Looking back: Snapshots from my life in Korea.

By Subhojit Chakladar

It has been more than a year and a half since I set foot in Korea and yet it seems as if it was only last week that bid 'another farewell' to my family and boarded the flight for Incheon. Two years ago, the only things I knew about Korea could be summarized in just 4 words - Seoul, Pusan, Samsung and LG! The program coordinator had sent a Korean language studies book to my home before I came to Seoul but I was thousands of miles away in Germany, sipping beer and playing with the human auditory perception! In fact, when I landed in Incheon, it'd be fair to say that I knew nothing about Korea. A year and seven months has passed since then and I'm amazed to think of the amount of things that I've learnt about this place and the range of experiences that I've had. Many of these experiences have turned into posts on this blog. This particular post is a photo-essay of the journey so far. Here it goes:

My first shot in Korea. From Incheon airport to Seoul. This shot was taken over the bridge linking the Incheon island to the mainland. The weather was perfect but I was happy because the series of long flights was finally over.

A scene from the Cheonggyecheon stream in downtown Seoul. In summer, its overflowing with people. Here is a snapshot from the road above. The artificial lights on the bed of the stream and people dipping their feet into the water. Being my first week in Seoul - everything around me was exotic. The Land of the Han, (a post on my first week in Seoul) cast a spell on me in my initial days.

The Namsan Tower is the highest point in Seoul. This picture was taken from the Korean War Memorial and Museum in the early days of my stay in Seoul.

The Fire Festival on the Han River. Its an annual event held every September in Yeoido Park. The final event of the Festival is a pyrotechnique show, which draws thousands of visitors.

Ivan and I went to a remote mountain temple called Guinsa during the New Year break of 2009. A scene from the ceremony at the temple. That was the first time, we ventured beyond the familiar surroundings of Seoul into the true 'heart of Korea'.

My first experience of winter sports - Snowboarding (actually it was more of rolling on the snow than standing on the board!) The slope was in a bad condition, so we decided to call it a day and pose in front of the cam.

The view from my balcony - the colors of fall on full display in the Gwanak campus.

Fire spinners on the banks of the Han. Ivan invited me one day to witness fire spinning. Ivan is the guy with the bandana making the smaller circle. The guy looking at the camera - Shin Yeop is Ivan's friend.

Jeju-do trip - probably the most pampered and extravagant trip of my life so far. With my labmates at the base of the Sunrise peak.

The perfect shot - I've been trying to get the shot of flowing water for a long time but its difficult to get without a tripod. But on the trip to Jeju do, I finally managed to get it without a tripod!

As exotic as it gets - Horse meat Sashimi in Jeju do.

The Kyobo building next to the Gwanghwamun Plaza. My favorite bookstore in Seoul is located in the basement of this building (the one with the flower).

My curiosity about Korea really took off after I started writing for the QUILL. Here we were interviewing Prof Cho (from the Department of Humanities) regarding teacher-student relationship.

In my first issue as the Feature Editor of the QUILL, I did an entire section on International cuisine in Seoul. For more than 2 weeks I was on an eating out spree. This picture is from a Chinese restaurant in Daelim, where I went with Xing (another GSP student from Shanghai). Shabu-Shabu on a superb Saturday afternoon in an empty restaurant - difficult to beat that!

Resting on the edge - Chiaksan National Park. My first hike after recuperating. The view was stunning!

The Bulguksa temple - one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Korea. Normally this temple is brimming with tourists but on the occassion of Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), we had the entire temple to ourselves for more than 20 minutes. This is the main facade of the core of the temple.

Portals into another world - the empty courtyard at the heart of the Bulguksa temple.

Though the Bulguksa temple is more famous, my personal favorite in Gyeongju was the Anapji pond, shown here. After a scorching day, the cool breeze in the evening and a beautiful sight was very soothing.

The previous night was clear and starry but when I woke up in the morning, everything was blanketed in snow.

Moss and anchor - during the Lunar New Year trip to the South. From an island called Geomundo, in the east China Sea.

The red crowned crane - one of the rarest cranes on earth. Near the DMZ between North and South Korea in a small windswept town called Cheorwon.