Dariia ’25 and Arvin ’25, recount an insightful and fun day.
After getting some inspiration from the next Richard Hendricks at Asan Nanum, we went to Envisioning Partners. At their office, the company’s Managing Partner Yong Kim (Deerfield class of 1985) treated us to lunch and gave us a detailed introduction into the sector of venture capital firms and Envisioning Partners itself. This impact venture capital in fact takes care of Asan Nanum’s investments, so this direct link between a non-profit foundation and a for-profit investment company provided us with plenty of insight. For example, we saw that both nonprofit and for-profit companies can impact our society in a meaningful way. Obviously, Asan Nanum impacts society by providing the promising start-ups with the free spaces through their MARU incubator and does not get much out of it financially, if anything at all. On the other hand, Envisioning Partners, whose ultimate goal is taking care of the investors’ money, impacts society through investing into climate change-/sustainability-focused companies along the way. Thanks to Mr. Kim we had an insightful conversation where we had a chance to ask any questions, from why the venture capital companies remain mostly male-dominated to why Mr. Kim decided to go to law school after majoring in physics.
Our late afternoon contrasted heavily with the seriousness of the first part of the day. After a 25-minute subway ride we found ourselves in a flamboyant neighborhood of Hongdae where we had a chance to explore the street full of little shops and even get some Korean souvenirs and treats (I got some lychee jelly candies!). In the next two hours we tried ourselves as K-pop dance stars led by experienced K-pop dance teacher Stephen. By the end of the session we learnt a full dance for the song by the Korean superstar Jung Kook and got our graduation certificates from the K-dance studio (the photo and video materials will be posted later). This experience helped us dive deeper into Korean culture and bond even more as a group.
-Dariia ’25
Later that day, we went to Myeongdong night market. I honestly was doubtful about the market, since we had already explored Myeongdong surrounding the hotel in the nights before, but as soon as we arrived in a side street, I already noticed the crowds. The cars were struggling to pass due to the sheer flow of people.
When we did the lesson, there was a street performer and the crowd distracting us with noise. But with such a bustling place, we couldn’t wait to eat dinner there. We split up into the same groups as the performances, but with a little adjustment, and we went off.
My group, composed of Michael, Jesse, and Max, started off by trying something new: a fish-shaped pancake with filling inside.
We went down and back the market, and along the way, we got treats such as lamb skewer and dumplings, and desserts such as smores ice cream and sugar-covered fruit on a stick. This late night excursion really reminded me of China’s street markets due to the similar sights, smells, and sounds, and I learned at Myeongdong more than anywhere else in South Korea about Seoul’s impressive nightlife.
-Arvin ’25
