I haven’t seen Seoul since two Decembers ago. I was quite anxious to come back with a lot of different emotions, but after few weeks of settling in, I’m glad to be back. Seoul is my hometown. My whole family has been living here for hundreds of years. Even though I went to university to different city, I always considered Seoul as my home. Even though Seoul won’t be the place for my own home, it will always going to be my hometown.
My Seoul is quite different than the Seoul what the world knows thesedays. I didn’t grow up shopping or playing computer games with high-speed internet. Our neighbourhood was one of the oldest parts of the city. The house I grew up was as small as someone’s living room, and I could almost touch my neighbour’s building by reaching my arm out the window. I grew up with squat toilet. I never knew what supermarket was. I hung out with old ladies at the traditional market (just ‘market’ back then) who were my grandmother’s friends. I’ve never been to department stores in my childhood. Animal organs, fish scales and live octopus were quite normal things to touch everyday. But, I was a master at how to take buses and subways.
Seoul is now considered one of the biggest and developed metropolitan areas in the world. It is famous for its K-Pop culture, technology and shopping, but that’s not the reason why I like this city. History, culture, food, people, and the old part of the city are the reason why I’m so fond of this place.
Korean New Year was last weekend. I got to help my mum cooking in two years, and had a chance to re-examine our traditions. Remember my post about ‘Why I don’t miss my holiday’? It is still true. I explored the city and the neighbourhood. Here are the photos of my Seoul through mobile photography. All the photos were taken with iPhone 3G (Yes, I’m still using 3G!)
