Week 24 -- David Leaves Daejeon

1. (What I learned about Korea)

I went to a classical guitar concert this week. It had a lot of classical music – Schumann, Schubert, Tchaikovsky – transcribed for the Korean guitar. It was really good, and I learned about how Korean guitars sound.

I had to buy presents and souvenirs, so I spent a good portion of my time exploring the local department stores. I learned what’s in them and how they’re laid out in Korea. Then, when I couldn’t get enough good presents in the stores, I went back to Jungang market and Jungang Underground Arcade, two massive shopping areas. The Underground Arcade is a network of subterranean stores, and the market is an open air collection of hundreds of shops and stalls near the KTX station. By exploring these areas, I was able to get all the gifts I needed, and I learned more about Korean shopping.

I got to try something called mooncake this week. I have no idea if it’s a Korea-wide thing or just a specialty of one shop, but either way, I know I like it. It’s like pound cake, but a little sweeter.

2. (Project status)

I archived and saved everything I need. I also prepared a presentation for Dr. Oh, who arrived on Thursday, to discuss a Hubo manual. I had my computer wiped, returned my KAIST Hubo Lab access card, and packed some things for the next coops that are now stored in the lab.

3. (Photos of the week)

The first photo is of Jungang Underground Arcade. The second photo is from our final barbecue dinner with the guys in the Hubo Lab.

4. (What I learned about myself)

I showed that I can conclude things appropriately this week. We went out to dinner with the guys in the Lab, I got gifts for people and said my goodbyes, and was able to pack appropriately (including discarding things that wouldn’t fit).

5. (New people I met this week)

I didn’t meet anyone new this week; I was too busy saying goodbye to all the people I already knew.

I'm in Incheon now, leaving for America in about 12 hours. This post concludes this blog. Goodbye, everybody!

Week 4 -- Gyejoksan and code

Week four ended today. It went pretty well.

1. (What I learned about Korea)

On Sunday I went to the Currency Museum, which is right by KAIST. It had exhibits with the various types of currency Korea had used since before recorded history up to the present. It was very interesting.  There was also a section on medals and other special awards, so I got to see some military medals up close.

I also visited the Biosphere, which is near Expo Park. So I learned a little bit about the local trees, which was interesting.

On Wednesday a student group at KAIST performed some traditional Korean music. It was very good. I found out what sorts of instruments are used for Korean classical music, and I got to listen to some of it in a relaxing setting. The music was very good.

Rather than exploring Lake Daecheonghosu as I'd planned last week, I went to Gyejoksan mountain instead. I hiked high enough to see some beautiful vistas. I managed to get to where they had one of the old fortress walls, where a bunch of people were having fun and talking. It was a rewarding walk. I stumbled on an exercise/play area that I think was Jangdong forest as well. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to several of the more notable sights (such as Dongchundang), so a return trip just may be in order. 

2. (Project status)

My next goal is to document the HUBO code. This week I went through the HUBO project function-by-function to analyze them all and determine what they did, and now I'm mapping out the relations between functions.

3. (Picture of the week)

View from the top of Gyejoksan:

4. (What I learned about myself)

I learned that I enjoy traditional Korean music. Also, when I had some cab trouble getting back from the mountain, I learned that I can recover from unexpected difficulties like that.

5. (New people I met)

While at a restaurant before going to Gyejoksan, I found myself sitting next to a Mr. Kim. We talked a little, and I mentioned that I was a student from America who was studying at KAIST for the moment. He seemed interested and we talked about that for a little bit. He helped me fill in a couple gaps in the guidebooks KAIST gave us (the exact dates of a couple festivals that were just mentioned as being 'sometime in April.') A very nice guy.