Basketball, Suwon, and starting classes

Last Friday I went to a basketball game in Olympic Park with Lea. I got free tickets because of how I met a basketball player's wife a couple of weeks ago with my mom (as I mentioned in my last blog post), which was really nice because who doesn't like free things? The game was entertaining to watch, especially noting how a basketball game in Korea is a lot more elaborate and cheery than a basketball game in the U.S. After the game was over, we were able to walk to the VIP section to say "Hi" to Shawn and her kids. We also finally got to meet her husband, who plays for the SK Knights, which was really neat. He's definitely the tallest person I've meet in person being 6'11". We got invited to more games which I definitely plan to take advantage of in the future.

Our seats at the basketball game.

Over the weekend, Lea invited me and her friend Victoria (who ended up being in my KLI class this semester) to take a day trip to Suwon. Suwon is the capital of Gyeonggi-do, the province that surrounds Seoul. After a little over an hour on the subway, we got to the city and then we took a short bus ride to Hwaseong Fortress. Back in the 1700s during the Choson Dynasty, King Jeongjo tried to make Suwon the capital of the dynasty instead of Seoul (but failed), so he build a fortress encompassing the whole city. Suwon has since expanded past the old walls but the fortress still stands. It was much bigger than expected and I really enjoyed seeing the architecture and how the fortress was laid out. It was also refreshing to visit a new place, something I haven't done as often over break because I had visitors.

One of the gates in Hwaseong Fortress.

A view of part of the wall.

The stream that runs through the fortress.

Another view of the fortress.

After walking around close to an hour, we grabbed lunch and then caught the dragon trolley which we took up a nearby hill/mountain to see the city of Suwon better. There was also a giant statue of King Jeongju on the hill which was impressive to see.

The trolley we took to the top of the hill.

A statue of King Jeongjo of the Choson Dynasty who built the fortress.

We then headed to the toilet museum in Suwon. Yes, you read that correctly. The toilet museum was created when the former mayor, nicknamed Mr. Toilet, passed away. He had his house built into the shape of the toilet and after he passed away they converted it into a museum. He got his nickname from being born in an outhouse and also from being a huge promoter of public restrooms in Suwon. I was amused by all the fake poop and statues in squatting positions while I was there, but I did learn a lot about the history of toilets. It was definitely the most unique museum I've been to, and I'm glad Lea dragged me along because otherwise I probably would've never visited Suwon let alone the toilet museum located there.

Posing by a giant statue of poop outside of the toilet museum.

Bathroom signs from around the world.

Toilets from the past.

A giant "squatter" toilet that is typical in Asia.

This week also marked the start of my classes for the semester. My history classes are taught by the same professor and so far I'm really liking the classes. The first two weeks are the same for each class so I only have to attend one, which is nice. The professor isn't super lively, but he's very thorough and knowledgable which I enjoy because I learn a lot and can take good notes. I've enjoyed the reading we've done so far as well, especially since I'm starting to learn about places I've visited in Korea, like Gyeongju, the capital of the Silla dynasty. The professor also posts all the readings and assignments online which is great because I don't have to worry about finding a way to bring back my textbooks to the U.S.

My Korean class also went well. The vibe in the class is different this semester because everyone in the class is much more on the same level of ability rather than last semester where there was much more variety. Additionally, unlike last semester all the material this time around is new instead of being half review and half new stuff. The class also all speaks in Korean when asking questions and when giving explanations, versus last semester we would squeeze in English when we really couldn't understand the explanation of a vocabulary word or grammar point. While the class is more challenging than last semester I think I'll learn a lot, which is why I came to Korea in the first place.

I'm starting to feel like I'm fitting in to the PSCORE family by hanging out with my co-interns and getting more involved in projects in the organization. I think I'll get nothing but positive experiences from this internship. I'll see you all next week!