This weekend, I went to Seoul for the first time in a month. On Friday, Korea's national football (soccer) team played Poland. I went to see my first football game in Korea along with about fifteen other international students from SCH.
We left school after classes around 3pm and made it to the stadium by subway around six. Once we arrived, I went with Richard to get the tickets while the rest of the group bought some pizza for the group from Homeplus, a Korean Walmart. We made reservations online so we had to pick up our tickets. As we made our way to the ticket booth, we saw floods of Koreans in red Korea jerseys for the game. The energy surrounding the stadium was unbelievable. Do not get between Koreans and their soccer!
We made our way back to our group, ate some pizza, and then entered the stadium. The enthusiasm in the stadium was even more intense than outside. We sat on one goal end, and at the other side was a coordinated cheer squad that was leading the crowd in cheers. Some of the most memorable cheers included yelling "Korea will win" to the tune of Beethoven's Ode to Joy, singing "Ariyang" Korea's most cherished folk song, and a combination of singing and jumping with team flags being flown in synchronization to the tune. I found the cheer squad just as exciting as the game!
There were probably about ten Polish people near where we were sitting. Poor things were so outnumbered. The end score was 2-2, since it was a friendly match, they didn't go into overtime. After the game, the team did something that I thought was really cool: they went to each side of the stadium and bowed to the fans. They walked from goal post to the side stands and gave each group of fans a bow of both respect and gratitude. I thought this was one of the most touching things I have seen in a sporting event. Regardless of win, loss, or tie, the team thanks the people who support them through it all: the fans.
After the game, I helped a few of the students to Seoul Station to take a KTX back to school. I then went over the Byeons for a visit, the first time I've seen them since leaving for school. I got there just as Kyunghye was returning from studying. We chatted for about an hour before Hyesun got back. It was so nice to see them again after about a month away.
Saturday I went to Sungkyunkwan University, the oldest university in Korea. Founded in 1392, it was a place where Confucian philosophy was taught to the brightest of the Joseon dynasty. In Joseon society, scholars were second to the King, even above the Yangban (upper) class. This displays the stress and reverence Korea has always had for education. This is one thing I really admire about Korean society: the desire for power or wealth comes second for the thirst for knowledge. Koreans have known throughout history in order to be successful, one must realize the value of learning. Because Koreans were great thinkers, they accomplished a lot of scientific feats as well as built a stable society.
Sungkyunkwan continues to be one of the most distinguished universities in Korea. It is a pretty cool place. As you approach the school, there are hints of a college town: cheap restaurants, boutiques, places for nightlife, etc. The school is separated into the historic area, which today is only for tourism, and the modern academic area. I visited the historic area, which has some of the old Confucian lecture areas and shrines for the spirit tablets of deceased scholars. While I was there, a memorial ceremony was held for a deceased scholar. The ceremony included chanting, presenting food to the spirit tablet, and bowing in respect to the past great thinker. It was interesting to see a 1000 year old tradition continued in the shadows of the modern university. Fascinating to see the old and new intertwining together in this place with so much historical significance.
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