“Boy, those French! They have a different word for everything.” – Steve Martin
After 4 weeks of vacation, winter semester at the Language Institute has officially started again, and I am once again trying to make some of the vocabulary and grammatical rules I learn stick to my teflon brain. Korean is no joke. From time to time I find myself regretting my choice to study this language instead of French or Spanish, but then I remember that Korean will look far cooler on my Facebook “About me”-page than any of them and go back to my homework. The fact that I’m struggling with it also serves as a great way to motivate me to try even harder, like William E. Hickson (and more importantly: Aaliyah) said: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.”
So while I’m cramming Korean vocabulary, here’s some photos from another side of Korean culture: Gyeongbokgung Palace.
When my friends were visiting we devoted an entire morning to the enormous palace grounds, before trying on hanbok in nearby Insadong. For 3000 KRW ($3) we could roam freely around the newly restored palace, originally built in the 14th century during the beginning of the Joseon era. Large parts of the palace was destroyed during Japan’s invasion and colonization of Korea in the first half of the 20th century (an occupation that ended with the end of WW2), and the restorations and reconstructions are still ongoing.
The main palace buildings and the National Museum of Korea are beautiful and magnificent buildings, and the color and details of the decorations are stunning. If you’re planning on visiting Seoul, this palace should be a mandatory spot on your “to do”-list.
The photos are so pretty.
Don’t worry you’ll get a hang of Korean, and in the end it’s way more cooler to be able to speak Korean than French or Spanish. It just takes a lot of patience and practice :)
xx Cheyenne
화이팅 as they say in Korea! Not giving up just yet :)