Hangang (Han River)

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Seoul can be overwhelming with the amount of people on the streets, in the subways, and the bombarding sales people are quite something. One place that has lots of space and a calming environment is Hangang. Hangang runs right through Seoul. Itโ€™s a popular destination for locals and tourists. Along the river you can find bike routes, parks, pools, and Korean people in tents.

The first park I went to is Yeoiudo Park. This park is near the 63 building, which used to be the tallest in the world. At Yeouido Park, my friends and I got pizza delivered to the park. Can people do that in America? Maybe? In Seoul, you can virtually get everything delivered anywhere. Around Hangang itโ€™s very popular to get pizza or fried chicken delivery. After having our pizza dinner, we took a stroll around. The area had a lot of fountains and biking people.

 Another Hangang park is Banpo Park where the Rainbow Fountain resides. This attraction is popular amongst tourists. While I was there, I could hear lots of foreign languages: Cantonese, English, Mandarin, Russian, etc. Yeouido Park bikers are mostly couples and casual bikers. At Banpo, there are many sport bicyclists. Everyone needs to be careful when crossing the bike routes because bicyclists go fast and they donโ€™t stop.

Hangang has many more parks but thereโ€™s just so much to do in Seoul. Hopefully I will be able to explore more of Hangang. Apparently you can go kayaking and windsurfing in the river. Havenโ€™t see anybody do that yet.

Kathy Tran

Annyeonghaseyo! My name is Kathy Tran. I am a Multi-Disciplinary Design student at the University of Utah. In addition to my studies I am a Diversity Scholar and a member of the Asian American Student Association on campus. Coming from a first generation Vietnamese immigrant family, I am the very first child to attend college and definitely first to study abroad. I have a love for pursuing many different experiences ranging from playing lacrosse, to creating chalk murals at festivals, and exploring world cultures. Some things you may find on my resume are various volunteer positions, athletics, and club memberships. Now it is time for me to explore cultures outside of my own identity. This summer I will be attending Seoul National University in their 10-week Korean Language Program. My interest in South Korea stemmed from being exposed to Korean media and learning about its technological advancements. During my time in Seoul, I have decided to stay with a host family. Through this experience, I will be able to learn about Korean culture more in depth and will constantly interact in Korean. Along with my daily 4-hour language class, I will be serving with Seoul Bean, a volunteer group that socializes with orphaned children while teaching them english. While attending SNU, I look forward to meeting other international students, serving the community, and interacting in Korean with native speakers.