Magic!

I interrupt our regular posts to introduce proudly and with great joy: we have AIR CONDITIONING!  My roommate and I came home today around 6:15pm to find our room remarkably cool, despite the outside being hot and humid and our windows open.  Upon realizing that the heavenly draft of cool, dry air was indeed sprouting from the tiny vent above the door, we both rushed to close the windows.  I'm not sure how long the beautiful AC will last, but for now, sweet relief.  Thank you, oh powers-that-be of Songdo Global University Campus!  Student Housing A thanks you!

Week 3 of POSCO

Days 19-22.  As our work continues, we've begun going to the lovely company gym :)  POSCO is very concerned about the health of its employees and its impact on the environment, regularly encouraging people to take the stairs and using renewable energy.  Each of the stairwells is beautifully painted, with a different theme on each floor, from the evolution of steel working on the first floor to space travel on the 8th floor, where I work (I prefer this stairwell for its floor-to-ceiling windows).  Interestingly, each floor also tallies how many calories you've burned by climbing each flight of stairs.  So, when I take a break from sitting in my nice, soft work chair to walk up and down 8 flights of stairs, I have burned a little more than 25 Calories!  Makes my mid-afternoon snack seem a lot more damaging, doesn't it?  As a result, I ran on the treadmill, but 3 days and I'm already treadmilled out.  I much prefer the outside, covering real distance.

Speaking of the outside, one of my favorite images in POSCO is the occasional painting of a fat man walking next to a small tree.  An arrow points to a thin man walking next to a big tree, and the caption says, "Your walking can make something bigger and smaller."  It showcases the possibility and can-do spirit of POSCO, in English.  POSCO is already established in China and India with offices in Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and the Czech Republic, making it a truly global company. 

It's hard to believe that our time at POSCO is already halfway over.  It feels like we're just beginning to be used to working here.  The work ethic at POSCO is also very interesting.  Koreans both work hard and party hard, if the tales of our mentors and supervisors going out to drink is any indication!  Typically, employees will arrive sometime between 8:00am and 9:00am, leaving sometime after 6:00pm.  Breakfast is available between 7:30am and 8:30am, so I think some people are at their desks around then.  However, people get up to drink tea or coffee once or twice during the day, and spend time relaxing during the lunch hour.  The schedules are laid back, but their concentration throughout the day still seems very high.

This is mirrored by the uniformed high school students we sometimes see, riding the 10:00pm bus home from after-school classes and activities.  Education is valued highly in Korea, and university is seen as a prerequisite to a good life.  Most of the engineers and researchers (if not all) have their Ph.D. degree, or are working towards one.  I find it interesting that school and discipline are so emphasized, as opposed to focus on outside projects.  On the other hand, computer gaming is seen as a sport in Korea, with the top players of StarCraft earning salaries as professionals. 

Again, we're not allowed photographs inside POSCO for security reasons, so no photos of the beauty within.  I did take a photo from outside POSCO, though.  I realized this week (yes, I am slow) that out of my 8th floor window at work, I can see my own dorm room.  My dorm window returned the favor today.  From the view, you can see the building where I work, some of the lovely and well-cared for POSCO grounds, the coastline and the edges of Student Housings B (left side) and A (right side).

The real view from my window, fog included.

I also took some photos of the view behind Student Housing A.  Stitched into a panorama:

Like so many of my photos, this one does not fully display the beauty of Incheon at night.

And one of the walkway behind Student Housing A.

The series of lights, blue here, change color every few minutes.  Once, I even saw it rainbow-patterned.

 That's it for this week.  Onto the weekend!

Days 12-15 - Week 2 of POSCO

We've begun to settle into our new roles as interns and become accustomed to daily procedures at POSCO.  Our schedules are pretty much fixed as we arrive, work, have lunch with our office groups, work some more and then go back home, right across the street.  I think I can't say too much about what it is that we actually do, due to security reasons, but suffice it to say that it's interesting, and not too difficult.

As my first internship, it goes pretty well.  The only thing is, I wish I had learned at least some Korean before I arrived, as everyone speaks it all the time.  Well, obviously, you say, but sometimes the mentors and supervisors will address you, and that's the only time they speak English.  This leads sometimes to a little feeling of loneliness and being left out, since everyone seems so happy.  The employees are so nice, and don't leave us out on purpose, but since it is, well, Korea, there is definitely a language barrier.  On the bright side, I've learned a few useful phrases, including, "말 못해요, Hanguk mal moteyo," or "I cannot speak Korean."  It's come in handy a few times!  Also, bowing and politely greeting someone always works :)  At least, until they give you a fast stream of Korean and you stammer out that you can't speak Korean...  Our mentors and supervisors, at least, can actually speak English quite well, which is immensely helpful when asking for assignments and feedback.  It's just a little awkward during social situations like meals and teatime.


