It was difficult to believe that I was actually there. I was so exhausted from 24 hours of sitting in the plane that I didn't even stop to think that I was 6,218 miles from home. Before making that realization, I remember looking around the airport at the homogenous looking bunch of people. I couldn't read the signs and I didn't know where I was going. After my family and I went through various checkpoints and collected our baggage, we walked out to the front of the airport where we were welcomed by many of our relatives. It felt like déjà vu because I felt like I knew them, yet there we were meeting one another for the first time. After being greeted by everyone, listening to what seemed like a record playing backwards; we brought our luggage into several small cars and departed for my uncle's house. In the car ride alone, just looking through the window, I knew that my stay would be unforgettable. I was ready to experience South Korea.
During the three weeks of our stay, my family went to many different places throughout the country. We toured historical places like Gyeongbokgung, visited Korean folk villages filled with traditional costumes and food, and went to the famous Namdaemun market. We saw some of the 2002 World Cup soccer stadiums and even went past the "Blue House" where the Korean president resides. At night, the lively streets of Seoul were beautifully illuminated with lights and signs. Compared to the spacious environment in Minnesota that I had been familiar with, Korea was so busy and crowded.
One day my cousin took us to Independence Hall, a historical establishment that searches for national identity while promoting patriotism in Korea. My family spent hours there, soaking up immense amounts of information in the various exhibits. There I learned about the difficult trials of Korean people during the time of Japanese colonial rule. The museum even had an exhibit that depicted wax figures demonstrating the torture methods...