GRIP, Internships Abroad Solo-Tripping to Yangjaecheon District!

August 11, 2022
By Junfang Zhang, CAS '25

International Development in Seoul, South Korea

One of the biggest benefits of having two whole months in Seoul is the ability to get around the city and explore its neighborhoods – on top of doing the typical list of tourist activities. That has certainly been the highlight for me in terms of my cultural experience in this city.

Two weeks into the program, I recall feeling sufficiently comfortable with getting around the city and navigating on my own. That was when I gave myself a challenge: every day after work, I would go to a different part of the city and explore the area. As I was pretty nervous at the beginning, I decided to start small: for the first couple of days, I simply walked around the areas near my workplace and hotel. Then, I visited districts I knew were popular amongst tourists, like Hongdae, Itaewon and Gangnam. Slowly but surely, however, I expanded my radius.

One of my most memorable experiences so far came from a trip to Yangjaecheon, a slightly more residential district not far from the Han River. It was around 7pm in the evening, and office workers swarmed the streets, some rushing to go home, others congregating around streetside eateries and tents to have dinner. Walking a couple minutes from the subway station along a main street, I noticed a continuous stream of people going in and out of what appeared to be a tiny shophouse door. As I drew closer, I realized that it was actually an eatery on the second floor. On impulse, I decided to simply have dinner there.

Thinking back, walking into the store was probably one of the most intimidating experiences I’ve had in Seoul. There was, of course, no English menu. Rather, the menu was a short list of four items written in Korean pinned on one of the store’s walls. Everyone around me seemed like they knew exactly what to do, while I stood blankly at the door, looking for who to approach or where to sit down. Thankfully, one of the ahjummas (아줌마) serving food approached me and bustled me to a seat. What followed was a string of Korean words I didn’t understand a word of, and then three words: “il in bun” (일인분). Now, that I understood – it means “one serving”! As I noticed that the menu here was really short, I figured that this shop might specialize in one dish with a couple of side offerings, so I just nodded.

Before I could even settle myself, a troop of tiny dishes quickly swarmed my table. Then, a steaming bowl of rice and (what I later figured out) a very concentrated soybean stew, doenjang-jjigae (된장찌개) was put on my table. Observing the people in adjacent tables, I realized that what I should do is mix the fresh greens from the straw basket into my rice, and add as much of the doenjang-jjigae as I wanted to taste. Then, mouthful by mouthful, match the mixed rice and greens with the other side dishes, which included thin pork strips marinated in a sweet garlic-infused sauce and stir-fried anchovies, myeolchi-bokkeum (멸치볶음).

If I had any doubts about this method of combining food, that skepticism immediately disappeared once I had my first bite! All the ingredients melded together to create a taste that felt strangely but strongly nostalgic and comforting – though I’m pretty sure I’ve never had something like this before. That evening, I took my time enjoying my meal as I watched the bustle of people around me in the store. As I left, I think the ahjumma who first seated me figured out that I was a oegug-in (foreigner, 외국인), so she kindly took out a calculator to display the cost to me instead of verbally communicating it, and was really patient with me as I fumbled with the payment, questions of whether I wanted a receipt and so on. I even got some bindae-tteok (mung bean pancake, 빈대떡) on the house as I left, as the shop was soon closing!

I’ll always remember my trip to Yangjaecheon District by the delicious food I enjoyed there. Just as equally, I’ll always remember that trip as a time I stepped out of my comfort zone to explore the vast and vibrant city that is Seoul.

The Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Participants gain career-enhancing experience and global exposure that is essential in a global workforce.