Each week seems to appear to be ending quicker and quicker. I feel as if I have been everywhere but at the same time I still have much to do. More exploration is in the works in South Korea and Outside as well, and I planning a farewell party with the friends I have made! I have done this once before, so I hoping I can do this one last time.
This weekend, I felt like taking a tour down the memory lane of South Korea’s history. I payed a visit to the War memorial Museum of Korea located around Itaewon. While the day seemed like it was full of emptiness and rain, inside held so many gems. This museum was huge and has about three stories. Each room is dedicated to certain parts about the Korean war, past wars / dynasties, weapons, to current news that is trending today. I did not even know where to begin my tour.
One thing I noticed are the small quotes or statements that were made along the walls. Then mention about the individuals who have fallen are the true hero’s of Korea. They are the ones who sacrifice their lives to bring peace to their homeland. The more and more I realize, the people care strongly for their country, they show so much compassion that I never realize how strong this country is. They had a layout of certain major battlefields, and in some rooms their were videos of reenactments. This museum showed you what type of armor they had used in past wars and the weapons that the North and South Koreans used during the Korean War.
As I was reading I see that the United States aided South Korea with the help of Generals such as Douglas MacArthur to help reclaim territory that was lost during this war. Even important dates such as the date 25 June, 1950 when the North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel line, and how the capital of Seoul was taken over within three days. Even though South Korea has has its downs, there are good ones as well.
One of the articles that was posted on the wall was The Washington Post where both the leaders of North and South Korea pledged to work together, as well as their summit together. This reminds me when I went to Imjak, the last quote I saw mentioned that even if their is a imaginary line between the two, they hope to unite as one under one country. I enjoyed this museum so much, and I did not compete the whole thing, so I will definitely come back.
On Monday, the weather seemed so clear that I told one of my friends to head over to Namsam Tower. We had planned to catch the Sunset to night view because we figured it would be the best thing to do! Once our classes had finished we headed over there and it took us about an hour to climb to the tower. We admired the view from the level floor, and just waited for about thirty minutes before we made our way to the top.
Many people were here to visit and one thing that this tower is known for are the heart locks located along bridge. I did not spend to much time at the bridge but while I looked around, you can see some of the locks have rusted away. When I looked I wondered if these couples who locked in their love are still together as of this day.
But afterwards, we made it to the top and just admired how high up we were. Written at the top were how far major cities are, and I found Mexico and it was 12,133.72 km. We spent a good two hours and finally captured the night view. I was just surprised that in just a few weeks from now I will have to leave such a beautiful place. I plan on just traveling more and more, while studying as well.
