Blogs from Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea, Asia

Our research group had two amazing experiences today. We interviewed the Land and Housing Corporation (LH) as well as the Korean Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS). I personally went on the LH "tour" of affordable housing units in Seoul. Our guide was Senior Researcher, Meeyoun Jin, Dr. Lee (professor) as well as an interpreter. Both women were so hospitable and friendly. They picked us up at the hotel, took their entire morning to drive us to 3 separate areas, all while filling our research data with solid and interesting information. Our other group took the metro to KRIHS and had an unbelievable time with 3 lectures and a plethora of useful information for us to use in our project. After our interviews we had a free afternoon to explore. A small group of us ate ... read more

A couple of years ago Seoul started the Seoul Lantern festival in November. I tried looking up the exact reason why they have it every year but I couldn't find any. So they do it because the Koreans love to have festivals. So anyway, we decided to head over to Seoul for day/night to spend some time in the nice fall weather and to relax a bit. Later that night once it got dark we headed over to Cheonggyecheon Stream which is a manmade 1.5km stream that runs through the heart of Seoul. Kind of like Cherry creek in Denver. There is a streamside walkway that runs besides it and then one above that you can walk along as well. One thing about Korea, you always have to assume that there are going to be a ... read more

So after my last entry I took a one hour bus journey north to the city of Gyeongju. Gyeongju is a bit of a treasure in South Korea as it is the country's most traditional city. This is because during the 1970s and 1980s, during Korea's boom years, the then President of South Korea introduced height restrictions on anything built near the city centre and passed a bill requiring almost all buildings to have a Korean traditional roof so that the city would remain traditional. For this reason you don't see any of the skyscraping hotels and apartment blocks that you see in cities like Seoul or Busan. More recently the rules have been flaunted and there are now big banks and office buildings but still nothing like in the other cities and on the outskirts ... read more

We decided to head up to Seoul and take care of some errands. Jen wanted to go to Insadong, a touristy part of Seoul loaded with antique shops, art galleries and keepsakes. She wanted to pick up some (spoiler alert) gifts for people back home and for those who will be in our wedding. And I wanted to walk around a crowded area of Seoul wearing a bulky backpack and lugging around a roller suitcase full of old books on bumpy streets dodging tourists and street vendors. Wishes granted. There are really four ways to make it up to Seoul. The bus, which is the cheapest option. The regular train, which is te cheapest option but somehow takes longer than the bus. The KTX uber fast laser train that speeds you towards Seoul in style and ... read more

Seoul, South Korea. Hadn’t really pictured myself coming here ever, and was not really sure what to expect. I just knew it was a big city with lots of people in a developed country. It is clean, organized, safe, and very populated. There are poor people, very wealthy people, and most people are working hard just trying to live their daily lives. KIAs and Hyundais, mostly in white, black and gray, are everywhere. Koreans love signs and hang them all over the place. They love pop stars and rice. They respect their elders, to the point where some older people are rude to younger people on the street and there is no recourse (someone old woman on an elevator snapped at my friend). Baseball is the most popular sport, and I keep seeing men in what ... read more