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.

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.

Week 9 -- Ojeong and Bomunsan

1. (What I learned about Korea)

This week I went to the Ojeong-dong agriculture market and fishery. It was very large and I enjoyed walking around it. I got some food for the room, and I got to see how some of the more traditional markets work in Korea. 

I also went to the Daejeon Prehistoric Museum up in Noeun-dong. There I learned about ancient Korea and what went on back then.

I went over to Hannam University and saw the Central Museum there. They had exhibits of ancient pottery and ceramics, so I learned a little more about what those were like. I also saw an exhibit on the early Korean Christian missions.

I tried the Daejeon specialty dish of samgyetang, which is a chicken that's been stuffed with glutinous rice being cooked in broth and served with ginseng. It was good (although difficult to eat with chopsticks). So I know a little more about the Daejeon specialties now.

Finally, I hiked Bomunsan Mountain this Sunday. That was a very fun time. I saw some of the monuments on the mountain, including the UN monument (dedicated to the UN soldiers who defended the area in the Korean War) and the Bomunsaji ruins (a field and some remains of where a temple used to be). I also hiked up to the top of both peaks, and so I got some very nice views of the city.

2. (Project status)

I've begun working on the back end for the GUI. It's very involved, but I'm making good progress. I also submitted the ICAHRR camera-ready paper.

3. (Photo of the week)

The view from a lookout post on Bomunsan mountain.

4. (What I learned about myself)

I hiked Bomunsan for over six hours, which is the most hiking I've done yet on the trip, so I showed myself that I can handle such a long hike. I also have begun trying the specialty dishes, and I enjoyed samgyetang, so I now know that I like the Daejeon signature foods.

5. (New people I met)

While on Bomunsan I met two English teachers, Theresa and Renee, from Canada. They're both relatively new in Daejeon (two months or less in city for both of them). We discussed the local environment and some good tourist locations.