Week 14 -- Jangtaesan and Virginia Tech

1. (What I learned about Korea)

On Saturday I went down to Jangtaesan, one of the 8 "scenic sights" of Daejeon. Jangtaesan is a mountain and has a well known forest on it. The forest was filled with people picnicking, relaxing by rivers, and having fun as families. There were also gardens and a small inn area near the top of the mountain, and an observatory where I could look out over the city at the very top. It was a very tranquil place, and now I've seen another Daejeon Sight. Only 3 more to go (Gubongsan mountain, Daecheonghosu Lake, and the Yuseong Spa).

I also used the busses for the first time. A lot of people have electronic travel cards that they just swipe when exiting the bus. I don't have one, so I paid cash, but it was interesting to see the ease with which people paid. I think Septa could take a few tips from them.

Today I journeyed to Ssoonghyeon lecture hall. It was another peaceful place. I got to see the various buildings and I learned some of the history of the shrine. It was only a half hour's walk from my dormitory too. The other Cultural Assets in Yuseong are much further out, so it will be harder to see them, but I'm going to try.

I saw a movie for the first time in Korea -- Transformer 2. They sell squid as a snack in movie theaters in Korea. I stuck with popcorn, having already tried squid, but I was intrigued by the concept nevertheless. The theater experience was fundamentally the same, though.

Finally, for the first time in Korea I went to a McDonalds. I discovered that they sell some different food here, including shrimp burgers. I got one, and it tasted kind of odd, but still pretty good.

2. (Project status)

I got through a lot of the motor controller documentation this week. This is substantially different than the other documentation I did earlier in the spring; this is requiring me to look through the different sets of motor controller schematics to identifying what setting the various pins does. Still, it's going smoothly.

There was a small hiccup early in the week due to computer troubles, but that's mostly fixed now.

3. (Photos of the week)

First photo is from the observatory in Jangtaesan, the second is from Ssoonghyeon.

4. (Things I learned about myself)

I learned that I can bypass computer difficulties and continue working even when technical failures happen.

5. (New people I met this week)

Derrick Lahr from Virginia Tech arrived this week. I'd met him on the PIRE trip in November, but we had a lot more contact this week. He's a very nice guy, and friendly too. He came with Clayton and I to see Transformers.

Week 13 -- Dolsotbap and seafood

1. (What I learned about Korea)

This week I explored some new restaurants and dishes, using my restaurant guide that I obtained from the tourist center.

One dish that I wanted to try in particular was dolsotbap. This is rice mixed with a mixture of nuts and vegetables, and served with many side dishes. I enjoyed the dish a lot when I found a place that offered it as a specialty, and now I know what dolsotbap tasted like. This also means I only have two signature dishes of the city left to try.

I also wanted to go to a buffet, not having been to one since arriving. My guide mention a good seafood buffet in the northwest part of town. I went and I got to try a wide variety of different sushi and sashimi dishes. So I learned a little more about what seafood in Korea tastes like as well.

Finally, I learned about Korean burgers when I went to have one last night. I hadn't actually had a full burger since arriving, and I noticed that the one I ordered was much smaller than ones in America (although still tasty). This experience taught me more about how burgers tend to be larger in American than in some other countries.

2. (Project status)

I returned to the GUI this week, creating a new form that involved some graphical manipulation. I also began examining the motor controller code -- it looks like I'll be doing some more code documentation in the coming weeks.

3. (Picture of the week)

Dolsotbap.

4. (What I learned about myself)

I learned that I can draw/manipulate graphics using code. I hadn't done this before, but was able to do it for the new GUI form I wrote.

5. (New people I met this week)

Clayton and I were alerted to Major Chris Korpela, who is joining Dr. Oh's lab. He may be coming down to the HUBO lab for a tour.

Week 12 -- Donghaksa and Daejeon National Cemetary

1. (What I learned about Korea)

The 'living in Daejeon' guidebook we got in the dorm recommended visiting the Daejeon National Cemetery as a cultural institution. I visited it this Saturday. It was a very educational experience. I saw the monuments for the soldiers who fell fighting in different wars, and I saw different graveyards for soldiers, police officers, and meritorious citizens. I also saw many picnickers, which made me see that the atmosphere was more casual than that of the cemeteries I've seen back in America.

I also went outside of Daejeon to see Gyeryeongsan mountain, which contains Donghaksa and Gapsa temples. I saw both temples and learned more about Buddhist sculpture and artwork. In particular, Donghaksa temple was a large complex with several unconnected buildings, and I got to see how the area was laid out.

While I was on Gyeryeongsan, I had the chance to see Eunsun Falls. The view was great, and now I know another place to go to show a really nice view in case I show more people around the city (like my parents last week).

I tried acorn jelly, one of the six Daejeon specialty dishes. Acorn jelly apparently has a long history in Daejeon, as it was originally produced by farmers who wanted to manufacture a crop during the winter months. So now I know what acorn jelly tastes like.

2. (Project status)

I continued working with microcontrollers. Also, I may start working on the GUI again soon.

3. (Picture of the week)

Altar at Donghaksa temple:

4. (What I learned about myself)

Gyeryeongsan mountain had paths much rockier than the other mountains I've been on so far (Bomunsan, Sikjangsan, and Gyejoksan). It was much more difficult to make my way along the paths. But I managed, and so I learned that I can traverse difficult terrain.

5. (New people I met this week)

I didn't meet anyone new this week.

Week 11 -- Geological Museum and O-World

1. (What I learned about Korea)

I tried some new dishes this week, and I learned a little more about cuisine in Korea. On Thursday, the lab students (me included) went out to a tofu restaurant. I actually haven't eaten much tofu, but I enjoyed the meal, and I learned more about tofu is used in Korean dishes.

On Friday, by contrast, we went out for Chinese. It was very different from Chinese food back in America; lunch was three courses, including a sweet and sour chicken course (each plate shared by four people) between the dumplings and the noodles. It was delicious. I found it interesting how the food was prepared, in contrast to Chinese food in America.

Today I went to Theme Park O-World/Daejeon Zooland with my parents (who were visiting). This theme park is probably the biggest amusement park in Daejeon. So I learned about this theme park. In particular, I saw the zoo portion of it, and I got to see what sort of animals are kept in zoos in the area.

Also today, when I was walking with my parents we explored the underground market by the KTX station. I hadn't been there before, so it was interesting to walk around down there and see what was being sold.

2. (Project status)

I continued studying microcontrollers this week, improving my circuit and learning how to program them. An LED is hooked up to the circuit now, and I can start making programs to output values onto the LED now.

3. (Picture of the week)

The Theme Park O-World entrance.

4. (What I learned about myself)

My parents came to visit this week, and I showed them around the city. I demonstrated to myself that I know Daejeon well enough to show newcomers to the city around the place. I further verified that I know enough about transportation in the city that I can get anywhere I want to go easily, even with people who speak no Korean traveling with me.

5. (New people I met this week)

I'm working a lot with BK, a KAIST student in the HUBO lab, on the microcontroller project, and so I'm getting to know him. He's a nice guy, and very knowledgeable about microcontrollers. His main project is making HUBO run.

Administrative note

To make the blog more useful, I've gone through the old posts and made two main changes:

1. I've added tags to the entries.

2. I've added additional links to external websites.