know and I am interested to know what's inside the globe as well! 

We had a short tour around the school by a student ambassador and then proceeded for lunch shortly. I was really sick of the heaty food that we had and I was praying for no more heaty food for lunch. However, there was shabu shabu AGAIN, just like the lunch we had on the first day. There was also bibimbap, which was delicious when added the red pepper paste! 

After lunch was the second and last destination of the day - Ewha Womans University. 

We had no student exchange here, and was only given a short tour around the school by the student ambassador. The environment was really pretty, and again, the architecture of the buildings were so beautiful. I would love to study in such an environment everyday! 

The school generally had an English feel to it and it doesn't feel like it's a Korean university at all! In addition, right outside the university was Sinchon Shopping Street! It was specially catered to the university students and priced at a lower price so that they could afford it. When we were given time to shop there, I felt as though I was in Singapore's Bugis Street! It just had that sort of feel to it. Me and my buddy went to get some macaron ice cream while we shopped around that area. 

From visiting both universities, what impacted me the most was how welcoming they were towards international students, unlike Singapore where we are less friendly towards international students as we feel that they have "invaded" our country. In addition, the students there were really hardworking and it was difficult to enroll in both universities as the entry requirements are really high. A GPA of around 3.5 - 3.7 was needed in order to qualify for entering, which proves that the students there are really smart.

We had dinner at Sinchon Shopping Street, and the menu for dinner was Dakgalbi. It was a dish made by stir-frying marinated diced chicken in a red pepper based sauce, and sliced cabbage, onions, rice cakes and many more ingredients on a hot plate. It was really delicious but the portion was so big that 5 of us couldn't finish it. 

We headed back to the hotel quite early at about 7pm, and I showered and rested early. That marks the end of Day 2!  (✿◠‿◠) 

Study Trip to Seoul: Day 1

On the 13th September - Saturday, 40 students including me from BIT and ILSCM were prepared to go on a 8D6N study trip to Seoul! I was really hyped up over it because I have not been to Korea before and it has always been my dream to visit Korea at least once. I'm so glad I had been given an opportunity to go to Seoul with the school.

Not so good quality and unprepared shot, but nevertheless I present to you the people I'll be facing daily for the 8D6N!

 Day 1 in Seoul - Sunday, 14 September 2014

Our plane officially took off at about 10.35pm and my buddy beside me was afraid yet excited because it's the first time she had taken an aeroplane!

It was the first time I had taken Korean Air, and I was quite skeptical about their service as I've heard negative reviews before. My thoughts were proven wrong by the caring and friendly Korean air-stewardesses in-flight, as they provided really good service. The chicken meal that I picked was delicious unlike usual flight meals that I've ate before, and I was lucky to have gotten the last chicken meal! After meal was no doubt time to sleep :)

Our plane landed at Incheon Airport in the early morning at about 7am KST. I was exhausted but my excitement level was way higher! We walked around the airport given 20 mins to change and wash up, and we saw Paris Baguette! I was tempted to buy but we were going for breakfast soon anyway, so I decided  not to as there were plenty of other days for me to buy instead.

We waited for everyone to assemble back and then proceeded for breakfast! Breakfast was a simple and light udon meal.

The first destination after our breakfast was the famous tourist spot, Gyeongbok Palace. We were really lucky as we made it just in time to see the guards moving around for an opening ceremony. In addition, the tour guide had also told us that the Koreans took great pride towards their country's culture and that we should never insult their culture in public as they would get angry if they heard. This is something new to me as most Singaporeans do not have such patriotism towards our homeland, and I hope someday Singaporeans could be like the Koreans as well. 

We had some free time to explore the areas in the palace thus me and my friends walked around and took pictures. The scenery was really beautiful and the sky was so clear and it's something you cannot see in Singapore. 

Next, we proceeded to have lunch at MerMer restaurant. It was a buffet restaurant, and we also had shabu shabu there as well! The beef was so delicious and I wanted to have more of it but sadly it's not refillable.

The next stop was Seoul N Tower, also known as the Namsan Tower! It is famous for its mighty height and also famous for the numerous number of love locks that could be found there. It is said to bring everlasting love to the couples/families who locked their locks onto the fence. 

The view from the highest level of the tower, so magnificent!

 After that, we went to Hanok Village to look at some of the really old houses in that area. It has decades of history attached to them. We asked the tour guide and were shocked to know that the houses could cost up to $10 million USD these days! That is even more expensive than a luxurious bungalow in Singapore.

We did not stay at the village for too long as it was close to dinner time. We proceeded to a restaurant for another Korean delicacy, the Ginseng Chicken Soup (Samgyetang). I did not really like the taste of it as there was many herbs in it such as red dates and ginseng, and the ginseng taste was really strong and I wasn't used to such taste. However, it was a really nourishing dish that could make you look younger. Perhaps that's why Korean women look so young. I was already starting to miss my mother's homecooked food by this point of time. 

We headed to the hotel to check in right after dinner as everyone was exhausted. However, we were given permission to roam around Insadong area. Thus, me and my group of friends walked around. There wasn't much interesting things in that area. I bought myself a Korea style ice cream as dessert, and the cone was made out of corn and the inside was filled with dark chocolate ice cream. It was really delicious! 

We then went back to the hotel to rest, and I finally get to shower after more than 24 hours of not showering!! (✿◠‿◠)