As the saying goes, "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy." Thus, we need to balance between both work and play. While we strive to do our very best at work, we must also not forget to take of ourselves and relax, and vice versa.

 

With the introduction of my previous album which stated the work-related experiences I encountered at Hanyang International Summer School, this album will focus more on the fun aspects of Korea instead. It will cover mainly the food and sceneries that one may find in South Korea.

 

Korea may be commonly known to many people as the 'Land of Kimchi', but I assure you there's more to Korea than just kimchi alone. You will realize what I mean when you see the myriad of Korean food I tasted in this short 1-month stay in South Korea. I shall not put any spoilers here but just a point to note - Korean food is simply 맛있어요 (DELICIOUS)!!! I think I probably put on a couple of pounds during my stay in South Korea - Nah, just kidding :P!

 

South Korea also has a lot of stunning attractions for the ordinary tourist to visit. I got the opportunity to visit several beautiful places in South Korea during my free time and I have written down my feelings for the places I went to on this website. But to simply put, I was bewitched by the stunning beauty of many of the places I've been to in South Korea.

 

So does South Korea really have an "All-Work, No-Play" culture? Well, I'll let you be your judge after seeing my photos. I don't feel that way. I believe it's really up to the individual to balance his/her priorities in life. I stand by the philosophy that if you work hard, you should play hard as well. There's more to life than just studying (or working). While there were some stressful moments studying at Hanyang University, I can assure you there were many more enjoyable memories being forged as well. 

 

Thus, in my opinion, perhaps the competitive Korean system isn't the main propagator of the high suicide rates here. I definitely can understand the stress that students undergo here in South Korea since I have studied here for a month and also from my own experiences back home, but I feel there may be other underlying reasons behind the high suicide rates in Korea. Well, this is strictly just my opinion though.

 

On a side note, it does feel kind of sad that I have to leave Korea so soon. I still haven't explored so many places in Korea... yet I'm already leaving next Wednesday.

 

Till the day we meet again, Korea.

 

Anyway, enjoy the photos once again! :)

 

Melvin. 27/7/2016. Seoul.