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Today is Chuseok in Korea, which can be most closely related to Thanksgiving in the U.S.

People get together with their families in their hometowns to celebrate together. Sometimes gift sets are given, such as this Spam one (Spam is hugely popular in Korea and serves as a prominent ingredient in some dishes).

Last night we had the opportunity to go to a Catholic service, which was a nice, small community. Given that Catholic Mass is celebrated in the same structure across the world, when I was invited to participate in the readings, I was able to jump right in.

I’m sitting in a dog cafe in Seoul and have some wi-fi!

 

Here are some pics of my first night in Seoul. My two friends Jindallae and Corrine met me at the airport and we went out for an awesome first dinner in the city.

After the ~14 hour flight, I made it to Korea!

The flight went by quickly. Here is roughly how I spent the time:

• 1 hour: Games and music on the console. Plus a bit of Burmese language practice
• 1 hour: Snacks + drinks from attendants, followed by the first meal (I went with the bibimbap)
• 1 hour: Watched the first hour of Captain America: Winter Soldier
• 3 hours: Sleep
• 1 hour: Second half of Winter Soldier
• 1 hour: Next meal, which was chicken and rice
• 2 hours: Watched Maleficent
• 3 hours: Sleep
• 40 minutes: Prep for landing and land (flip through a magazine, etc.)

After landing I met up with Corrine and Jindallae (friends from Sloan) and we went out for a great dinner.

I’ll end today with some initial observations:

• Korea is very tech-enabled (e.g. sensor-powered drinking fountains, automatic speed cameras on the roads, credit card flash technology)
• I haven’t seen many foreigners (I was asked twice at the airport if I was U.S. Military)
• The food is awesome!

After much preparation I will soon be off to Korea. I will be in Seoul for a week before heading to Myanmar.

Why Seoul? My fascination for Seoul started when I fell in love with the cuisine last Fall. Bulgoki, Sundubu, Chap Che, and assorted panchan elevated to the top of my list of favorite foods. One of my best friends from Sloan is Korean, and another is working there.

My interest was fueled once I learned more about the state of the people in North Korea.

During my week in Seoul I will be visiting with friends, seeing the city, and learning more about the local culture (and cuisine!).

Hi everyone!

So this is the blog page, which is where the action will be. I haven’t left the U.S. yet, but I’ll be flying out to Seoul on Friday (Sep. 5th) where I will be spending a week with some friends before I fly on to Yangon, Myanmar on September 13th. Stay tuned for updates!

This is what life in transition looks like!