Korea Day 21: Completion Ceremony & Multi-Bang

Carol | August 9, 2019 | Featured, South Korea | No Comments

My last full day in Korea was packed full wrapping things up at school with the program’s completion ceremony and lunch, packing my things, and one last adventure around Seoul with friends.

Day 21: Friday, August 9th

Last Day at Kookmin University
- Kookmin Completion Ceremony
- Celebration Lunch on Campus
- Packing
Hongdae: Game Shopping
- Commemorative Rings
- Nepali Lunch at Shanti
Han River Adventures with Alex
- Seonyudo Park
- Train/Lost…
- Red Sky Cafe, Dongjak Bridge
Gangnam:
- Chicken & Beer with Lena & Group
- Overnight stay in a Multibang

Kookmin University

Completion Ceremony

Waking up this morning and walking up the hill to class was bittersweet as I was keenly aware it was the last time I would be doing so. The past three weeks have been great. Living in the dormitory, going to class every day, and having such a great group of friends to study and explore with made it easy to forget that I have a totally different life at home. I love my life, especially my husband and my home, but it was so great to get away and have a break. I’ve been feeling really burnt out thanks to grad school and this was just the adventure I needed to feel refreshed before beginning my thesis year.

Everyone in the program met on the first floor of the Global Center at 10 am for the completion ceremony. Words were said by several of the teachers and program staff before the awarding of our certificates commenced. Those students that had not missed any classes were rewarded with K-Pop albums, and a little time was dedicated to group pictures. It was a really nice ceremony followed by a really nice lunch to wrap up our three weeks in the Summer Language Program. I wish I had done something like this as an undergrad student. Sadly I didn’t have the means at the time so I’m thankful that I had this opportunity. I can’t help but think of how amazing it would be to spend a semester or more abroad.

Walking to the Global Center one last time.

Completion Lunch

After the completion ceremony we had a special completion lunch in a dining hall on one of the upper floors of the College of Law.

One last shopping trip in Hongdae

We returned to Hongdae to find a board game store so we could buy some of the games we had been playing at the board game cafe near Kookmin. We were able to find one of the card games we wanted but not the one we wanted most.

Afterward, we went in search of a jewelry shop Kevin had found earlier in the trip where we could all get custom engraved rings to commemorate our trip. I ended up buying two, one with my name and ‘Korea 2019’ engraved in Hangul and one with C ‘heart’ K so I’d have an inexpensive wedding band to wear while traveling.

Shanti: Authentic Indian & Nepali Cuisine

We decided on a Nepali lunch at a restaurant called Shanti for our last big meal together. It was a random Nepali/Indian food restaurant we found with a quick Google search but it was so good. Mausam and Sushant made food recommendations for everyone and they were spot on. I ordered Mutton Briyani, Garlic Nan, and a Banana Lassi (yogurt beverage). I think it was the first time I had eaten mutton. It was so tender it melted in my mouth and the Briyani was fragrant with just the right amount of spice. The banana lassi was amazing. I’m a huge fan of yogurt drinks. Mango is the usual flavor you find at restaurants in the US but the banana flavor was definitely a new favorite. The restaurant was also super pretty with all the shimmery Indian decorations and art.

Han River Adventures

After lunch, our group split into two. Kevin, Bethany, Tabitha, and I met up with our Korean friend Alex and went on a quest to visit the Han river since Bethany and Tabitha had not yet been. Out first destination was an island park that was close by that had swarms of dragonflies and cicadas. The cicadas were so overwhelming loud we couldn’t help but feel like we were about to be attacked. The park was pretty but the views weren’t what we were looking for so we decided to go to Banpo Bridge. Sadly we got lost on the way. After several subways and a lot of walking, we ended up at a convenience store/overlook on a bridge. We rested a bit, enjoyed the views, and parted ways with Alex. Getting lost had eaten up a lot of time so we gave up on visiting Banpo bridge and hopped on a bus to Gangnam.

Gangnam

The other half of our group was waiting for us at a Multi Bang in Gangnam. The rooms were small and we had 11 people, two of which would be leaving soon so we walked around to find a place where we could grab drinks and a snack. Jeremiah’s Korean friend Lena helped us find a place that served chicken and beer. The tables were small and the place was busy so we had to split up. Jeremiah, Lena, Tabitha, Mausam, and I ended up at one table and the rest at another on the other side of the restaurant. Lena translated the menu for us so we could order more easily. I ended up ordering a grapefruit beer. I’m not much for beer but it wasn’t bad. This was my first time meeting Lena and she was super sweet. I wish we could have hung out with her more. We had fun cutting the fried chicken up with scissors, and she and I made a little video of me doing it the Carol way and then her very neatly doing it the proper way. LOL.

Chicken & Beer

With Lena’s help we found a place to get a little something for dinner on the second level of a nearby building.

Formal Farewells

Afterward, Lena said farewell and the rest of us found an empty spot on the side of the street to say a few words before parting for the night. Dani, Tabitha, and Alaina were all leaving early in the morning, and Jeremiah was returning to the dormitory instead of staying out with the rest of us at the Multibang so this was our official farewell and last moment together as our full group. We formed a circle and took turns talking about the trip and each other and how much we’d enjoyed one another’s company and so on. I think all of us shed some tears and there was a lot of hugging. We really felt like a little family after all our time together. Three weeks may not sound like a lot of time, but when you’re in a foreign country and make so many memories together you can grow close to people quite quickly.

Multibang Overnight Stay

We spent the night at MPlus Multibang. There were nine of us and the rooms were quite small so we rented two rooms. For a little less than $15 USD a person (15,000 won) we rented two rooms for 10 hours. A multibang is a room (bang) you can rent where do you can do multiple (multi) things. In this case the rooms were set up for karaoke, video games, movie viewing, and hanging out or sleeping as we wished. We mostly did Karaoke. I think a movie was played at some point in one of the rooms, and as the night went on and it became super late or super early depending on your perspective all of us passed out for at least a little bit.

We said farewell to Dani, Tabitha, and Elena around 4:30 am, and then all went back to singing and sleeping. We didn’t wake up and leave until about 7 am. It was a great way to spend our last night.