Walking Off Every Meal

Mom and Dad, if I lose weight from this trip, it's not because I'm not eating enough - it's because I'm eating only healthy foods and walking an average of (seemingly) 5-6 miles a day!  We eat huge meals, feeling absolutely stuffed afterwards, and are hungry 2-3 hours after because we walk so much!  Today, we had our first scheduled group excursion - a city tour of Seoul.  Unfortunately, due to the rain, this was cancelled - instead, we took the subway (all 150-200 of us, which I will address shortly) to Coex Mall, Seoul's largest underground mall.  We were supposed to tour the kimchi museum as well, but it was not open.  

Half of the group trying to get on the same subway, which was both hilarious and nightmare-ish.

Some new friends from Kazakhstan, Hawaii, and China and me at the Hanyang University station.

The Coex mall is overwhelmingly enormous, with several floors and dozens of American brands.  Interestingly, American brands (on average) are marked up 20% in Korea.  For example, this "unique" Adidas jacket is on sale for W715,000 (or $715).  Please note the leather wings:

An Adidas jacket for W715,000

Outside the Coex Mall

Outside the Coex Mall

Many of us decided to venture to the Dongdaemun market in the Gwanghwamun neighborhood after shopping at the Coex mall.  This place is by far my favorite shopping location!  "Where to begin in this colossal market?" the Lonely Planet Seoul City Guide says (83).  Shopping in this market includes (but is definitely not limited to) the Doota mall, "a leading fashion icon full to the brim with domestic brands.  Besides floors dedicated to adult clothing, it has a floor of accessory shops (so cool!)...and a food-court floor" (83).  In addition to this mall, surrounding streets offer street-side stalls brimming with shoes, umbrellas, clothes, and knock-off purses.  I have never seen anything like this place - the sidewalks are perhaps similar to a flea market, but the stalls are so full of stuff!  It's hard to walk into some of the little shops because there is merchandise everywhere.  This gave me a thrill of the chase, a sense of excitement to find bargains.  Speaking of bargains, I am proud to announce that I negotiated my first purchase tonight!  My technique was awful to say the least, but it was pretty exciting.  I could feel my face getting red as I continued to say "W15000?" after the storekeeper continued to say "no, 18."  As we began to walk away, the storekeeper said "okay, 16."  I fumbled with my cash to pay W16000, accidentally exposing my W50000, a stupid tactical error a friend pointed out to me later.  Still, I got a pair of shoes for W16000 - $16!  

Dongdaemun market has some awesome local Korean food - I wish I could have tried it all!  Today, I tried some BBQ squid - not really my preference, but it wasn't bad!  I was prepared for the taste after trying dried squid with the Japanese students last summer during the Sakae Program.  Another stall offered "potato hot dogs," which were basically hot dogs with french fries all over them.  They smelled amazing, but we didn't get any.  

The Doota mall is absolutely overwhelming in every sense.  There are 8 massive floors, each dedicated to a specific type of clothing.  The 8th floor has a rooftop garden, which we didn't make it to, unfortunately.  The clothes in this mall were amazing, but quite expensive - somewhat comparable to typical upscale American pricing.

Also in Dongdaemun stands a beautiful palace.  It is an interesting juxtaposition of old and new, of tradition and modernity, to find a palace nestled in the center of such a commercial area.  From my research, this juxtaposition seems to symbolize much of Seoul's ideology of maintaining tradition, remembering the past, which progressively achieving modernity.  Unfortunately, my camera died after this photo, but luckily, a friend still had her camera, so I will eventually get more photos from this day trip.      

HISS students in Dongdaemun

Hong, Tiffany, and I made it back to the dorm around 9:45 p.m.  The others decided to continue shopping after Dongdaemun, but we were whipped and hungry (despite eating at 4:30 p.m.)  Now, it's time for bed.  Tomorrow begins the school-aspect of my trip!