Oh, well.  The next time I hop to another country, I'll start with some language lessons  :)  


I did finally mange to take a photo of a POSCO building.  I believe this is allowed since it's a view from off the POSCO "campus" and only of the outside, which is visible from the SUNY Korea (officially, Songdo Global University Campus) Student Housing B.  We actually live in Student Housing A, but I took this photo right outside of B.

I love the look of the buildings and the grounds.  They are neat and well cared-for, with a beauty
that reminds me of a quiet university campus, dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.

That's really about it!  Our days are simple and quite pleasant.  Here, look, I took a picture of a local plant :)

In the Songdo Street Mall, or the shopping district we frequent.

It looks a lot like the juniper which grows abundantly on the Stony Brook University campus.  It always amused me that juniper berries were used to flavor gin and grew in a place where society tells us that alcohol is prevalent (college = drinking and parties, or so the movies say... funny that you never see the hours of studying, but I suppose those aren't as exciting).  On the other hand, it's also commonly used as a spice for meats and water, and widespread throughout the entire Northern Hemisphere.  I guess there's no real connection, then...  In any case, I liked the shape of the berries and thought I'd share a similarity between the States and Korea, after my ramble on language barriers.  I promise more photos and more interesting rambles in the weekend post!

3rd Weekend in Seoul

Days 16-18.  Well, what do you know, after our last weekend, we took not one, but two trips to Seoul!  The first day was wet and drippy, but we still had fun.  Our day started off with a pleasant lunch at Mr. Pizza, which actually has its own cheerful theme song by a pop band called 2PM.  I thought it was cute that the same record company also worked with a band called 2AM, which has a softer, more mellow sound.  Makes sense, doesn't it?  Something that didn't so much to me was the door of Mr. Pizza.  Shouldn't you love women and men just the same?  I suppose they felt women didn't get enough love.

A small, cozy place with good food and a self-serve salad bar.

A pizza, spaghetti, sampler basket and salads later, we were on our way to Seoul on the bus.

Mountains and fields blanket the lands surrounding Seoul.

Our favored stop is Gangnam station, where there are shops both above and below the streets.  Gangnam is a hub of activity for travelers and shoppers alike and buzzes until the wee hours of the morning (although I have heard that it doesn't ever stop at all!).  

It is seriously crowded everywhere in Gangnam....

Despite the crowds made slower by the rain and umbrellas, we made our way into the underground stores, where they sell everything from make-up to clothes to waffles (and what good waffles they are!) at usually discounted prices.  The same with the street vendors lining the sidewalks next to the higher end department stores.  

A favorite of mine with its cheap, cute jewelry.  Called, interestingly, the Naughty Cat.

Wandering a little further from the known areas, we find that Seoul is very hilly, very colorful and bursting with life and activity.  One phenomenon that never ceases to amaze me is the drivers.  Car, van, bus or motorcycle, Korea must have the best and most patient drivers in the world.

That, and some super efficient brakes, for all of those hills...!

Pedestrians flood the streets and part like the Red Sea when the cars come by, but mysteriously enough, everyone is so patient and kind.  I rarely hear horns, never hear brakes squeal and as close as they are, the motorcycles never seem to hit anything!  It's about magical.  This would never happen in New York City.  Rush hour in New York City while on foot is something to be experienced once and never again, but that's another story for another time....

The national pride in Korea is immense.  The flag flies proudly everywhere, including as decorative banners on the street.

Modern skyscrapers and the 태극기 (taegeukgi) dating back from 1883 (original version).
Thank you, Wikipedia :)

One more rather notable thing: the public transportation system!

Brightly lit street while we wait for our bus.

Buses seem to cover all of Seoul in addition to leading to and from it almost all times of the day.  We'll be back soon enough!  

Although Saturday was quiet again, we returned to Seoul on Sunday. By some lucky chance, we were late for the bus we had intended to catch, and met the second of our guides when we first came to Korea!  He was going to meet a friend, and was waiting for the same bus we were taking.

Everything happens for a reason :)

It turns out, we had the wrong room number, and had not been knocking on his door for two weeks!  Now we know :)  Soon after, we were back on the bus to Seoul.  Heavily involved in robotics as I am, of course, I needed to snap this street sign:

I wonder what the subjects are...?

This time, we journeyed to It'aewon, a foreigner's destination.  There is more English there, as well as touristy little vendor stalls and items catered towards foreigners such as clothes and shoes in large sizes.  It's announced with a lovely arch.

Even with the excellent drivers, I do prefer not to stand in the street, in
front of oncoming traffic.  This is the best angle I could get...

