February 11th

Yesterday, February 11th, was the one year anniversary of my father passing away. The week leading up was not easy. Last year that final week was both a blessing, and the most difficult time of my life. Going into the 11th I wasn't sure how I would feel. Overall, it was a good day.

At first I didn't know how I wanted to spend the day, but I did know that I wanted to spend the day alone. In the morning I packed my kindle and my guidebook and went to the cafe next to my school to have a waffle and plan my day. It was very relaxing and a good way to start the day. As an added bonus I got talking to the woman seated next to me. She was in her 40s and was working on English homework. She had a question and asked if I could help. We were chatting for a while and now I think I might have another language exchange partner; that or at least someone that can teach me how to cook Korean food!

The cafe by my school

At the cafe I decided I would go to Leeum, the Samsung Museum of Art. I caught the bus to Seoul and was on my way. It was nice traveling alone for once. I felt I needed a quiet day and that's what I had. I got to Leeum just in time to catch the 3:00 tour in English. As luck had it I was the only one there, so I got a personal tour. The tour was an hour and half and she took me through the highlights of the museum.

The museum itself is broken into three parts: Museum 1 - ancient Korean pottery, metal works, and drawings; Museum 2 - Modern art, both Korean and Western; and Museum 3 - a children's learning center. It was great having the tour, especially for Museum 1. Korean pottery looks so simple and is usually one color but it's really complex. Almost everything is inlaid with another clay. The pottery also changed across the dynasties. I learned a lot and definitely have a higher appreciation for their work. Museum 2 was also good. Modern art for me is hit or miss depending on the piece (obviously my personal opinion) but they had a lot of things that I liked.

There were no pictures allowed inside but this is the outside of the museum. The building to the left is Museum 3, the middle round one is Museum 1, and the one to the right is Museum 2.

After the tour finished I went back through both museums again. She had just done the highlights so we breezed past a lot of pieces. It was nice talking my time and inspecting everything. Although dad was never a fan of Art Museums it was a great way to spend the day. People all talked in hushed voices and it was very peaceful. I stopped on my way to the bus home to get a green tea latte (my favorite drink now) and that just completed the feeling that everything was going well.

There was a small hiccup on the way home when I took the wrong bus. I've never done that before here. Luckily I ended up in a place I had heard of before that wasn't too far from where I live. Once I got over my initial panic, I was able to grab a taxi and get myself home. I ended the day with macaroni and cottage cheese which was a dad classic. It was a good day and went exactly the way I needed it to. I can't believe it's already been one year.