Jemma's Journey

‘世田谷フラット’ by Naruse Inokuma & Hiroko Karibe

“世田谷フラット” by Naruse Inokuma architects combines all of the materials that I love: concrete, white walls and light wood. 

There’s even a traditional Japanese tatami room.

The sparse use of furniture and technology is inspiring and I imagine that the light, open spaces are perfect for destressing after a long day at work in Tokyo.

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Byoung Soo Cho

Byoung Soo Cho is easily my favourite Korean architect. 

I did my final architecture class project on him and two of his residential works in Seoul.

Byoung Soo Cho and his wife, Eunsil Kim, inside “Four Box House“‘s dinning room and tea room respectively. 

I love how he combines materials - textured concrete, wood and white walls.

Nagano Toyokazu

Nagano Toyokazu is a wonderful photographer who has two daughters named Miu and Kanna. He takes hilariously clever photos of them in all sorts of situations.

Looking at his photographs brings back memories of my sister and reminds me how much I miss her. 

Heyri Artists’ Village

On the 2nd of August I visited Heyri Artists’ Village in Paju, South Korea. It’s an incredible place with unique architecture, pieces of art, and tonnes of shops and cafes. My host brother, Sammy, and I took the subway to Hapjeong where we took a bus to the artists’ village. We got off at the wrong stop and ended up walking quite a long way to get there, but in the end it was worth it. We walked past some things that we would never have seen otherwise. 

There were a few ahjummas pottering around in their vegetable gardens and some very impressive buildings. 

We entered the village through the back entrance, so there were absolutely no people around. The first place that we visited was a coffee shop/ gallery/ gift shop. It was very sweet and airy, with potted plants, an old coffee bean roasting machine and floral cushions. 

There were all sorts of places to visit, but since we arrived in the late afternoon, almost everything was closed. One of my favourite places (even though it wasn’t open and was completely deserted) was a little wedding photography studio. The walls outside were covered with mock celebrity couplings in beautiful dresses and tuxedos. The style of photography was really bright and innocent. I hope that one day I can have my wedding photos taken there too.

Luckily, most of the little gift shops were still open so we got to have a browse around.

There was also plenty of outdoor sculptures…

…and artwork.

There were also all sorts of whimsical things around. 

My favourite part of the day was seeing all of the incredible architecture. 

July Adventures - Part 2

July 12, 2011

Visited Jongro Tower in the morning for my Asian Art and Architecture class. A few of us took the elevator to the restaurant on the top floor, called “Top Cloud” and snapped some pictures of the view. In the afternoon, I finally got the chance to visit the set of my favourite Korean drama. “Coffee Prince” was aired in 2007, so the working coffee shop was a little run-down and overpriced, but I still felt like I was part of the drama. I drank peach iced-tea and imagined that I was part of a love story involving Gong Yoo. Later that evening we ventured to Hongdae and I came across Haha’s restaurant by chance. Because “Running Man” is my favourite variety show of the moment, I naturally love Haha and his childish antics. 

July 14, 2011

Today, we visited another beautiful Buddhist temple for my Architecture class. This temple, named Gilsang-sa, is located in a quieter part of Seoul than the other temples I have visited. It was pouring rain which added to the atmosphere. A friend and I found some little paths winding up the hill and went to explore. We almost missed the bus, but at least I saw some part of the temple that my classmates didn’t see. 

July 16, 2011

My host family took me to Samcheong-ro again. We visited a wonderful restaurant/ coffee house (Cafe For All Seasons) on the side of a hill. I was treated to delicious cinnamon pancakes, that I enjoyed while reading a copy of Ella a Seoul (an interior design and architecture magazine). 

July 17, 2011

Went to the Boryeong Mud Festival with some friends from the Summer School. It was very crowded, so I enjoyed swimming in the sea more than the mud, but I got horribly sunburnt. 

July 19, 2011

Started my day with a chai latte and a fashion magazine at the coffee shop in front of my university. Then visited Jongro to see a church for my morning class. Also saw the outside of the British embassy and a changing of the guard re-enactment. 

July 20/ 21, 2011

Went to Ttukseom with my host mother, Sena and baby Dae Seop. We went swimming and went to a viewing deck for a great view of the Han River.