We stopped at several places, including an interesting shop that sold sculptures of all different shapes, sizes and colors.  There seemed to be many different cultures mixed up in this curious shop.  Oddly enough, I didn't find anything particularly Korean...

Do these count as knickknacks?  

And in case you thought we didn't get enough exercise, rest assured.  It'aewon is every bit as hilly as every other part of Seoul.

I'm just really impressed by how everyone navigates these in 4-inch stiletto heels.

Later that night, we returned to Gangnam and met a friend from Stony Brook University.  We finished off the weekend with Korean hot pot for dinner :)

What do I need to say?  Excellent food, great company, fantastic weekend!

Days 9-11 - Quiet Weekend

Since we have Fridays off, our weekends start...basically Thursday 6:00pm, when we get off work.  But you're a college student, you say, Don't you start weekends on Thursday nights anyway?  College myth, busted!  Most of us still have classes, work, clubs and the like until Friday 5:00pm, or later.  It's a complete novelty for me, to have this much free time.  So what did I do with this wealth of time, you ask?  A healthy dose of...nothing :)  Just outside our dorm building, there are these interesting exercise machines that require only your own body weight instead of measured weights with a beautiful view of Incheon in the background, of which I made good use last Friday morning.

This picture is entirely responsible for this post being so far behind.
On the bright side, I've learned to play with photo-editing software!  Post-process, here I come!

At noon, one of our mentors and his lovely wife kindly took us to lunch.  We also visited Central Park:

A little quieter than Central Park in NYC.

And a museum of Incheon and the surrounding areas.  This is the front entrance.

Incheon really is a compact, smart city!  I'm especially impressed by the transportation system. 
The subways and buses are remarkably clean and run pretty much on the dot!

Inside, we found many wonderful spreads of the past, present and future models of the city and surrounding area.

This is just a few of the shots, but many didn't come out well due to the darkness of the room.

  

Afterwards, a quick stop by the souvenir center right next door...

It's a pretty building :)

Later that day, a quick trip to the Songdo shopping district again.  We discovered a tiny bread shop crammed with delicious things right across from the bus station where we return to campus.

Mmmm, cheese buns and chestnut buns and chocolate muffins and cinnamon twist doughnuts...

The bread served for my dinner and my breakfast the next day.  It's probably the least expensive meal in Incheon :)

Days 5-8 - Week 1 of POSCO!

It's already been more than a week since I last posted...  Despite our reduced workweek of only Monday through Thursday, the last week's been a little busy.  I'm disappointed that we aren't allowed cameras (or laptops, even) inside POSCO; there are some truly amazing things in there.  Unfortunately, my detail has to be limited here, too.  Security is tight.  One of the things we're required to do is send our bags and backpacks through an x-ray machine, not when we enter the building, but when we exit.  Cards hang around our necks to indicate that we belong, and grant us access to the building and our specific office area.  Even the offices require a scan (although the individual doors are typically left open anyway, to facilitate discussion amongst members of the group).

Work begins at 9:00am and ends at 6:00pm, with a break from 12:00-1:00pm for lunch.  The cafeteria is in the building across the way, and fills with employees every day.  It's quite amazing, how much of the focus is on being sustainable and healthy.  The stair cases are beautiful, with paintings and windows whenever it's by an exterior wall.  POSCO seems to be built entirely of steel and glass, a beautiful example of modern architecture done right.

The work day never seems long enough, but in a pleasantly relaxed way.  Since we're the first interns that POSCO has ever had, they're very laid back with all four of us.  Since one of us is Korean native, they're particularly familiar and talkative with him, but they're amazingly friendly and warm, even to us foreigners.  It can get a little awkward since we girls are both Chinese and have been mistaken for Korean more than once...  The last member of our group stands out pretty clearly, as he's from the Dominican Republic.  In any case, we're given plenty of breaks throughout the day, and encouraged to relax.  Our projects are pretty simple and doable.  Combined with the tea, the random lounges in the building and a few exercise machines sprinkled throughout the building, I hardly feel like I am working.  It's a lovely company, encouraging innovation and personal growth as much as hard work and respect.  

Never fear, I will do my best never to leave you with such a dull, grey and white post again (unless I'm forbidden photos by the nearest authority figure...).  We did manage to go out one weeknight.  A Tuesday, if I'm not mistaken...

Downtown Incheon, a somewhat shinier place than the shopping district where we frequent.

Most of our time was spent wandering, purchasing a waffle here, snapping a photo there, looking into (and trying our luck) at the rigged box games on the street.

Of course we didn't win... Maybe next time?

We did enjoy a Korean barbecue, with all requisite side dishes (fixin's, if you're so inclined).

