Onggi Village - Blog Assignment #3

It has been a little over three weeks since I left the United States. Before I started my journey, I had the opportunity to speak with a few of my friends about their experiences abroad and how it felt to be in another culture. Many of them had jet lag for days, severe home sickness, and some even felt frustrated when they couldn't understand what was going on around them. I'm not sure if it's because of the amazing UIP staff or having familiar friends nearby, but I have not experienced any of those negative feelings. Although we are completely immersed in the Korean language, most of which I cannot understand, I feel quite comfortable in South Korea.

A few days ago we visited Onggi Village (외고산옹기마을) where traditional Korean earthenware (옹기) is produced. The amount of work and detail that is handcrafted into every piece of earthenware is quite astonishing. There were hundreds of pots, some that had been fired and others that were, I assume, waiting for their turn. We got to explore the village, learn about the history of the earthenware in the Onggi Cultural Center, and even create our own masterpieces, which will be fired and returned to us in a few weeks.

This small trip was definitely a great opportunity to learn about a specific part of Korean culture. On top of that, we even get a special souvenir to take home with us, assuming it didn't explode while being heated. I hope mine is doing well!

Until next time~