Before I begin:
“This blog is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of myself and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.”
First, a history lesson. During the Korean War, on September 15, 1950, U.S. Marine's arrived in the port of Incheon to regain Seoul from communist North Korea and cut off the North Korean supply chain. This event is known as the Incheon Landing. While the Incheon Landing is a significant event that encroached onto the North's powers, the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953. So, technically, the Korean War has never ended [all according to HISTORY.com]. While my landing in Incheon is not as drastic, it is interesting to consider how these wartime events shaped that city of Incheon and the country.
In my last post, I wrote a lot about the arrival process to South Korea. Now, I will be reflecting on my two weeks in Incheon as I wait for my "quarantine period" (although exempted) to pass.
One-Room (원룸)
For two weeks, I stayed in a "one-room" apartment, 'Konglish' (Korean + English = Konglish) for studio apartment. The room came with a small kitchenette (sink, induction stove, washing machine, fridge, and microwave), a bathroom/wet-room, TV, and an extremely hard XL twin-sized bed. Korean bathrooms are something to get used to. The showerhead is an extension of the sink; thus, you get the entire bathroom wet when you shower. So, if you happen to stay in a one-room, beware of getting your towels and toilet paper wet. There are no curtains or walk-in showers. The drain is in the middle of the bathroom. If I wanted to, I could sit on the toilet while showering. Double-whammy.
Besides walking around my neighborhood, I spent a lot of time under the aircon (Konglish for A/C) watching Korean television. Now, let me tell you, Korean television has to be one of the most annoying things in the world. The popular channels (MNET, TVN, JTBC) replay the SAME episode for an entire week. I saw the same episode of Girls 999 plant, a popular singing competition, about 5 or 6 times. However, there is a silver lining. After watching the same episode repeatedly, I was able to understand the contestants and the premise of the show by the 5th time.
The Neighborhood - 미추홀구 (Michuhol-gu)
The one-room is located near Inha University and the central area where many students hang out. There are plenty of Korean-style pizza places (pizza with hot dogs, corn, potatoes, mayo...), Korean fried chicken (aka KFC) restaurants, and croffle stands (croissant waffle, it's a trend, don't ask). However, I tended to lean more towards Korean food (한식) like cold noodles (naengmyeon), knife-cut noodle soup (kalguksu), pork belly (samgyupsal), etc.
There are also many cute and aesthetically pleasing coffee shops. And most importantly, boba shops. We have Gongcha in the U.S., which used to be one of my favorite places, but now Korea has caught me onto Palgong Tea. It's only $2.50 for a cup! There was always something new to discover within the little streets of the neighborhood. Although, I would recommend not going into the alleyways. You will come across a lot of young men smoking with friends. It's quite disgusting, especially since they trap all the nasty cigarette breath within their masks.
Other than eating, exploring the neighborhood with my new pal Sarah (also a Fulbrighter in my building), and perusing cosmetic shops, I had to have a one-of-a-kind Korean hair experience. My hair is thick and poofy, so I decided to get a Magic Straight Perm. I was not sure what I was getting myself into nor how much it would cost, but hey, when in Rome (or Incheon). From 13:00 to 18:00 (do the math), I sat in a salon chair, getting my hair chemically treated, then washed, then straightened, then washed, then cut. I had no clue what was going on. I was just 'vibing' and hoping for the best. And you tell me what you think from the pictures; I think the Korean magic hair did wonders. I am feeling quite magical.
With my new hair, I had to go and strut my stuff. And the best place to do that is Seoul.
Visiting Old Friends in Seoul
The trip from Incheon to Seoul is about an hour and a half by the Line 1 train. Line 1 is the most confusing train I have taken. There are several platforms and express trains, and it is very easy to find yourself on the wrong one. There was one time I added an extra hour to my trip because I got onto the wrong platform.
Seoul has changed so much since the last time I lived here. Buildings in my old neighborhood (Sinchon) were torn down, new bridges were built, and everyone has a tattoo. One thing hasn't changed. There are way too many freaking couples. For a country with a low birthrate, there sure a lot of people dating.
And before I forget, Seoul has the best ice cream shop in the world. Fell + Cole - located in Sangsu - is owned by a man who lived in San Francisco. After ordering my ice cream, I had a great conversation with the owner about all of the best ice cream shops in San Francisco. 10 out of 10 recommend.
While in Seoul, I visited three friends: Hyein, Nayeong, and Eunji. I also had to run several errands to the Fulbright building to complete my immigration and banking forms. Unexciting.
Friend 1: Hyein
In 2017, I met Hyein at a bar while playing Jenga. She came up to a few friends and me to compliment us on our 'Jenga skills.' From there on, we became friends and maintained in contact over the last four years.
Last week, we had our long-awaited reunion. As a reunion gift, I brought her a sweater from GAP. It's very American, right? We met in then Bukchon Historical Village and caught up at Cafe Onion (don't ask, there were no onions), a cafe in a traditional Korean house. Then we headed to have a traditional Korean meal to initiate me into Korea. There were many side dishes (banchan) and soups. There was also one thing that I never wanted to encounter - Hongoh, aka fermented skate. The smell of the hongoh filled the room. The best way to explain the scent of hongoh is very fresh stinky feet. So, we filled ourselves with soup and banchan, leaving the hongoh on the other side of the room. After our meal, we took a long walk alongside the Cheongyecheon River back to the train station. The Cheongyecheon River is an artificially-made river running through Seoul. My urban planner friends, you should look it up. It is one of those green urban spaces you all boast about.
Friend 2: Nayeong
How do I talk about Nayeong? Well, we first met during my freshman year P.E. class at Monterey High School. While waiting alongside the wall for class to begin, a young Korean woman who did not know a lick of English entered the class. The PE teacher tried to communicate with her, but it did not work. So, I took a shot and tried to talk to her with the little Korean I know. That didn't work either...but we still became friends. Nayeong is an amazing painter - I used her paintings as my phone background, - turned spatial designer for a well-known Korean brand.
After graduating from high school, we kept in touch but then lost contact for a few years. Life got busy. However, a week ago, I received a sweet message from Nayeong on LinkedIn saying she was in Korea. I was so surprised by her message and immediately made plans to meet her.
Our reunion was in Mullae-dong, an old industrial neighborhood turned into a hipster art utopia. We took many pictures in front of the murals and walked around in search of food. We had no luck. Every restaurant was either a pasta or cow intestine (gopchang) restaurant. We ended up taking a taxi to Yeoeuido Island to the Hyundai Department Store for dinner. Korean mall food is nothing like the U.S. There was no hot-dog-on-a-stick or panda express. Instead, the "food court" had the trendiest foods and drinks. There was shabu-shabu, revolutionized tonkatsu, matcha, artistic deserts, and tacos. We ended up eating shabu-shabu.
Friend 3: Eunji
I met Eunji in my Korean politics class at UC San Diego. We somehow clicked in the class through our personal amusements of the very talkative professor. Upon arriving in Korea, Eunji has assisted me with navigating the taxi system and other confusing Korean things. During my second week here, I met Eunji at the same department store. We ate the fancy tonkatsu and walked around the mall to look at the fancy people. Then, we continued the eating journey to a SulBing, a popular Korean shaved ice cafe. If you can't tell, there is a theme to how I lead my life - I am always searching for good food.
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Now we are back in the present. Overall, I enjoyed my time in Incheon. There is a lot of great history and food there. If you ever go, I recommend Incheon Chinatown and the indoor markets.
As for the goal I set for myself last week: I contacted past interviewees and opened up discussions on meeting in person. My new goal for this next week is to begin my Ph.D. applications. Hoo hoo.