Gyeongbokgung Palace: Days 85-98

While sad to end our time in Singapore so soon, I was excited that Roxane planned to meet us back in Korea. We were able to sightsee at some places I had not been before, such as Gwangjang Market where we ate live octopus. On a smaller note, I had my first Korean celebrity sighting when I ran into MEOVV (kpop group) at the Hyundai Seoul. They seemed to be promoting their pop-up event. I had plans to see them at a festival that weekend, so it was a really fun coincidence.

On to a more cultural side of Korea, on Day 93 I loved dressing up in hanbok with my friends. We finally visited Gyeongbokgung Palace and learned more about Korean history. There are various hanbok rental shops in the area, and wearing a hanbok allows for free entrance to the palace. It was kind of funny to have both locals and tourists approach us and ask for a picture, due to how pretty the traditional wear is.

Right when I was starting to miss my friends from back home, more BESTies came to visit Korea! This was right after graduation season, so I enjoyed reconnecting with more of my club members. One of my friends, Monica, is a past Freeman Scholar. She studied abroad in Korea in Spring 2024. Seeing her travel Instagram and reading her scholar's blog at the time really inspired my decision to study abroad in Korea, so it felt very full circle to have her here. She had the opportunity to go back to her frequented restaurants, and it was heartwarming to see the owners recognize her after a whole year had passed.

Main highlights:

Activities

Recovering from two back-to-back weekends of traveling

Frequenting Myeongdong to show our visiting friends around

Gwangjang Market

More concerts... BIBI's Concert, Superpop Days One & Two, NCT Dream Fanmeeting