Weekend #5

Friday was one of the last field trips of the program. We went to the Mud Festival aka MudFest in Boryeong. I had been anticipating this event throughout the week, however I wasn't sure what to expect from a festival that involved water and dirt. We got there and saw a beach and people the color of a sandy-gray. I tried to keep my camera and take pictures, but I didn't want to risk my camera getting broken or muddy. The Ewha cameraman was nice enough to hold onto it for me.

My PEACE buddy led me around for a while and we first got muddy going down this really fun mud slide. It was soooo slippery and dirty, but I surprisingly enjoyed it. What most people do is go down the slide and then run right to the beach into the salty ocean water. After that, I was somewhat covered, so I met up with some friends and we went on this one slide where you first climb up to the top and then slide down. It was a lot of fun also. Then we went into the water. It wasn't too cold, but still chilly.

There was also a huge stage that faced away from the beach and toward a wall of steps to sit on. There were random performances and even a few big TV screens near the "mud activities" so people could watch while they waited in line. It made the atmosphere more fun and comfortable.

Honestly, I didn't get too muddy. There were plenty of people who were covered from head to toe and therefore, way more muddy than me. Now that I think about it, it was fun to see everyone looking the same. In some sense, we all had the same skin color- the ugly, faded gray. I didn't do too much, or as much as I could have probably, but I still had fun. It was definitely a worth-while experience. MudFest is something that you can't go to in the States and it's a different cultural experience. Everyone in Korea knows about MudFest, and for me it's cool to be able to say I went to the 11th annual MudFest.

Saturday night, I went to a soccer game at World Cup Stadium with some of my friends. We saw FC Seoul play. The stadium was beautiful and it was definitely cool to be at the stadium where the World Cup was played back in 2002. I love international soccer, so to be at a game was fun. The fans, like at the baseball game, were crazy with support. There were so many people in red jerseys and even though the stadium was not even half full, the place echoed with screams. Soccer is Korea's favorite sport and it wasn't hard to tell from the fandom. At one point, the FC Seoul fans had some sort of red sparklers in their section and they were so bright. It was so cool.

The visiting team scored first, but Seoul retaliated with a goal of their own. After the first half, it was tie 1-1. The second half was exciting because Seoul scored within about 5 minutes after it started. However, the away team quickly got the goal back and the game was again tied. That's how it ended, but the fans were loud until the very end. It was a fun game and I'm glad I got the chance to go to a Korean soccer game. (Along with the baseball game).

That's all for now, the fifth week of classes is coming up. I can't believe it's almost over. Time flies!
My flights were recently changed, so I am able to stay for the remander of the program, including the closing ceremony. I'm very glad I get to stay for that.

More updates will come later! Some pictures from MudFest and the soccer game are posted below!
Allie