Seoul Searching: Part 2

Looking back at my various blog posts, it's hard to believe I was training in Seoul almost seven months ago. Mesmerized by metal chopsticks and double (sometimes triple) parked cars, these sights are now my everyday landscape. Korea is gettin' to me, guys! As a caucasian woman in Ulsan, one with "big eyes" and "small face," two sought after features among Koreans, I am very much the minority and receive plenty of stares and double-takes. To order food or make a purchase, I have to do so in Korean. To buy pants...well, I just can't fit.

Seoul is very, very different.

Thanks to the high-speed KTX train, Beth, Tim, Sarah and I were able to travel across the entire span of the country in less than three hours. The Korean rail system was completed in 2004 after twelve years of construction throughout the country. It regularly transports passengers from Busan to Seoul at speeds of 190mph, and although it's a tad pricey at 50,000won each way it does guarantee a comfortable, quick and reliable transit to and from the city. The KTX station in Seoul is located in the center of the city and allowed us to easily jump on the subway to our destination, Itaewon. The mecca of Western food.

Starting the day of right by almost missing our train
due to necessary iced coffee and donut holes.
Stress on "necessary."

Once we emerged from the depths of the subway it was obvious that Itaewon was unlike Ulsan for many reasons. First, while walking to our hostel we passed a Taco Bell. TACO BELL. Ulsan has no Taco Bell, nor any other "Mexican" food for that matter. Second, there were foreigners as far as the eye could see, and not just small-faced caucasians. We saw Turkish people, African American people, German people. We heard languages that weren't Korean OR English! It was as if a seven month veil had been lifted. I remembered that a world exists outside of gimbop rolls and ESL teaching. The last difference, something I could appreciate, was the abundance of what Korea calls "Big Size" stores. As an American I'd call them normal size stores, but here anything over a size 4 is considered large. (Pshhh.) As the night went on we noticed more extreme differences only present in Itaewon, like the large transgender community. But after checking-in at our hostel we had one goal in mind: Western food. Mexican food. We weren't disappointed.

Good IPA. Check.

Happy veggie burrito. Check.

After the gastronomic greatness we called lunch, the four of us hopped into a taxi and went to Insadong, a traditional market street. Street food, traditional souvenirs, selfies. All the traditional ways of Korean people were present in Insadong. Keeping with traditional spirit, we ventured to the Gyeongbokgung Palace which is smack-dab in the city. Located in northern Seoul, the palace was the first and largest built during the Joseon Dynasty in 14th century. However, in the early 15th century, the original palace was destroyed by a fire and left abandoned for hundreds of years. In 1867 it was reconstructed, then again destroyed by Imperial Japan, then gradually restored until 2009. Although it was far from original, walking through the Palace was actually pretty neat. Korean palaces are much different than the image my Western mind constructs. (Thanks, Disney.) Basically just one walled space within another walled space, the Joseon Dynasty must have deterred intruders by painting everything using the same color palate, creating so much confusion and frustration that the enemy was like, "Eff this! Let's go." 

Our tour began in the open arena near the center.

I wonder if the Joseon Dynasty ever did cartwheels here.

Tim, Beth, and Sarah. Los Tres Amigos.

Outside of the Korean Folk Museum

With sight-seeing out of the way we could refocus on our true mission: Western food. And Western friends. By complete coincidence my Bloomington friends, Harry and Nicole, were on their Korea vacation visiting Harry's family in Seoul. Although they were staying in Gangnam district, they subwayed over to Itaewon to join me for a night of all-American greatness. Seeing the familiar faces of Bloomington buddies filled me with such joy! 

Indulging in a questionably green cocktail, 

the "Liquid Marijuana." When in Itaewon,
do as the westerners do!

Harry giving us a Korean lesson.

And showing me how Korean won 

vary in size depending on value. 

Mind blown.

Nicole and I put up a solid fight, but
Team Boys prevailed. However, 

under the umbrella of Team America, 

we're all winners.

Thanks to Harry, Nicole, Western food, and R.Kelly's "Ignition Remix" I actually felt like I was back home for one evening. I'm completely comfortable living outside of the United States, but there's really no place like home and it felt good to enjoy that feeling after so long abroad. The next morning, Tim, Beth, Sarah and I woke up early for our last Western food hurrah. Quite possibly the most exciting of them all, we walked to Suji's New York Deli for some post-Saturday shenanigan breakfast. Man, who'da thought I'd photograph an omelet, home fries, and black drip coffee with such excitement? Certainly not me seven months ago. But now? Now it's a beautiful thing, very much deserving of a photo. 

It's no Runcible Spoon, but damn it was good.

Overall, my 24 hours in Seoul was a superb mini-vacation. It was nice to get away, but it also made me appreciate Ulsan's authentic Korean culture. It made me appreciate the small foreigner population, the fact that I have to speak Korean to get by, and the new appreciation I've gained for cuisine I took for granted at home. Ulsan is a good place for me in Korea. With the KTX, Seoul is never more than three hours away. And through Internet magic, friends and family are never more than just a click.