The next day I visited the local library and got some books to read. The library has wonderful gardens where you can sit and read all day. In the evening I went back to Ttukseom to go bike riding with some friends. We rented some bicycles for 3,000 Won an hour each (about $2.90 CAN) and rode by the river until it got dark.

July 22, 2011

Armed with a book, a water bottle and a portable fan, I decided to walk along the Seoul wall (which is about 3 minutes walk from my house). The views were wonderful and I tried to sit on a bench for a while and read, but I was soon attacked by giant ants. 

July 23, 2011

Visited another pension with my host family. This one is located near Ganghwa Island and I had a lot of fun in the swimming pool, watched Harry Potter, singing in a noraebang (karaoke) and just relaxing. 

July 26, 2011

Had a truly unique experience visiting a Cat Cafe in Myeongdong. I paid a set entrance fee of 8,000 Won, which includes one drink and later bought some treats for the cats as well. There must have been at least 20 cats wondering around, some sleeping, others playing. It was very interesting, but I am not sure it’s my cup of tea.

July 28, 2011

My 20th Birthday! I wasn’t expecting to do anything special, as I had a presentation in the morning and class in the afternoon, but my day turned out way better than I expected. In my afternoon Korean class, my teacher surprised me after the break by preparing a birthday cake for me and singing to me in Korean. 

My host family had also prepared a cake and some soju for me the evening before.

After class, my close friend took me out for coffee and then I went with a few other friends for some Korean barbecue. Two of my girlfriends surprised me with a gift (f(x)’s Hot Summer album and some other small, but thoughtful gifts). After all of this, we went bowling and then had some ice cream at Baskin Robins. Overall, it was a wonderful birthday and I am so grateful to all of them!

July 29, 2011

Summer School Farewell Party. We ate a buffet dinner provided by the university, received our certificates and said our goodbyes. Afterwards we went clubbing at Club Naked in Hongdae. It was full of US Army soldiers and other assorted foreigners, so it wasn’t that great. I was also approached by two very cute Korean boys as I was leaving, so that was a bit unlucky. 

July 31, 2011

Finally saw Harry Potter with Rock! It was amazing and I cried my eyes out when Snape died. Poor Snape. 

July Adventures - Part 1

July 1, 2011

First stop, Prugio model apartments for my Asian Art and Architecture class. The model apartment was wonderful, with so much sustainable design and unique furniture and appliances. Also met some hilarious middle school students on the subway on the way back to school. A group of boys were daring each other to come and talk to us strange and mysterious foreigners. The boy who lost the game was pushed in front of us and managed to stammer out: “Welcome to Korea”, to which I replied “감사합니다” (Thank you), and was rewarded with a very confused expression. 

Second stop, Insa-dong. Known for being very artsy and full of tourists. I went with a friend and we stumbled across a lovely Buddist temple nestled amongst skyscrapers.

We also visited Ssamzigil shopping area, which is well-known for spiralling upwards and being full of unique sculptures and boutiques. 

Third stop, Cheonggyechon. The Cheonggyechon is a stream that winds through Seoul. It has a very interesting history which I shall blog about later and it is one of my favourite places in Seoul. There are often performances along the steam and we were lucky enough to be there at the right time to view a belly dancing show.

Final stop, Namsan Tower. You take a cable car to the top of the hill and then ride a ridiculously fast elevator to the top of the tower. From here you can see 360 degrees of Seoul. Like the rest of Seoul, it was also full of couples as it is a popular dating spot. You can even write a note with your significant other on a tile and have it put on a special wall. I can’t wait to go there again in the future! 

July 2, 2011

Went clubbing for the first time in Seoul at a place called Club Ellui. It was very European style, with non-lyrical music. It wasn’t really my style and I don’t think I will go again, but I still had a lot of fun with my friends.

July 4, 2011

Made a traditional Korean mask at my University and then went to Hongdae with my friends. We ate Korean barbeque and played pocketball (billiards). 

July 5, 2011

Visited the beautiful Bongeunsa temple for my architecture class. The Buddist temple is situated downtown amongst skyscrapers. The atmosphere was so relaxing I could have spent all day there listening to the monks chanting and breathing in the faint scent of insense. 

Later that day, I met up with a good friend and we visited a more wild part of the Cheonggyechon stream and ate some delicious Korean food. 

