Daegu and Busan

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Like I mentioned on my last journal entry, I visited Daegu and Busan in the past weeks. First stop was Daegu! Daegu is South Korea’s fourth largest city. Apart from being the fourth largest city, Daegu is also known as the hottest city in South Korea, as it is completely surrounded by mountains that trap in the heat.ย While many complain about the heat in Daegu I was quite glad to getย away from Seoul’s slightly chilly weather at the time. We went to Apsan Mountain while we were there, and took a cable car to the observatory at the top where you can see the entire city of Daegu! Even though the day was a little foggy, the view was still incredible from up there.

Also, the food is amazing in both Daegu and Busan. Daegu has a lot of Kalguksu restaurants.ย Kalguksu is a soup with flour noodles that are usually cut by hand, which gives them their uneven appearance and I highly recommend you try them, as they are one of my favorite Korean dishes.

The week after going to Daegu, I went to Busan. This is my second time in Busan since I have been in Korea, since I just refused to leave without visiting the city one more time. Busan is a coastal city in the far south of South Korea. It is known for it’s beautiful beaches and delicious seafood.While I was there I made it a point to eat only seafood dishes, as they are cheaper in Busan and definitely better tasting than anywhere else in Korea.

I was also really looking forward to the beach so I visited the three main beaches, as well as roamed around the city admiring it. Busan is definitely my favorite place in Korea, more so than Seoul! I can’t really describe what is is exactly about Busan that draws me in so much. The main differences between Busan and Seoul is that, even though Busan is the second most populous city in Korea, everything seems to go much slower than Seoul and there is a much more relaxed atmosphere. It is a nice getaway from the super fast-paced lifestyle in Seoul, while still being in a big city. For me, Busan has the best of both worlds, specially since it has access to the ocean!

I went to one of Busan’s most famous places called Taejongdae Park. I had wanted to go there the firstI visited Busan, but because of time constraint I was not able to go. This time, however, it was a must! Taejongdae Park is a natural park full of beautiful rocky cliffs right next to the ocean, and a famous pebble beach. I can honestly say I have not seen anything as beautiful as Taejongdae in my life. It is the kind of place that makes you want to just sit there and take everything in, just looking at the beautiful sights in front of you and enjoying the fresh ocean breeze.

Kalena Gomez

<i>Hello in your host country language</i>: Annyeonghaseyo <i> University</i>: Florida International University <i>Expected graduation year</i>: 2020 <i>Destination</i>: Seoul, South Korea <i>Program Provider</i>: University Sponsored <i>Major / Minor</i>: International Relations / Asian Studies <i>Language of Study</i>: Korean <i>Demographic background</i>: First-generation, Hispanic-American <i>Future career aspirations</i>: Professor of International Relations and Korean Studies <i>Top 3 goals for study abroad</i>: To improve my Korean language proficiency; To immerse myself in Korean culture; To develop a better sense of cultural awareness.