South Korea's got Seoul

Yay for overused puns!

I am going to make this very brief, because this day is best expressed through pictures and videos (both of which I have on my camera).  Wednesday was the first official day of orientation, and to start things off, we went to Seoul for opening ceremonies after meeting our respective groups for the first time.  This was my first time off to the capital, so, needless to say, I was quite excited.  And this excitement was not misplaced.  Even the small part of Seoul that we saw and walked around was amazing.  I can't wait to go back, and in fact tomorrow, I will be :)

Opening ceremonies began with several speakers from the Korean Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MEST) and the National Institute of (word I can't remember) Education Development (NIIED) an speeches/videos from previous generations of TaLK Scholars.  Then came the showcase of several groups the government had brought to opening ceremonies. First was the Rainbow Choir, a multinational choir of children that performs at various important political events.  They seemed quite talented, and I was impressed by the young singers.  Next came Stone Jazz, which was a musical group made up of a jazz trio and two traditional Korean instruments.  Thinking I would not like the performance, I did not record it.  But i was pleasantly surprised how they two very different forms of music harmonized.

Then came the final, and most showy, performance.  It was a Tae Kwon Do performance by a group known as the K Tigers.  I'm not sure what the K stands for, but for me, it stands for kick-ass, because that's what this performance was.  I can't wait to post the video that i recorded, though it is nearly 10 minutes.  I wished I had brought my Flip cam, as I was stuck recording with my regular camera, which is lower quality when it comes to video.

Following opening ceremonies, we split into assigned teams of 7-8 within our groups and went on a scavenger hunt throughout one district of Seoul.  We saw things such as a statue of King Sejong the Great, the inventor of Hangeul/Hangul (the Korean alphabet), traditional Korean treats, and Starbucks.  If nothing else, that trip showed me that there is much more to see in Seoul than can be seen in several days, so I have a feeling I will be visiting Seoul more than a couple times while I am here.

Ok maybe this post wasn't as brief as I thought it would be...