Exploration for the Eyes – the Korean City Wall

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Jia Min (Kelly) Zheng

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Annyeonghaseyo <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> Brandeis University <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2022 <i>Destination city & country:</i> Seoul, South Korea <i>Program provider:</i> CIEE <i>Major/minor:</i> Business and Computer Science <i>Demographics:</i> First-Generation <i>Future career aspirations:</i> International Marketer <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> Discover more about Korean culture, learn about how Eastern cultures and customs vary from Western culture, and discover more about myself and my passions.

A hike I won’t forget…

10 hours, 42,000 steps, 4 destinations (Bugaksan, Inwangsan, Naksan, and Namsan).

We walked around the Korean City Wall, a series of walls which protects Seoul from invaders. These unique walls survived many centuries. Some gates were broken down to make room for roads but are rebuilt in different areas. There are four gates (North, East, South, West) where each represents a different animal thought to be the protector of that gate. To get to those destinations and to see around the walls, we would climb different mountains. It was both a tiring but extremely rewarding experience worth doing at least once!