Night Excursion In Ilsan Lake Park (일산호수공원)

It's currently the middle of October which means midterms are quickly approaching us college students in Korea. Unlike in my home university, during midterm week, there are no scheduled classes (unless otherwise stated by professors). Most of the cafés in and near the campuses are jam packed with Korean students and a handful of foreigners busily studying for their exams. Being an exchange student, we don't necessarily have as much to study for, and if you've kept up with your lecture notes and readings, you can actually take this week off and explore a little bit more of Seoul! (Not that I'm saying to never study for your midterms, but everyone needs a break, right?)

This past weekend, the weekend before my midterms, my friends and I took a trip to Ilsan (일산), a large area in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do (경기도 고양시 ), which is just northwest of Seoul. (A little fun fact for you, Goyang and Maui (my hometown) are actually sister cities since this past February!) We visited the Ilsan Lake Park (일산호수공원) which is the largest manmade lake in Asia. For the month of October, the park has a special event every weekend night at the Musical Fountain (노래하는 분수대). These events happen during other months as well so check the links I provided (both in Korean) for more information.

Although I have only seen a handful of sights/sites in Korea, I can already tell that the 노래하는 분수대 is going to be one of my favorites! Though it was a lot chilly, just being out in the fresh air watching a spectacular show was just so refreshing. Definitely needed a break from all the studying and city life I've grow accustomed to.

Because of different morning/afternoon schedules and also because of the long subway ride from 신촌 to 일산, we went during the night so I couldn't take many photos of the park itself. But please do enjoy some of the photos I took of the show! The photo's aren't that great and a little blurry because I was also trying to enjoy the show. :)

At the entrance, there was another event/festival going on.

MBC building close to the park!

I definitely want to go visit the park again before I have to go back to Hawai'i. A very good place to go on a date with a significant other or a picnic + bike ride day with friends. When I visit again during the day, I'll post more photos of the rest of the park!

What to do during 추석 (Chuseok)

추석 (Chuseok) is Korea's version of Thanksgiving (also known as 한가위) and is the biggest celebrated holiday in Korea. As with American Thanksgiving, people from all over the nation go back to their hometowns or wherever their family decides to celebrate the holidays. It is a time to commemorate your ancestors as well as celebrate good harvest in the autumn season. Traditional customs include eating 송편 (songpyeon) and playing games such as 씨름 (Korean wrestling) and 강강술래 (ganggangsullae [video]). As this is a family centered holiday, a large number of shops and restaurants will be closed.

If you're a foreigner in Korea, even if you're alone, fret not! There's still quite a number of things to do. Most of the touristy places will be open during the holidays to accomodate the large number of foreigners here. Here is a link of this year's holiday schedules and hours of various places around Seoul. Some of the more popular things to do during 추석 is visit various museums and palaces across Seoul. Or even go to the large amusement parks such as Lotte World or Everland. A lot of these places offer special discounts and events for foreigners. My friends and I went to Everland and it was packed with people from all over the world! And it was also the actual day of 추석 so they had a special Moonlight Parade which was a fun and amazing sight to see!

But if you don't to be surrounded by a lot of people, you could also decided to go on a hike and experience the more calm, serene part of Seoul. It'll be less crowded than normal and going with  few friends can make the trip a great experience! Here's a link to some of the best places to hike in Seoul.

Since 추석 is a three day holiday, you could also decide to travel to a different country or to a different part of Korea such as 부산 (Busan) or 제주 (Jeju) but I would schedule these trips and purchase (plane and/or train) tickets in advance as sometimes they run out. Also, if you're traveling abroad, make sure you're able to get back into Korea with the proper documents (passport, visa, ARC, etc.).