Week 21 -- David in Incheon

1. (What I learned about Korea)

I dropped by the Hoedeok Hyanggyo this week. This is an old Confucian school that has been turned into a historical monument. It was nice to see, and I learned a little more about the old hyanggyos and how they are laid out.

Due to my ICAHRR conference, I would be spending Sunday and beyond in Incheon. This I decided to take a little time Saturday to see Seoul, since the two cities are relatively close. I took a day tour of the city and saw several old monuments, including Gyeongbok Palace. Walking around the palace was really cool. The tour guide also taught us about Korean history (like the histories of the various kings and dynasties, and the Japanese invasion) and old customs. We also saw the Ginseng Center, where we learned about the development and harvesting of ginseng, and Insadong, where we got to do some traditional shopping. It was a great chance to learn about Seoul.

I saw some marches while in Seoul -- Saturday was Liberation Day, commemorating the freedom of Korea from Japanese invaders. I learned a little about the history of that when I was in Seoul.

I took the KTX to Seoul, and eventually the subway from Seoul to Incheon. I thus learned more about Korean intercity transportation.

2. (Project status)

I completed my ICAHRR slides and rehearsed my ICAHRR presentation this week. I added some things to the motor controller documentation and posted it online. I also finished gesture choreography.

3. (Photos of the week)

Three photos this week. One is of the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, the second is of Insadong in Seoul, and the third is of the ICAHRR conference.

4. (What I learned about myself)

Getting to Incheon required taking multiple forms of transportation, but I was able to do it, demonstrating my ability to use public transportation even when I don't understand the language.

5. (New people I met this week)

I've met numerous new people at the conference. One such person is Dr. Igor Verner of Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology. We had a good talk at the opening party about robotics and our research.