짐잉글리쉬

Bitten by a Korean Bug ^^
Our Korea Adventure (June 10-14, 2013)
By: T. Eliza
It was about a year ago when the office made an announcement that I was part of the batch 2 of teachers going to Korea. Oh yeah! I was on cloud 9. I didn't pay attention to the rest of the announcement (Sorry, Ms. Grace haha). I was already mentally packing when I heard this wonderful news. This has been my dream destination since I started teaching Korean students in 2006.
Completing the requirements in order to acquire a Korean Visa isn't easy. I had a terrible experience getting mine (sigh). The original plan was to visit around April to behold the beauty of Korea in spring, but due to unavoidable circumstances I was informed that it’s moved in June. Goodbye Cherry blossoms :( Anyway, nothing could break my spirit. I’m still thankful for this blessing.
Our trip was booked from June 10- 14. Though we already got copy of our itinerary, I still didn’t know what to expect from the trip. I was right! Korea is full of surprises. It's a country with great diversity. There's a balance between ancient history and the modern world. It's not like the other countries in Asia I've visited. This goes on top of my "I must visit again....soon" list (dropping hints to my husband now *wink).

Intense sightseeing, eating and shopping
I definitely enjoyed my time in Seoul. Seoul has its dynamic blend of old and new. It's trendy and creative in so many ways. At first glance you'd think it’s just a typical teeming city, but you’d be awed to find royal palaces situated in certain areas. Seoul is home to five royal palaces from the Chosun Dynasty, and we were able to explore 3 of the major palaces; Chang Deok Gung, Gyeong Bok Gung, and Deoksugung Palace. The architecture is impressive and each palace has its distinct history. Seoul is beautiful and vibrant at night. Lily (T. Cherrie’s student) and her husband, Michael brought us to N Tower to enjoy Seoul’s scenic view.
Teacher Cherrie's students (Alberto, Sheila, James, Lily and her husband Michael) were kind enough to tag me along their lunch and dinner meet-up. Since most of my students are young, I was told that it's a bit hard to arrange a schedule with them. However, I had the chance to see my very sweet student Ms. Sunny even just for a while.
A trip is not complete without shopping. A few of the shopping havens we visited were Insadong, Myeongdong, and Namdaemun Market. All kinds of brands and shops are clustered along the streets. So many shops... So little time .