Seoul: Night Beauty

December, 2010

Eight years has passed since the last time I walked in Korea every day. Since I went abroad for my education and work I realized how much I have missed out of my home country, South Korea. The year 2010 was a good year. Not only for me but also for the country. This was the year we opened up more widely to the global society for meetings such as the G20 and took a more active lead in international affairs and economy.

The change was visible. Everywhere I went there was change, change, and CHANGE. Eco-friendly drive-way, newly designed architecture, and more traditional preserved places written in English for tourist to travel comfortable without a single word in Korean. More nice cafes and more foreigners who have made themselves comfortable in a land they knew no one before they arrived. But most importantly the dynamic vibration could be felt every block I walked. Yes, the city was clearly ALIVE.

[Guang Hwa Moon (광화문) is the entrance to the ancient Palace. Behind this building lies Korea's historical past, but also its present in the Blue House that lies behind the Palace.]

Maybe it was because I have been hibernating in quite Heidie's little Alps house for the past few months that this non-stopping city seemed like a volcano erupting madly with excitement. Does that make sense to you? Well it sure did to me, after few weeks being back at home. Especially now going to Seoul for work everyday from Incheon -my home city is about a 2 hour bus distance from the city of Seoul - I could feel fully how big and energetic this community was. A simple comparison. When I was in Geneva I used to jog along the entire lake and even further down the city to make a full hour run. Now in Korea, I do the same hour jog by walking around my apartment complex three times. Yes, only three times. So imagine if I did that entire root in Seoul from one river across the other, that would have taken me already more than 2 hours by bus so you can imagine how much longer it must be on foot.

[The busy night street of Seoul city. People, light, cars, building, all says I am here: ALIVE.]

If this is how excited I felt as a Korean being back home to Korea, I can't imagine how it must feel to my foreign friends. You don't have to speak the language or know the culture to feel this vibe. It's as if you can feel the never-ending heat in Berlin when you step in the city even when you don't speak a word of German. Now having spent the past four months back at home and working full time at a hard core Korean newspaper industry, I'm learning a lot more of this country that I left behind. And I am excited to say that there is a lot more to be discovered. I will share some parts of my journey here because they are just too good to be kept in my cell phone all day.

[Tourist or local, Myong Dong (명동) is the place to be. Here is one of the most crowdest street in Seoul. Full of food, shops, entertainment, and people all night light, all you get is FUN all night.]