This weekend was the first time I went on an overnight trip outside of campus! A group of us (teachers and students) spent the night in Cheongpyeong to explore the countryside and bungee jump for the first time! Cheongpyeong is very far from just about everything. We had to travel 2 ½ hours to get there and took three different types of public transportation. Because we only have class Monday-Thursday we left at 9:30am Friday morning. First, we took a short bus ride to Jukjeon station. Next, we rode the subway for just under 2 hours to Cheongpyeong. After that we had to take a taxi to the bus station where we then took a half an hour bus ride to our hotel. The traveling was exhausting, but definitely worth it.
Before taking a bus to our hotel we met a few more students at a local grocery store and did some shopping for dinner that night. We ended up spending almost 300,000 won for 14 of us… Needless to say we had a lot of extra food. By 2:00 we had made it to our hotel and finally got to relax and settle in. Some of us planned to bungee jump that afternoon because 10 more teachers were coming the next day to jump as well, but it was too windy out so we were not able to. As a last minute idea we decided to go to Petite France, which was right down the road. After spending a couple of hours there we made our way back to the hotel to start dinner.
Luckily, one of my students loves to cook so he was willing to do all the work for us. The food was delicious and we had an amazing night. The hotel we stayed at also owns a campground, which is right next to the hotel. Outside there is a swimming pool surrounded by a dance floor and neon lights. By 8:30 the lights were on, music was blasting, and the atmosphere of the campgrounds completely changed. Our entire group was drinking, eating, and dancing the night away. There were a lot of other people eating and drinking as well, but no one wanted to dance with us. After a short amount of time one group decided to jump into the pool and after that we all became friends. For the rest of the night we were swimming and dancing, having the time of our lives! I can honestly say I will never forget that night along with the people that I met.
The next day we all woke up to go bungee jumping. Almost everyone was scared, but a few of us only felt excitement. I’m proud to say everyone in my group did a fantastic job jumping and no one chickened out! After we all finished jumping we decided to go to Nami Island. Prior to going I had no idea what to expect, but am happy I went. The island is beautiful and definitely focuses on the beauty of nature. There were cultural music shows to watch, traditional Korean food to eat, and breathtaking landscape to look at. By 4:30 we were all exhausted and just wanted to go home. We bargained for a cheap dinner and then made the 2 ½ hour journey back to Yongin.
*Below is a picture of everyone in our group that decided to go bungee jumping, all of us at Petite France, and one of the many walkways on Nami Island!
Hi! My name is Andrea and I am currently a junior at SUNY New Paltz. My major is Early Childhood and Childhood Education with a concentration in English. I have always had an interest in traveling so I could not pass up the opportunity to study abroad! I was actually born in Korea, but adopted as a baby so I have never been and don't know too much about the Korean culture. I'm excited to learn as much as I can while having the time of my life!
My Weekend Trip to Cheongpyeong!
This weekend was the first time I went on an overnight trip outside of campus! A group of us (teachers and students) spent the night in Cheongpyeong to explore the countryside and bungee jump for the first time! Cheongpyeong is very far from just about everything. We had to travel 2 ½ hours to get there and took three different types of public transportation. Because we only have class Monday-Thursday we left at 9:30am Friday morning. First, we took a short bus ride to Jukjeon station. Next, we rode the subway for just under 2 hours to Cheongpyeong. After that we had to take a taxi to the bus station where we then took a half an hour bus ride to our hotel. The traveling was exhausting, but definitely worth it.
Before taking a bus to our hotel we met a few more students at a local grocery store and did some shopping for dinner that night. We ended up spending almost 300,000 won for 14 of us… Needless to say we had a lot of extra food. By 2:00 we had made it to our hotel and finally got to relax and settle in. Some of us planned to bungee jump that afternoon because 10 more teachers were coming the next day to jump as well, but it was too windy out so we were not able to. As a last minute idea we decided to go to Petite France, which was right down the road. After spending a couple of hours there we made our way back to the hotel to start dinner.
Luckily, one of my students loves to cook so he was willing to do all the work for us. The food was delicious and we had an amazing night. The hotel we stayed at also owns a campground, which is right next to the hotel. Outside there is a swimming pool surrounded by a dance floor and neon lights. By 8:30 the lights were on, music was blasting, and the atmosphere of the campgrounds completely changed. Our entire group was drinking, eating, and dancing the night away. There were a lot of other people eating and drinking as well, but no one wanted to dance with us. After a short amount of time one group decided to jump into the pool and after that we all became friends. For the rest of the night we were swimming and dancing, having the time of our lives! I can honestly say I will never forget that night along with the people that I met.
The next day we all woke up to go bungee jumping. Almost everyone was scared, but a few of us only felt excitement. I’m proud to say everyone in my group did a fantastic job jumping and no one chickened out! After we all finished jumping we decided to go to Nami Island. Prior to going I had no idea what to expect, but am happy I went. The island is beautiful and definitely focuses on the beauty of nature. There were cultural music shows to watch, traditional Korean food to eat, and breathtaking landscape to look at. By 4:30 we were all exhausted and just wanted to go home. We bargained for a cheap dinner and then made the 2 ½ hour journey back to Yongin.
*Below is a picture of everyone in our group that decided to go bungee jumping, all of us at Petite France, and one of the many walkways on Nami Island!
Andrea Stowell
Hi! My name is Andrea and I am currently a junior at SUNY New Paltz. My major is Early Childhood and Childhood Education with a concentration in English. I have always had an interest in traveling so I could not pass up the opportunity to study abroad! I was actually born in Korea, but adopted as a baby so I have never been and don't know too much about the Korean culture. I'm excited to learn as much as I can while having the time of my life!
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