To preface, I want to thank Professor Jamie for giving us a free day on Sunday. After several packed days of lectures, presentations, site visits, and nonstop activities, it was really nice to finally have time completely to ourselves. One thing that has made this trip so enjoyable is having the chance to experience Seoul in different ways, and the free day allowed everyone to choose exactly how they wanted to spend their time.
For me, the day started a little slower than usual because I finally got the chance to sleep in. After that, I got a yummy smoothie to start my day — I have been LOVING the smoothies in Seoul. Then I met up with Jack E, and we went rock climbing. He was quite good. I was definitely not. Still, it was a super fun experience and something completely different from what we had been doing the rest of the trip. It also reminded me how many different activities and hobbies are integrated into everyday life in Seoul.
After climbing, I headed over to Gangnam and spent several hours walking around, shopping, and exploring the area. Gangnam is one of those places that almost feels exactly how it is portrayed in the media — busy, modern, polished, and full of energy. There were endless stores, cafes, restaurants, and huge buildings everywhere. Even without a strict plan, it was probably one of the most enjoyable parts of the day because I could just wander around and take everything in at my own pace.
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Here I am with a Cybertruck at the mall (one of our scavenger hunt items). Notice that I am holding my second smoothie of the day :) |
One thing that was interesting about the free day was seeing how differently everyone decided to spend it. Some of the boys found a basketball court and played pickup games for part of the afternoon. Eloise got a tattoo while exploring the city, which was definitely one of the more memorable ways anyone spent the day. Elizabeth and Sophie went to a LUCY concert at the KSPO Dome, which seemed like a great time.
Later that night, several of us went out for karaoke, which ended up being a lot of fun. We sang a bunch of popular songs, and while I once again proved that singing is definitely not one of my talents, I still had a great time being there. Some people in the group were actually really good, which made it even more entertaining.
After spending the first part of the program moving together as a group on structured schedules, it was refreshing to navigate Seoul more independently and experience an entire day to ourselves. Even though it was technically a “day off,” it still ended up being one of the most memorable days of the trip so far.
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