I met with my Korean language partner Jae this week. He was very nice and offered to help to me as well as my friends. He became a one-day tour guide during our trip to Changdeokgung Palace and Gyeongbokgung Palace on Saturday. My Korean language is limited, but thanks to his help, I understood the stories from those old constructions. I followed a Chinese local tour to the inner secret garden of Changdeokgung Plalace, and it was my turn to translate Chinese to him. It achieved my ever-present goals of language exchange—–language and culture exchange and making friends.
Yonsei University is located at the center of Seoul. The street usually becomes very crowded after 6 pm. A lot of activities take place at the corners, like singing and dancing. Korean-pop culture is so popular because the young people of Korea are very actively engaged with entertainment. Maybe one day, some of these people who sing and dance on the street will become super stars. Seoul’s public transportation is also very convenient. For example, there are Korean, Chinese, Japanese and English signs and announcements for many subway stops. Foreigners can easily get access to their final destinations even if they know nothing about Korean. And English is widely used by the Korean younger generations. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you get lost.
Lastly, I love cats. I went to a cat cafe this weekend. The cafe has 40 cats who are taken care of very well. This kind of special cafe attracts lots of cat people. We had some drinks there, and played with cats at the same time. I know the cat cafe is common in Japan, but I am surprised in Korea it was so as well. And many foreigners, like us, go the the cafe too.