July 6, 2011

In the morning we left Seoul on a bus and visited Icheon. This area is famous for ceramics and so we made some of our own. I made two soju shot cups because I thought it would be simple and easy. I was wrong. Despite my lack of skills I had a wonderful time taking in the scenery and marvelling at the professionally made pottery. 

In the evening I tried Taekwondo for the first time as part of a summer school activity. 

July 7, 2011

Visited Kring which is located in downtown Seoul. A building named after the Dutch word for “circle”, it certainly lives up to its name. I have so many pictures of this beautiful building that I want to include it in a later post about modern architecture in Seoul. 

July 8, 2011

Visited the 63 Building on Yeoido Island and drank some very expensive coffee on one of the top floors. The coffee wasn’t that great, but the views were. 

July 9/10, 2011

My host family took me to a beautiful pension (holiday home) in the South Korean countryside. I went swimming in the sea, caught some crabs, played baseball, ate far too much food and drank far too much soju, but made some wonderful memories! 

I will post some pictures a little later in a post about my experiences in the South Korean countryside. 

June Adventures

I arrived in Seoul on June 21, 2011 and moved in with a Korean family. My host family consists on the mother Ann, the father Young, the 9-year old Jin and the baby Dae Seop. My experience with them has been better than I could ever have imagined and I was so lucky to have found them. 

June 23, 2011

La Siesta, which is a beautiful and tiny coffee shop next door to my university campus, sells the best green tea lattes that I have ever had. Their hot drinks are perfect for a rainy day in Seoul and the atmosphere is wonderful as there are only a few tables and the shop is decorated with Polaroids and Eiffel tower replicas. 

My visit here was my first to a coffee shop in Korea. It’s absolutely insane how many coffee shops there are and I was so happy to find a gem like this one as it isn’t part of a chain. I think that the green tea latte was a reasonable 4,000 won, which is roughly $3.80CAN. I made sure to get a loyalty card as I will definitely be going back again!

June 24, 2011

Lotte World is an indoor theme park located south of the Han River at Jamsil Station. It’s beautiful, clean and full of couples. The most common souvenir is likely the colourful headbands that everyone seems to sport. I couldn’t help myself and got a giant red polka dot bow. 

June 25, 2011

Visited Samcheong Street with my host family and walked around. Even though it was raining, it quickly became my favourite place in Seoul. I have far too many pictures so I shall blog about it separately. 

June 30, 2011

During my Summer semester at the University of Seoul, I enrolled in two courses. In the morning, Asian Art and Architecture which comprised mainly of field trips around Seoul, and in the afternoon, Beginning Korean Language. Our first field trip for the Asian Art and Architecture course was to Bukchon Maeul, which is a traditional area of Seoul right next door to Samcheong Street (which I mentioned above). I love traditional Korean architecture and so this was my favourite field trip of them all. 

The Beginning

I have wanted to start a blog for at least a month now. Unfortunately I have procrastinated. It seems that the more I get to know myself as a person I realise that I am the sort who loves to plan but never does anything. I kept thinking to myself “Oh…I really should start a blog”…”But nobody will read it” or “I’m too tired/ too busy” or “What am I going to write about?”…”The first post is going to be so awkward”. I am not the kind of person who writes well or a lot. I am much more visual and so I like pictures, movies and design. I follow a lot of blogs, but I always find myself looking and never reading. Because of this, I shall likely not type much on this blog, I will simply post pictures with short captions and perhaps some anecdotes if I think they are interesting. 

I mainly want to keep this blog as a diary for myself, so that my experiences in Seoul do not become fuzzy memories and I remember every day clearly. I also want to keep my family updated on my adventures. However if there are people that come along and find it interesting, that is a plus too. 

Today, there is a typhoon outside and I am sitting on my bed surrounded by Korean language material. I also wrote some notes on what I should post about on this blog because a blog about my adventures in Seoul alone seems a tad self-centered and perhaps not the most interesting. So far I have decided that I want to post about the things that interest me, like architecture, product design and fashion. This way, I can also keep this blog as a way to organize my personal style. 

Since I have been in Seoul for over one month already I have a tonne of stories and pictures that I have already shared with friends and family, but that I also want to post on here. So the next few posts will be a summary of my month’s worth of adventures in Seoul so far. Enjoy!