It’s the end of another week and November is almost over already. Some of my classes are already wrapping up, with only a few more classes and tests. Some of my classes, such as my studio, don’t feel like they’re anywhere close to ending or that we are anywhere close to finishing. I’m trying to make the most of my free days and see what I can in Busan. It’s beginning to look like Christmas here with lights, Christmas trees, and other decorations everywhere.

While my schedule has been kinda up and down and a little lighter recently, I’ve been going out and doing things by myself more. I’m looking at it as a self discovery/development. It’s good to know who I am in a group, but I’m trying to work on who I am individually. Am I still adventurous and bold? I want to be. Growing up with my sisters and a supportive family around me, I knew who I was with others and who I could be for them. It’s been challenging being out alone at times, but the aspiring traveler in me and adventurer encourages me to challenge myself, even if it’s to be by myself. I’m thankful for the friends and people I’ve been able to explore South Korea with, and also the times I’ve been brave enough to go out and see this new country on my own.

My Wednesday adventure this week took me to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple in Haeundae-gu. It’s a Buddhist temple along the coastline that was built in 1376 and then rebuilt again in the 1930’s after a fire during the 1590’s led to its ruin. It’s labeled as the most beautiful temple in Korea, and between the ocean view, the architecture, and the history of the site it was an incredible experience. I also went to the Busan Aquarium on Wednesday. While kind of small, it was fun and interesting between the shows they put on throughout the day and the different interactive exhibits they had. Leaving the aquarium I ended up on Haeundae Beach just in time for the sun to set and some of the lights for the Christmas display they were setting up on the beach to come on.

Saturday, my friend Hannemarie and I went to the Busan Museum of Art. We walked through several galleries with different sculptures, paintings, and even digital designs from various artists. Hannemarie is from Finland, and what a coincidence that there was also a temporary exhibit featuring Finnish art and design. The famous architect Alvar Aalto, was more well known in Finland for his furniture design, and had several chairs and other decorative pieces and his drawings behind the designs featured in the exhibit. It was a really cool thing to be able to walk through an exhibit featuring Finnish culture and have my friend from Finland tell me how to correctly pronounce the names of the cities in Finland, how Finland is the “Land of a thousand lakes”, and different cultural aspects of Finland I wouldn’t know without her friendship. This past week there has also been a World game expo going on in BEXCO in Busan. We went over there to look around, got some food from some really good food trucks, and decided we had seen enough gamers and cosplay dressers for one trip. It was a great day with a good friend.

This next week I have a test in my korean language class (cross your fingers for me cause I’m gonna need it), and hopefully we’ll be making some progress in my studio class. Otherwise I plan on going hiking Wednesday for my birthday and maybe finding another place to visit Friday since my afternoon class was cancelled. I think it’s gonna be a great week and I’m excited to see where it takes me. One week till my mom is in Korea!