Skip to main content

Daniel- Korea

Korea [韓国] (Daniel)

Beside Japan, Hippo Family Club also has a division in Korea, based in Seoul. Being the wonderful company that it is, Hippo Japan sent me to Hippo Korea to participate in a upcoming camp for exchange students.

At the airport in Korea, I was met by Guri-Guri-san, a Japanese Hippo member currently in Korea through WIP [World Internship Project]. He asked me what I wanted to do first, and I promptly replied; "I want to go to GUNGNAM!"
You see, I've always thought it would be cool to dance Gungnam Style in Gungnam-gu, a very fancy district of Seoul.
With that, we were off to Gungnam-gu, where I danced Gungnam in Gungnam.
IMG_1495.jpg
IMG_1497.jpg
I'm sure everyone knows about PSY and his world-famous Gungnam Style song and dance. But, my parents also read this blog and I don't think they know. So, the following video is for you, Mom and Dad:
Now, I have my own Gungnam Style video!
Aside from Gungdam-ing in Gungdam, I had fun just looking around and making observations of Seoul and the Korean people.
I thought Korea was going to look like a mini-Japan, since Korea was colonized by the Japanese until the 1940's. Well, the airport, Gangnum, and the center of Seoul did resemble Japan a bit. But as soon as I left the city and went into the suburbs - the environment was completely different! Seoul has more trees than Tokyo and tons of identical high-rise apartment buildings that make it look kinda like Russia.
IMG_1563.jpg
IMG_1566.jpg
Another thing I found interesting was the amount of churches. Churches everywhere! And they are easily identifiable by their tall steeples with crosses that glow in red or white at night. You can count multiple crosses from anywhere in Seoul, and I remember once counting 8 from a certain point where I was standing.
churches.png
Lastly, I enjoyed the large amount of advertisements that used Korean pop stars to lure bait. K-pop is a huge industry, quite popular in the US as well as Japan. K-Pop stars can really sell.
IMG_1505.jpg
I remember seeing the above ad and was almost convinced to by some DUN.SUM.COOL -- just so that I could feel like "part of the band..." :) "
Spending time in Korea was great, and I'm very happy for the experience. I'll write more about my Korean adventure in upcoming posts...
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hayley- Looking back

Looking Back The Month in Review: As we begin February, it is time for me  to write my monthly report. Technically speaking, I haven’t  been in Japan for a month yet, but this report covers all  that I have done in January. As part of the report, I put together a summary of different categories within my life.  While the following is rather dry, I thought my blog readers  might find it interesting and informative. Host Family: I have a wonderful host family, and I’ve enjoyed settling in and getting to know them. My 8-year-old host brother has adjusted to me, and we get along very well. My 13-year-old host sister has been a great help as I learn Japanese; she has a notebook where she writes down new Japanese words and phrases that I am learning. Sugoi-ne! My host parents are wonderful. My host mom makes me feel like part of the family. She understands about the little things that make one feel “included” in family life. Something as smal...
Post a Comment
Read more

LEX American Intern: Brittany

LEX American Intern: Brittany Introduction and First Impressions:  On LEX Hippo, and living in 日本 for a week Greetings and Salutations, my full name is Brittany Esther Gautier, but you can call me び [/bi/: BEE], or Brit, or びじ[BEE-GEE], or my official title Japanese resident registration ぶりとに[literally, "bu-RI-to-ni], or Britney Spears, or Brit-Brit, or ぶりぶり, or Estee. Or like a few of my previous Spanish speaking co-workers you can just call me Shakira. I am a year-long intern for LEX Hippo America. I speak English, understand a good amount of Spanish, and am focusing on learning Portuguese, and Japanese. I'm so excited to have been chosen for this wonderful program, and I'm overwhelmingly grateful for this opportunity to travel, learn, and expand my worldview in such an authentic and meaningful way. Background As I said before, I'm Brittany. I'm 22 years old, but on October 8th, I will be 23. Soy de Estados Unidos en California. Mi familia se com...
Post a Comment
Read more

Daniel- Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! (Daniel) あけましておめでとう!! New Years is probably my favorite holiday because it is the only time I am expected to hang out with friends all night long. This is the first time I'm celebrating New Years in another land, far away from my friends and the mandatory  оливье . Still, I had fun learning the Japanese customs and traditions during New Years. Japanese people usually head to their hometowns to celebrate New Years with their extended families, causing train stations and airports to be crazy crowded. My host family and I traveled to Osaka, my host mom's hometown, to celebrate New Years with her parents. Most of our five days in Osaka were spent sitting around the  kotatsu  reading, sleeping, or watching TV. We greeted the New Year by watching a live-broadcast of Japan's most popular artists and celebrities performing famous songs. Four hours and fifteen minutes of J-Pop O.o Though I was far away from my  оливье , I enjoyed having an authe...
Post a Comment
Read more