A lively mix of sour, spicy, salty and even a little sweet. 
Fresh, slightly bitter greens and pungent garlic rounded out the savory meal.

And here's the sizzling meat!  I have to admit that I had to help cook some of this.

Frying pieces of beef and pork, accompanied by grilling garlic.

Given my aversion to meat, I had a nice, hot bowl of noodles with soup.

I love seaweed...

That's all for now!  Hopefully, the report of the (very uneventful) weekend and the (slightly more eventful?) next week will have more photos and a more timely update...

See you next time!  (I'll put this up in Korean once I go ask our resident Korean translator...)

Day 4 - Adventures in Seoul

Sunday, three of us rode a series of two buses to Seoul to meet the fourth member of our group, who had gone home for the night.  By good luck, on the bus, one of our group met a young woman who was Korean, but had attended school in San Diego, California.  While she was waiting to meet her friend, she kindly led us on a tiny tour of Seoul.  Eventually, our little group wandered underground and through a street food vender alley, then we met her friend for lunch at this restaurant.

Our motley crew :

Interestingly, it was situated on the second floor, and we had an excellent view of the street below.  We caught sight of one unfortunate-looking girl who had a job of holding a sign outside of a glasses shop, somewhat like the guys who hold sandwich boards or giant arrows back in the States.  You know, the ones who stand on street corners, waving their advertisements?  I always thought that was a pretty awful job, standing in the hot sun all day, trying to convince people to come to your store (but a job nonetheless!).  She wore a purple cat mask, and we're still not agreed on why.

After the meal, we bid farewell to the friends and stopped by the somewhat famous Cat Cafe.  You purchase a drink, and you're allowed to sit and play with the cats for as long as you like.  The cats seemed overstimulated to me, though, and often refused to be touched.  I was impressed that no one got scratched, however.  None of the cats looked to be declawed, and they only patted your hand gently if they wanted you to stop petting.  No cat I knew was ever that docile....

You're required to remove your shoes and wear slippers inside.  There were cats everywhere!

We moved on to the shopping area around a train station.  Funny enough, we passed a dancing "cat" advertising the same Cat Cafe we had just left!  I suppose they were short on business that day or something, but good heavens, that suit must have been torture in the heat and humidity...

Scratch what I said earlier about the girl in the cat mask.  This looks like an even worse job.

Next, we spotted something amazing: a giant IPad in the street.  Of course, it was in Korean and we couldn't read it, but there was a Google Map available.  How incredibly helpful!

Wow, can you imagine one of these in NYC?  It'd be mobbed by tourists!  Wait...

Soon, however, we heard something even more amazing.  Someone was playing the drums and piano on the street to the tune of Coldplay's Yellow.  We stood in front of them to watch the magic, and as he began to sing, music swept across the sidewalk and stopped pedestrians in their tracks.

We got a front row spot to experience this pair's talent...

By the middle of the song, a crowd had formed.

What a way to earn a living!

In that moment, I felt like we were in a movie, an adventure one with minimal drama and a happy ending.  There was music, my friends and I were exploring the vibrant city of Seoul and the crowd seemed silent, in total awe of these incredible people.  Her drums were impeccable, his piano wandering through the rhythm in a familiar tune.  Although his voice wasn't quite like the Coldplay singer's, there was a strength that lent itself well to the song.  And as the music ended, the thunderous applause drowned out the surrounding traffic.  We quietly left to continue our journey, but I think those few minutes will remain with me for a long time.

For the remainder of the afternoon, we shopped and called our resident translator from a pay phone.  Luckily, our mistaken train stop wasn't too far off, and after a few dropped calls, we managed to meet up.  I'd like to note now that Seoul, day or night, is very crowded.  It's the largest city in South Korea, with about 60% of the South Korean population either residing in Seoul or in the surrounding area, and truly colorful.  The really amazing part is that I don't think I've heard a single car honk in Seoul.  Check out why I find this pretty special:

Considering the amount of street space, there's probably a car behind me...

After a little more walking through the crowded streets and dodging cars (people walk in the streets, parting like the Red Sea for the occasional brave driver), we stopped by a noodle place for dinner.  This fascinating contraption was in front of the restaurant:

Unfortunately, it's not visible in the picture, but the chopsticks rotated in a circle, supported by a hidden stick in the bowl.  I stared for a good 5 minutes before I figured it out.

In Korea, food is typically served with side dishes.  In this case:

Onions (left), kimchi (back) and pickled daikon (front).

After a little more wandering, it was time to board the bus again.  We had work tomorrow!

Postscript:  That's how busy we've been; I meant to post this on Monday!  Sunday night was out of the question, since most of us fell asleep on the bus and then knocked out as soon as we got back to our dorm rooms.