This summer, 13 Students and two faculty members are traveling to South Korea to study Korea’s remarkable economic journey in the post-war period, while strengthening their skills and deepening their understanding of leadership in action in the world. Please enjoy this blog post on the groups third day in Korea from Keoni ’26 and Lila ’26 where they share how students experienced a day of cultural contrast, beginning with mindful reflection and meditation at a serene Buddhist temple and ending with the lively energy of a Korean baseball game
From Keoni ’26:
During day 3 of being in South Korea, our group visited Geumsunsa Temple to learn about the practice of Buddhism. During our stay in the temple, I learned about the belief of reincarnation and how they believe all life has value. The religion made me realize that all living things deserve to be treated fairly and with care. Near the end of our stay, I was able to participate in a meditation ritual that allowed the participant to be in tune with their body. The experience made me appreciate the beauty of being quiet and to not take living in the moment for granted. Overall, my experience in the temple has allowed me to reflect on the world around me in a different context; rather than seeing animals as lesser, we can be equals.
From Lila ’26:
We started the day by hopping on a bus and visiting a Buddhist temple. The trek up there was a little intense for 9am, but was beautiful, nonetheless. The sounds of nature and birds were a great start to the temple stay. Once we arrived at the top, we got a very insightful tour from Janice, a Buddhist member of the temple, and learned how to greet Buddha. We ate lunch silently and did a singing bowl meditation, then made 108 bead necklaces. It was really fascinating to be immersed in such a different culture and lifestyle. After the quiet morning and afternoon, we hopped on the bus again to head to a baseball game. We cheered for the Kia Tigers who were playing the KT wiz team. There is a very different cheering style at Korean sports game compared to the US. It felt like everyone knew the synchronized cheers except for us, but it was easy to catch on. The rivalry felt very respectful. Trying to get dinner was quite the experience because the stadium did not take cash, and we had to order at kiosks scattered throughout the stadium. It was much more tech-forward than I expected it to be which was difficult to navigate especially since I don’t understand Korean or have a Korean phone number. We ended up getting pizza, which was mid at best, but I don’t blame them. There was a lot going on. We left after the seventh inning and took the bus back to our hotel. I was absolutely gassed and fell asleep as soon as the bus started moving. The packed day made me sleep well. My favorite day so far.
