Week 10 -- Microcontrollers and Busan

1. (What I learned about Korea)

I returned to Bomunsan this week, to see some things I missed last week. One was Gochoksa Temple, the grounds of which are open to the public to walk on. So I learned a bit about how some Buddhist temples are laid out, and I got to see some nice artwork.

While I was on the mountain, I also came across the Buddha carving in the rock wall. I hadn't seen such an old carving before, so I learned about what carvings from that time period looked like. It was well preserved even after so many years.

I visited the Chungnam University History Museum. I saw a lot of ancient pottery and learned a bit about how pottery progressed through the years in Korea.

Today I went to Busan. This entailed taking the KTX (high speed train) line, so I learned more about the line, how to find information regarding schedules and routes, and what the ride itself is like. I found it very relaxing and smooth, and I had the chance to get a lot of reading done.

While in Busan I had the opportunity to learn more about the city. It has the largest port in South Korea, and the 5th largest port on the planet. The harbor was huge. I took an elevator up the tower in Yongdusan Park and got to look over the whole harbor area, and it was the largest I've ever seen. The fish market was also huge; I lost count of all the stalls I saw selling fish.

Incidentally, while I was there I had the opportunity to taste fresh Busan fish. It was quite good, and was probably some of the best sashimi I've ever eaten.

I also got a chance to check out the aquarium, which again is famous throughout Korea. So I learned about some of the fish in the area, and I got to see some very interesting exhibits (such as the tunnel under the largest tank so that fish swim overhead).

And finally, I made sure to check out Haeundae beach. There was a dance competition and a sand sculpture competition going on, so I got to see the artistic stylings of some of the younger residents of Korea.

2. (Project status)

I made functional the new startup GUI, so it theoretically performs all the same necessary functions as the old GUI (we haven't been able to test it on the full HUBO yet, though). After this, though, Dr. Jun Oh changed my project. I'm studying microcontrollers now. It looks fun; I'll be building circuits and programming chips. This will be useful for working on HUBO components later.

Also, it's only a hypothetical for now, but there may be a lab trip to China in July.

3. (Pictures of the week)

The first picture is of the carved Buddha on Bomunsan, and the second is of Haeundae Beach in Busan.

4. (What I learned about myself)

I've never been to Busan before, and didn't know what to see, but I managed to prioritize and saw all of the most famous things in the city (the beach, the aquarium, the fishery). I showed myself that I can manage my time well when it comes to organizing a day. Also, I proved to myself that I can handle long-distance travel with the KTX.

5. (New people I met this week)

I didn't meet anyone new this week.